Step-By-Step Guide To Configuring Your GMMK PRO Using QMK

Glorious HQ

July 28, 2021

QMK, or Quantum Mechanical Keyboard, is an open-source, community-centered configuration tool for keyboards and other input devices. The GMMK PRO supports QMK for remapping its keymap, allowing users to customize their board. QMK software is handy for creating layers, moving around specific keys, adding functions, etc.

QMK requires a simple setup process that can seem daunting at first, but we've designed this handy guide to make it quick and easy - getting you up and running with little hassle. Follow each step closely as we help you create your keymap, load it into QMK's toolbox configurator tool, and finally flash, or load, it onto your GMMK PRO.

The GMMK PRO also utilizes the Glorious Core software, so we will teach you how to revert your keyboard back to being able to utilize this proprietary tool.

A reminder that QMK Firmware on GMMK Pro will not be compatible with Glorious Core.

Once loaded, you will need to flash it back before you can take advantage of Glorious Core’s features.

Creating your keymap

1. Get your firmware by navigating to https://config.qmk.fm/#/ in your browser of choice.

2. Go up to the “KEYBOARD” dropdown box and select “gmmk/pro”

3. Use the tabs at the bottom to configure your keyboard layout.
a. ANSI contains your standard key functions for ANSI board layouts.
b. ISO contains your standard key functions for ISO board layouts.
c. Quantum contains the functions needed to access your board’s layers. In this tab, you will find the invaluable “MO” function that allows you to quickly swap between layers. For more information about working with layers in QMK, check out this handy video.
d. Keyboard Settings contains backlighting and RGB controls. Disclaimer: Currently, RGB lighting does not work on the GMMK PRO when utilizing QMK. We are working to address this issue as soon as possible.
e. App, Media, and Mouse holds assignable mouse, multimedia and application controls.

4. Define your keymap by dragging and dropping keymaps into their desired locations.

a. You can also click on an empty slot, then click on the keymap you want to be placed there.

5. To save this keymap you created for future changes, click the “Export Keymap” button. This will save the keymap as a .json file that can be imported later using the “Import Keymap” button.

6. Once you are satisfied with your keymap, compile your firmware using the “Compile” button. Once compilation is complete, the green button to “Download Firmware” will be available to click.

Loading your Keymap into qmk tool

1. Now that you have firmware ready to use, now you will want to flash that firmware onto your GMMK Pro. To do that first download the QMK Toolbox here: https://github.com/qmk/qmk_toolbox/releases

2. For Windows users, download the file: qmk_toolbox.exe. Mac users download the file: QMK_Toolbox.pkg. Make sure to download the latest version.

3. Navigate to where you downloaded the QMK toolbox and open the file.

a. For some users, Windows will warn you when attempting to open this file. Check your antivirus and open using administrator access if necessary.

4. (Windows Only) When opening the QMK toolbox for the first time, you will be prompted to install drivers. If there is not a prompt to do so, right click at the bottom of the window and click “Install Drivers…”
a. This should only be done once unless there is an error downloading the drivers.
b.It is recommended you restart your computer after installing these drivers.

5. Launch the QMK toolbox again, and press the open button. Select the QMK keymap file you created in the “Creating Your Keymap” section. Press the open button once selected.

Note: Choosing the wrong keymap file here will cause your GMMK PRO to stop functioning, so be sure it is the correct file. Correcting this is as simple as opening up the correct firmware file.

6. Leave the “MCU (AVR) Only” dropdown at its default value - no need to change it.

Flashing your Keymap

1. To put your GMMK PRO into bootloader mode, you must first unplug it. Before plugging it back in, hold the SPACEBAR and B at the same time while plugging the cable back in.

a. You should see a message in the QMK Toolbox that indicates that your board is in STM DFU Bootloader Mode.

2. Click the “Flash” button to flash the keymap onto your board.

3. You can now close QMK Toolbox. Your new keymap is now successfully flashed to your GMMK PRO.

a. More detailed instructions and alternate ways of flashing are located here on this page in the QMK official docs: https://docs.qmk.fm/#/newbs_flashing

(Alternative method) Hard Bootloader mode

1. Unscrew all the base plate screws on the backside of your GMMK PRO. Keep your screws in a safe place or on a piece of tape so you do not lose them.

