Awesome

Pheromone

• Overview
  • Testimonials
  • Copyright
• Keymap
  • Via
• How to use
  • Using rotary encoder with lightroom
  • Using slider with FL Studio
  • Layer switching hack
• Build setup
  • Hardware
    • PCB
    • BOM
  • Software
    • Bootloader
    • Flashing firmware
    • Customizing oled screen
    • Enable midi slider
    • Sorting CTRL, WIN and ALT
    • Customizing email address marco
• Assembly
  • Plate
  • Case
  • Slider cap
• Bugs and improvements
• To do

Overview

Pheromone is a 63-key keyboard supports slide potentiometer, rotary encoder and oled screen. The slide potentiometer outputs a midi signal which can be recognized by any software reads midi input, however the stability is still being tested. The rotary encoder also outputs midi signal when the keyboard is switched to 'Lightroom' dedicated layer, once you pressed an letter key the knob will output a midi cc signal with different parameter, which allows you use a knob to adjust up to 26 sliders in lightroom(with 'photographer' keymap, it's even 78), most importantly, the value will not jump or jitter, oppositely it moves relatively and smoothly. The oled screen will show you the last letter key you pressed, the caps lock state and the layer you're currently staying.

The firmware is fully QMK, see build environment setup then the make instructions for more information.

Firmware built with QMK version "0.7.101-10-g3eb82e-dirty".

More photos

Keyboard Maintainer: luantty2

Make example for this keyboard (after setting up your build environment):

 make pheromone:default

Copyright

This project has no license currently, please understand what no license is.

Someone started GB without permission, please don't buy from these sellers.

Keymap

Dimension

Base layer

Function layer

The encoder in func layer has the abilitity to contol screen brightness, however it's only compatible with macos currently.

The keycode of encoder in func layer has been updated to KC_BRIGHTNESS_UP and KC_BRIGHTNESS_DOWN, now it works on both Windows and MacOS.

Lightroom layer

Via

An easy tool for setting custom keycodes. Download the Via configurator first, open and click via->import keyboards/pheromone/keymaps/via/info.json, via will detect the keyboard automatically.

you need to flash pheromone_via.hex from precompiled firmware folder before playing with via.

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How to use

Using rotary encoder with lightroom

To enable midi input for lightroom, you first need to make sure MIDI2LR plugin installed on your computer, plug in keyboard and restart lightroom, you should see a configure page, in which you could combine the output of rotary encoder with lightroom command.

A short video explanation: link

Before you start you should switch the keyboard layer to 'LTRM' by pressing "Fn" key twice, note that the current layer you're staying is displayed on oled screen.

The rotary encoder outputs values on CC1 by default, now if you rotate the encoder, the MIDI2LR page should appear a new row written MIDI command of 'CC1', if it doesn't, click 'Rescan MIDI devices' button below.

Now that our midi command isn't assigned to a lightroom command, to do that we simply click the row written in 'Unassigned', then it should appear a huge amount of command we could assign with, provided you have chosen 'Basic Tone -> Brightness', what it does is you're able to control 'brightness' by rotating encoder.

It's important to right click on your command row, and select 'Binary offset' in the pop up window, and click 'apply to all'.

The rotary encoder is able to handle up to 26 different sliders with default keymap, and 78 different sliders with photographer keymap.

Default keymap

With default keymap, simply tap any letter key then rotate encoder, you should see a new row appear, assign it to any command you want, for example: press 'E' and assign command to 'Basic Tone -> Exposure'.

Photographer keymap

With photographer keymap, besides tap letter key once, you're also allowed to tap it twice or 3 times, it will give different cc numbers according to your tapping times, with which you can handle up to 78 cc numbers. The assignment is the same as default keymap.

Writer keymap

Writer keymap does not support using rotary encoder to output midi signals.

Using slider with FL Studio

Firstly, let's configure our keyboard as a midi input device in FL studio, go to options -> MIDI settings, click 'enable' button if 'pheromone' is shown here.

If you want to use slider to control the master volume in Fl Studio, right click on the master volume icon, and select 'link to controller', move the slider on your keyboard then they should be automatically bound together.

Layer switching hack

Normally you can tap 'Fn' once to switch to next layer, with this keyboard you are allowed to tap 'Fn' twice quickly to instantly switch back to base layer, regardless of what layer you're staying. What's more, if you tap 'Fn' twice quickly in base layer, it will bring you back to the layer you previously stayed, it's helpful when you're concentrating on your work since layer switching doesn't bother you.

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Build setup

Hardware

PCB

The gerber files is ready to be manufactured, send it to any manufacturer you trust to be good.

BOM

The slide potentiometer I'm using here is bought from taobao, The same one could be found here, in theory any other B10K slide potentiometer should also work fine, just remember to modify the footprint in KiCad if your slide potentiometer comes with a different size.

