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LED Indicators
rootiest edited this page 2026-04-13 14:54:43 -04:00
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LED Indicators

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The firmware uses two specific keys as dedicated status indicators, plus a full-keyboard overlay for the Win/Mac DIP switch.

Escape Key LED (LED 0) -- Layer Indicator

The Escape key LED shows which layer is currently active at a glance.

Layer ESC LED colour Layer name
BASE (0) Off (dark) Normal typing
FN1 (1) Blue Media / chord / shortcuts
FN2 (2) Green Mouse / F13-F24
FN3 (3) Orange Media + extended navigation
FN4 (4) Purple Media + reset path
KEEB_CTL (5) Red Keyboard settings

When BASE is active the Escape key LED is always off -- it blends into the background effect and does not distract during normal typing.

Caps Key LED (LED 55) -- CapsLock / Caps Word / Autocorrect

The key physically labelled CapsLock (which is mapped to CAPS_MOD) doubles as a multi-state status indicator for the three Caps-related features. The states are checked in priority order:

Priority Condition LED colour Meaning
1 (highest) Caps Word is active Green Temporary uppercase mode
2 Autocorrect is disabled Purple Typo correction is off
3 System CapsLock is on White Traditional uppercase lock
4 (lowest) None of the above Off Normal state

Reading the indicator:

  • Green > Caps Word is active. The next word will be typed in uppercase, then it will turn off automatically.
  • Purple > You have disabled Autocorrect (via GUI+CAPS_MOD). Re-enable it the same way to clear the purple light.
  • White > Standard OS CapsLock is on (toggled via Shift+CAPS_MOD).
  • Off > Everything is normal: Autocorrect is running, CapsLock is off, Caps Word is off.

Win/Mac DIP Switch -- Full-Keyboard White Overlay

This is SW2, the switch closest to the centre of the keyboard when viewed from the back (see Wireless & Control -- DIP Switches for the physical layout of both switches).

It selects between Mac mode (right position, viewed from back) and Win mode (left position, viewed from back).

When Win mode is active:

  • All LEDs are overridden to solid white, regardless of which RGB effect or colour scheme is configured.
  • The underlying RGB effect continues to run in the background -- it is not changed or reset.
  • Layer indicators (Escape key, CapsLock key) are still painted on top of the white background, so they remain visible.
  • Switching back to Mac mode instantly restores the configured RGB effect exactly as it was.

This is purely a visual indicator. Neither the RGB effect settings nor EEPROM are modified by the DIP switch.

Bluetooth / Wireless Indicators

Keychron's firmware displays wireless status using the dedicated indicator LEDs built into the keyboard's PCB (separate from the per-key RGB matrix). These are driven by Keychron's own indicator system and show:

  • BT host selection (hosts 1-3 indicated by their respective indicator LEDs)
  • 2.4 GHz mode indicator
  • Battery level animation when BAT_LVL is pressed
  • Low battery warning

See Wireless & Control for details on selecting wireless modes.