2. Lightly tug on the base plate and lift the base plate 1-2 inches from the PCB board. Do this lightly and slowly as there is a 2-3 inch cable that is attached to the base plate and the PCB board.

3. You should see a button on the PCB board that is visible through the foam padding.

4. Simply hold this button down and plug the GMMK PRO back into the PC.

5. You are now in STM DFU bootloader mode.

6. Refer to Step 2 of Flashing Your Keyboard to continue with the flashing process.

FLASHING GLORIOUS CORE BACK ONTO YOUR GMMK PRO

1. Download the Glorious Core .bin file located here.

2. Launch the QMK Toolbox and press the open button once again under the Local File text box.

3. Leave the “MCU (AVR) Only” dropdown at its default value - no need to change it.

4. To put your GMMK PRO into bootloader mode, you must first unplug it. Before plugging it back in, hold "FN" + "/" for ANSI models and "FN" + "Backspace" for ISO at the same time while plugging the cable back in.

Note: These are the default key combinations for activating bootloader mode, and if they do not work, please reference your QMK keymap.

5. You should see a message in the QMK Toolbox that indicates that your board is in STM DFU Bootloader Mode.

6. Click the “Flash” button to flash the keymap onto your board.

7. You should now be able to close the QMK Toolbox if the file was successfully flashed onto the board. Your GMMK PRO should have full Glorious Core functionality once again.  

FAQ

Q: Can I use Glorious Core after flashing my new keymap using the QMK toolbox?
A: No, you will need to flash the Glorious Firmware .bin file back onto the GMMK PRO to regain Core functionality.


Q: I chose the wrong keymap file, and now my GMMK PRO is not working properly. How do I fix this?
A: No need to worry, simply open up the file explorer in the QMK toolbox and reselect the proper keymap file.


Q: Do I need to choose an “MCU (AVR) Only” from the dropdown menu in the QMK toolbox?
A: No, the GMMK PRO does not require you to do so.


Q: How do I put my GMMK PRO in bootloader mode?
A: Unplug your GMMK PRO, hold the SPACEBAR and B simultaneously, and finally plug it back in. The GMMK PRO also has a physical button to initiate bootloader mode, and this required disassembly of the board. Please refer to “(Alternative Method) Hard Bootloader Mode” for more information on that.

Comments

Mark:

The GMMK pro has terrible input lag with the stock glorious firmware making it unuseable for competitive gaming, it is also impossible to set to 1000hz, I have tried many times with the Glorious Core software, reinstalling restarting etc. I flashed QMK and I thiinkj it sorted the input lag problem, but there is no RGB support with QMK.. Is it the software or the leds used on the pcb causing the input lag? Surely there should have been more testing done on this.. And is basic RGB support with QMK ever going to be released?? It has been three months since the original release..

June 15, 2021

anonymous:

Why does this have a problem with RGB in QMK that is not able to fixed by the community?

June 14, 2021

Sylar:

I still cannot use the RGB function, whats the update with that?

June 11, 2021

Greg:

When will we be able to remap the function of the rotation of the rotary encoder? This is something that was advertised as a feature for the board and still isn’t available (without jumping through undocumented/unsupported hoops) yet, to my knowledge.

June 09, 2021

gabe:

I am having the same issue as chemnitzel where I cant use the rotary knob while using QMK configurator and the rgb stopped working after the first time I flashed it

June 03, 2021

Ken:

Why doesn’t QMK work with RGB? Will glorious even comment on this message?

June 01, 2021

chemnitzel:

How can I get the knob working with qmk configurator? Also why are the rgb light not working?

May 24, 2021

Spectere:

@Dave: You have to set up a DFU hotkey in the QMK Configurator. The configuration provided doesn’t seem to enable the bootmagic options.

To do this, assign Quantum → Reset to a key. I usually bury it a couple of momentary layers deep (Fn+Win+B, in my case) to prevent accidental hits. One plus with this method is that you can use this key to reset into DFU mode at any time instead of having to unplug your keyboard every time you want to load a new firmware config.