The proper handle length of rotary encoder would be 15mm, so that it's easier to find a suitable cap for it, otherwise it can be too high or to low.

The handle length refer to as the 'L' length

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Software

Bootloader

The firmware uses qmk-dfu as its bootloader, once you've got MCU and other parts soldered, you need to set bootloader for your MCU, normally you will want a USBISP as ISP flasher, or a pro micro wired to ISP socket on your keyboard.

Here I'm using a teensy 2.0 flashed with this firmware, to learn how to turn your teensy or pro micro into a ISP flasher and how to wire it to your keyboard, follow the guide.

Make sure you wired correctly, open up terminal and type:

ls /dev/tty.usb*

then it will show something like /dev/tty.usbmodem123456

copy the result, run the command below:

avrdude -c avrisp -p m32u4 -P /dev/tty.usbmodem123456 -U flash:w:"pheromone_default_bootloader.hex":a -U lfuse:w:0x5E:m -U hfuse:w:0xD9:m -U efuse:w:0xC3:m -U lock:w:0x3F:m

For DFU bootloader

If your MCU has preinstalled a default bootloader, there's no need to install qmk-dfu, add a line in rules.mk

BOOTLOADER = atmel-dfu

and recompile.

Flashing firmware

Re-plug in your keyboard, open QMK-toolbox, then press reset button on the back of PCB, the qmk toolbox will show you if it's detected our keyboard, if it does, simply find "pheromone_default.hex" and hit "flash" in qmk toolbox.

Once you've got qmk working, simply hold down esc when connecting keyboard to computer instead of pressing reset button to enter usb bootloader.

Customizing oled screen

The oled screen always showing an image, in addition, it also shows you multiple useful information:

• the capslock state
• the last letter key you pressed
• the layer you're currently staying
• the midi cc value of an letter key if you're staying in 'LTRM' layer.

the font file is located in keyboards/pheromone/keymaps/default/glcdfont.c

Upload this file onto helixfonteditor, and you're able to modify the font and sprites. Once you've got your work done, overwrite the original file and recompile.

Enable midi slider

The slider feature is not enabled by default, to enable it, edit config.h and uncomment the code below:

#define POT_ENABLE

You're able to detect the ouput value from using midi software, I'm using MIDI Monitor in this case.

The feature is still being tested.

Sorting CTRL, WIN and ALT

You may want to change the order of "Ctrl, Alt and Win", pheromone gives you an easy way to do that.

Find the MOD_SEQUENCE_CAW marco in config.h, where 'C' stands for 'Ctrl', 'A' stands for 'Alt', and 'W' stands for 'Win'.

#define MOD_SEQUENCE_CAW /*normally for macos users*/

/* 
#define MOD_SEQUENCE_CWA /*normally for windows users*/

/*other sequences*/
#define MOD_SEQUENCE_WAC
#define MOD_SEQUENCE_WCA
#define MOD_SEQUENCE_AWC
#define MOD_SEQUENCE_ACW
*/

By default it's set to MOD_SEQUENCE_CAW, which means it's an order for mac users, if you gonna change the order to 'Ctrl, Win, Alt', then comment '#define MOD_SEQUENCE_CAW' and uncomment '#define MOD_SEQUENCE_CWA' and recompile.

Customizing email address marco

When holding right shift and hit number '2', it will print an email address on screen,you can modify the address by editing line 559 in keymap.c:

SEND_STRING("your_email_address@xxx.com");

replcace your email address in config.h:

#ifdef EMAIL_ENABLE
	#define EMAIL_ADDRESS "your_email_address@xxx.com"
#endif

When holding left shift and number 2, it gives a '@' as usual.

Certainly if you don't want this marco, remove

#define EMAIL_ENABLE

in config.h.

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Assembly

Plate

The plate file is ready to be manufactured, either carbon fiber or brass is fine.

There are 6 screw holes on plate and pcb, allow you insert M2*10mm screws to enhance the tightness between switch and pcb, yet they are optional.

Case

The case file is for 3D printing, either PLA or resin should be fine.

After sanding and painting it actually gives you great surface. If you find some uneven gaps on surface, woodfiller and primer will help you smooth them.

The mounting holes are compatible with insert threads with 3.5mm outter diameter, the size of threads could be M2 or M2.5, the depth would better be 3mm.

If you choose PLA then it's easy to heat insert threads, but if you choose to use resin, like me, then it's a little tricky, you may want to glue your inset nuts to every hole, and sanding nuts when necessary.

The buttom plate is made of acrylic cut by laser with 2mm thickness.

Slider cap

The cap of slider is also 3D printed. The post-processing is the same as case.

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Bugs and improvements

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To do

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USB improvments: USB-C connector, ESD protection, etc.

MCU: considering switching to STM32F303CCT6.

RGB matrix using is31fl3733.