Adding individual key RGB to the keychron k17 pro by ldragon

Description

I recently acquired a k17 pro and was disheartened to learn instead of a way to set individual key RGB values we were given a set of preset "animations" and didn't have individual key RGB. The keychron k17 pro in hardware does support individual key RGB addressing as shown in many of the animations it ships with.

However this functionality is not provided to the firmware/via to set individual key RGB back light. Other keychron keyboard with similar issues seem to have this resolved by following a method similar to the one described here this aim is to replicate this one the k17 and attempt to over come the shortcomings of the original(save+load does not work).

Goals

1. Port the original RGB to the wls_2025q1 branch of keychrons fork of qmk
2. Fix the capslock and numlock state light not changing state after being pressed once.
3. Fix the save+load issue that is present in the fork by Sasuchisama

Resources

• keychron's fork
• community fork

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Install a QMK-compatible Open Source controller on my keyboard by danishprakash

Replace the proprietary keyboard controller(buggy) on my Kinesis Advantage2 and install the open source KinT controller and flash QMK on it.

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ESPClock: An open-source smart desk clock with Home Assistant integration by jbaier_cz

Description

ESPClock will be an open-source, Wi-Fi connected digital clock powered by ESP32 and ESPHome, designed to seamlessly integrate with Home Assistant. Featuring a 3D-printable case, the clock combines modern style with smart home functionality.

Goals

Key features:

• real-time clock
• native Home Assistant integration
• optional sensors for temperature, humidity and ambient light
• custom 3D-printable case
• open-source firmware and hardware design
• easy YAML-based configuration

Resources

1. https://esphome.io/
2. https://gist.github.com/baierjan/773e20a5061780f0a27ed86619dbffba

The Hacking

Chapter 1: Inventory

After thoroughly inspecting my closet, I managed to gather a handful of useful components. I decided to keep things simple and avoid making the project unnecessarily complex, opting for ready-made modules instead of assembling everything from individual parts. This approach saves time and reduces the chances of compatibility issues. The components I settled on are:

• Microcontroller: ESP32-LPkit
• 4-digit 7-segment display with integrated controller: TM1637
• Temperature and humidity sensor: DHT22
• Carbon dioxide sensor: MH-Z19
• PIR motion sensor: AM312
• Illumination sensor: VEML7700
• I2S-compatible microphone module: SPH0645LM4H
• A couple of micro switches
• A few LED diodes with appropriate resistors

With this list, the essential environmental parameters should be well covered. The clock’s main function—displaying the current time—is handled by the bright 0.56-inch display. Additionally, the setup provides simple input options through buttons and possibly even voice commands in the future.

Chapter 2: Wiring Diagram

I went through the datasheets for all the components to determine the most effective way to connect them. After comparing different options and checking for compatibility, I finalized the following wiring diagram.

Chapter 3: Firmware

For the software part, I decided to use ESPHome, which offers an easy and reliable way to integrate the clock with Home Assistant. All the components from the inventory are natively supported, so there is no need to write much additional code.

The following example shows how the YAML configuration for the clock may look: espclock.yaml

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Backfire TV - Take back control of your Firestick by andreabenini

Take Back Control of Your Amazon Firestick.
Tired of Ads, a cluttered launcher, and buttons you can't change? BackFireTV is a project to liberate your Firestick from Amazon's walled garden and make it truly yours. They call it the firestick. To fight fire with fire, you need a backfire.

That's the soul of BackFireTV. To truly liberate it and return back to its core capabilities this project uses a linux script, one Android app and ADB access against Amazon's restrictive policies. We leverage these internal tools to create a "backfire" against the incessant ads and locked ecosystem, transforming your Firestick back into the useful, customizable device it was always meant to be.

The Problem

The Amazon Firestick starts as an excellent, affordable streaming device. However, Amazon's aggressive Ad policies and restrictive ecosystem have turned it into an increasingly annoying and a less useful device. It comes with frustrations:
- Messy interface. The less the better was probably the best slogan for the early device, its interface is now cluttered and chaotic when you probably need just a couple of buttons for starting your favorite applications.
- Constant Ads. The default launcher is filled with commercials and sponsored content.
- Bloated Interface. A cluttered and slow home screen you can't customize.
- Locked Buttons. Dedicated buttons for services you don't use (like popular streaming providers) that can't be easily changed.
- Lack of Control. A closed ecosystem that limits what you can do.

I could overlook them all if the device was provided for free. But since you pay and you own it it should be legit to do whatever you please in your personal device and network.

The Solution: BackFireTV

BackFireTV hacks your Firestick to give you back control. It uses a clever system of DHCP hooks and ADB (Android Debug Bridge) commands to remotely manage your device, block annoyances and customize your experience from the moment it connects to your network.
The dhcp lease action starts a nohup command on the firestick and forgets about it, the daemon then manages running programs, hacks remote control features and keys. It can be paused or resumed, no rooting required.