May 19, 2021

John John:

As John from another thread pointed out, here’s the solution to the LED support issue with QMK/ChibiOS for the GMMK Pro.

Yet, you have not addressed the fact that the initial design doesn’t use one of the integrated circuits for Lightning (LED Matrix, RGB Matrix or RGB lighting) supported by QMK or the hardware abstraction layer of the underlying real time operating system (ChibiOS).

Maybe, if you made public the details required to get the RGB lightning working some users the community could help to make it happen.
But I suspect that the RGB driver chip that you are using (as well as the new MCU selected for future keyboards) are not supported by ChibiOS. In that case, Glorious will have to commit to own the integration of those new chips into ChibiOS. That will give Glorious the opportunity to give back to the keyboard open source community that is driving their current business bubble.

May 19, 2021

pinpox:

Any update on the QMK functionality? I’m on linux and would much prefer to use QMK, but I don’t want to loose RGB or the encoder functionality.

May 12, 2021

Ernesto:

I am having trouble flashing my gmmk pro in QMK. it always returns me this error when i attempt to flash with the bin file from the QMK configurator. does anyone encounter this issue?

Attempting to flash, please don’t remove device
>>> dfu-util.exe -a 0 -d 0483:DF11 -s 0×08000000:leave -D “F:\Downloads\gmmk_pro_layout_mine (4).bin”
dfu-util 0.9 Copyright 2005-2009 Weston Schmidt, Harald Welte and OpenMoko Inc. Copyright 2010-2016 Tormod Volden and Stefan Schmidt This program is Free Software and has ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY Please report bugs to http://sourceforge.net/p/dfu-util/tickets/ Cannot open DFU device 0483:df11 Cannot open DFU device 0483:df11 No DFU capable USB device available

May 11, 2021

Cassandra Agustin:

After flashing it through QMK, I immediately lost all RGB functions and can no longer restore it. I’ve tried flashing it with the original firmware but it still isn’t working? What can I do?

May 10, 2021

Sam:

While flash QMK firmware in first time, do this:
Unplug your keyboard, hold down the Spacebar and B at the same time, plug in your keyboard and wait a second before releasing the keys

After that, do this
Unplug your keyboard, hold down the top or bottom left key (usually Escape or Left Control) and plug in your keyboard

May 04, 2021

Trevor:

If anyone else is looking, I found the original firmware here: https://www.reddit.com/r/glorious/comments/mm6eyk/gmmk_pro_stock_firmware/gtq0woc/

April 29, 2021

Simon:

After flashed with the QMK, my keyboard is completed out of backlight. Wondering when you guys can fix the RGB issue?

April 28, 2021

CC:

After additional research, I’ve discovered that when using QMK MSYS (command line), the default keymap includes the code for turning the rotary encoder to control the volume by default (and it works), but using QMK Configurator does not have any options for this and will result in compiling a firmware without any functionality programmed to turning the knob, only pressing it. This is interesting as there are other keyboards in QMK Configurator with rotary encoders that include options for both turning and pressing.

It seems the only way around this is to use QMK MSYS locally on your own machine and use/modify the default keymap, but having to use the command line is sure to turn some people off.

For anyone reading, here’s an introduction to this process: https://beta.docs.qmk.fm/

April 27, 2021

CC:

Same issue as Izzy: It appears that QMK Configurator currently does not support programming functionality of turning the rotary encoder, only pressing it. Is there an ETA for when/if this will change?

April 26, 2021

Dave:

Hi,
In addition to the lost rotary encoder, I noticed the following limitations with the QMK firmware:
- RGUI and FN are swapped in the QMK configurator
- after flashing QMK, the keyboard does not boot in DFU with SPACE+B anymore; so to flash again one needs to open the case and hit the reset button. Is that really the only way ?
Also wondering where to find the original firmware (QMK toolbox does not have a backup option).

April 26, 2021

Ice:

I forgot to backup my original glorious firmware.bin. How do I download it again?

April 23, 2021

Izzy:

Is there a way to use this configuration tool to define how the rotary encoder works? It looks like the tool just treats it as a vanilla button and therefore you lose the ability to change the volume by rotating the knob.

April 21, 2021

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