Do I Need to Lube My Keyboard Switches?
Figure 1: Sometime around here is a good time to ask that question... If you’re new to the mechanical keyboard hobby, I have no doubt that planning your first keyboard build is a bit of a daunting task. To be entirely honest with you, it’s only a tiny bit less daunting for your second or even third keyboard builds should you stay around a little while longer. You’ve got the keyboard itself to worry about, stabilizers, keycaps, and even switches on top of all of the intangible marks you want your dream keyboard to hit. Switches are especially daunting right out of the gate as there’s just so many options out there to pick from – each with their own unique specifications, manufacturers, and more. Yet, in spite of all of these differences between switches, time and time again I find people always asking about lubing switches as one of their chief concerns when it comes to picking some up. With countless numbers of content creators talking about lubing switches, its no...
Apr 17, 2024
You can set a key to respond with the standard alphanumeric a-z0-9, CTRL, Super/GUI. You can set Windows and multimedia keys; calculator, play, volume +/-, etc. You can set "key-combos" that allow you to set a key to Ctrl or Alt + [a key that is allow singly]. There are a few other features that some might find useful as well.
So, I would take a good look at the program on its own before you plug in your VA12M. That left-mouse-click key thing still bugs me, but I'm stuck post-flash.
With saying all that, I contacted Varmilo and received a rar that has allowed me to reprogram the keypad. "I will send you the software via wetransfer. you can find the manual in attachment, this is the only file I have for VA12M." I take absolutely no responsibility for it. It's is Varmilo's. For some reason they don't post it on their site. They even gave it to me via a temporary file share site, WeTransfer.
Enjoy ... ? VA12M software.rar: https://wetransfer.com/downloads/5d4125b56255a387f3744d2b3d35f65020171227054622/6a0c1226bb84543ab6cc0e1bf00a77f220171227054622/8465b7 (WeTransfer will delete it on 3 January, 2018.) If you find some way to get around these limitations, PLEASE let me know. I screwed with it all last night and came up empty besides being able to catalog some of its limitations. I'm not sure if I like it better or worse, but I'm stuck where I am now.
UPDATE: I messaged Varmilo back about the limitations I found. Suddenly they found more files. "I sent you two files via wetransfer, one is for upgrading, one is for programming."
This file appears to be the same flashing software as the first .rar they sent my way. This one just comes with the simple instructions in English instead of Chinese. VA12M.zip: https://wetransfer.com/downloads/12249971b2887a65e81662b4cb20403e20171228015220/df8758bbfd2da189a8b0643a8b19b1fe20171228015220/b63249 (Will be deleted on 4 January, 2018)
This zip contains an .exe & accompanying .dlls & .ini that will update the VA12M to a firmware that will output 0-9, Enter, and LCTRL. I was hoping to modify the .ini to customize the layout, but it doesn't look possible. If you find a way, let us know. MTP OnLine Update_FF91H_V108.zip: https://wetransfer.com/downloads/241b5862021538dc5f6a5d1a5629c2e120171228021605/12f8700cf5540f6b51be2344600810ae20171228021605/38fd51 (Will be deleted on 4 January, 2018)
P.S.: can it be used at boot time (BIOS screen, bootloaders, etc...) after being programmed?