Features

• Custom Launcher. Automatically replaces the default Amazon launcher with the lean and clean Wolf Launcher.
• Ad-Free Experience:. Blocks annoying ads and sponsored content for a cleaner interface.
• Button Remapping. Reprogram the physical buttons on your remote. For example, make the Disney+ button launch Kodi or your favorite application.
• Works on every firestick 4K. Tested on: Firestick TV 4k (1st/2nd gen), Firestick TV 4k Max.
• No rooting required. It runs on basic user permissions with standard privileges. It also works on standard devices: latest firmware, with or without external hw attached (usb storage, network cards, usb hubs, ...).
• No banned apps. This hack relies on the linux subsystem underneath, no matter what Amazon does on the AppStore, this script can always be sideloaded and cannot be banned (no fingerprints on android app layer).
• Toggle to default anytime. Standard amazon launcher can still be toggled any time for administrative tasks or just as a comparison. Feel free to manage it as usual and switch back to

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VimGolf Station by emiler

Description

VimGolf is a challenge game where the goal is to edit a given piece of text into a desired final form using as few keystrokes as possible in Vim.

Some time ago, I built a rough portable station using a Raspberry Pi and a spare monitor. It was initially used to play VimGolf at the office and later repurposed for publicity at several events. This project aims to create a more robust version of that station and provide the necessary scripts and Ansible playbooks to make configuring your own VimGolf station easy.

Goals

• Refactor old existing scripts
• Implement challenge selecion
• Load external configuration files
• Create Ansible playbooks
• Publish on GitHub

Resources

• https://www.vimgolf.com/
• https://github.com/dstein64/vimgolf
• https://github.com/igrigorik/vimgolf

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Capyboard, ESP32 Development Board for Education by emiler

Capyboard is an ESP32 development board built to accept individual custom-made modules. The board is created primarily for use in education, where you want to focus on embedded programming instead of spending time with connecting cables and parts on a breadboard, as you would with Arduino and other such devices. The board is not limited only to education and it can be used to build, for instance, a very powerful internal meteo-station and so on.

• github.com/realcharmer/capyboard
• github.com/realcharmer/capyboard-starter
• github.com/realcharmer/capyboard-docs
• github.com/realcharmer/capyboard-examples
• docs.capyboard.dev

Hack Week 25

My plan is to create a new revision of the board with updated dimensions and possibly even use a new ESP32 with Zigbee/Thread support. I also want to create an extensive library of example projects and expand the documentation. It would be nice to also design additional modules, such as multiplexer or an environment module.

Goals

• Implement changes to a new board revision
• Design additional modules
• Expand documentation and examples
• Migrate documentation backend from MkDocs to Zensical

Hack Week 24

I created a new motherboard revision after testing my previous prototype, as well as a light module. This project was also a part of my master's thesis, which was defended successfully.

Goals

• Finish testing of a new prototype
• Publish source files
• Documentation completion
• Finish writing thesis

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OSHW USB token for Passkeys (FIDO2, U2F, WebAuthn) and PGP by duwe

Description

The idea to carry your precious key material along in a specially secured hardware item is almost as old as public keys themselves, starting with the OpenPGP card. Nowadays, an USB plug or NFC are the hardware interfaces of choice, and password-less log-ins are fortunately becoming more popular and standardised.

Meanwhile there are a few products available in that field, for example

• yubikey - the "market leader", who continues to sell off buggy, allegedly unfixable firmware ROMs from old stock. Needless to say, it's all but open source, so assume backdoors.

• nitrokey - the "start" variant is open source, but the hardware was found to leak its flash ROM content via the SWD debugging interface (even when the flash is read protected !) Compute power is barely enough for Curve25519, Flash memory leaves room for only 3 keys.

• solokey(2) - quite neat hardware, with a secure enclave called "TrustZone-M". Unfortunately, the OSS firmware development is stuck in a rusty dead end and cannot use it. Besides, NXP's support for open source toolchains for its devboards is extremely limited.

I plan to base this project on the not-so-tiny USB stack, which is extremely easy to retarget, and to rewrite / refactor the crypto protocols to use the keys only via handles, so the actual key material can be stored securely. Best OSS support seems to be for STM32-based products.

Goals

Create a proof-of-concept item that can provide a second factor for logins and/or decrypt a PGP mail with your private key without disclosing the key itself. Implement or at least show a migration path to store the private key in a location with elevated hardware security.

Resources

STM32 Nucleo, blackmagic probe, tropicsquare tropic01, arm-none cross toolchain

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