TailorKey

How to Enable RGB

Bring your keyboard to life with per-key and per-layer RGB lighting! Use different colors to highlight your home row, layers, or other keys, making your keyboard both more fun and more functional. RGB can also provide helpful visual cues as you switch between layers.

⚠️ Per-key and per-layer RGB is not available in the standard firmware. To use this functionality, you’ll need the PR36 community firmware, which is available through the MoErgo Layout Editor.

Per-key and per-layer RGB support is not currently available in standard ZMK. MoErgo generally follows standard ZMK and avoids firmware deviations unless absolutely necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions (click to read)

Q1: What is PR36?
PR stands for Pull Request. In an open-source project such as ZMK, a Pull Request is a proposal to add, change, or improve code in the project.
PR36 refers to Pull Request #36 in the MoErgo ZMK repository. It contains a community firmware modification created and maintained by @darknao.
PR36 adds per-key and per-layer RGB lighting to supported MoErgo keyboards and is available through the MoErgo Layout Editor.
🛠️ For technical details, see Darknao's GitHub repository and PR36 on GitHub. For example configurations, see the layout samples for Glove80 and Go60.

Q2: Why do I need PR36 for per-key and per-layer RGB?
Per-key and per-layer RGB functionality is not currently available in standard ZMK. PR36 adds this functionality through a community-maintained ZMK firmware branch. To use per-key or per-layer RGB, select PR36 community firmware in the MoErgo Layout Editor.
See PR36 in action in these demo videos: Glove80 or Go60
Please note: Neither MoErgo nor @darknao controls the ZMK roadmap, so neither can predict when or whether per-key and per-layer RGB will become officially supported by standard ZMK. Until then, PR36 is currently the way to enable and use this functionality.

Q3: Is PR36 official MoErgo firmware?
No. PR36 is community firmware, authored and maintained by @darknao.
MoErgo makes PR36 available through the MoErgo Layout Editor, but it is separate from the standard official MoErgo firmware.
It is actively maintained by @darknao and can be considered an add-on to the MoErgo firmware, providing additional RGB functionality.
🔗 MoErgo about PR36 & MoErgo PR36 Firmware Announcement

Q4: Is PR36 safe to use?
Yes. PR36 is community firmware that is available directly through the MoErgo Layout Editor and is used by many members of the MoErgo community.
Using PR36 does not affect your MoErgo warranty, and you can return to the standard official firmware at any time.
As with any community firmware, however, it may behave differently from the standard firmware and may not receive updates at exactly the same time.
🔗 MoErgo about PR36 & MoErgo PR36 Firmware Announcement

Q5: Can PR36 brick my keyboard?
It is very difficult to permanently damage or brick the keyboard through a firmware update.
The keyboard's built-in bootloader is separate from the firmware. If there is a problem with the firmware, you can enter the bootloader during power-up and re-flash the keyboard with the standard official firmware.

Q6: Where do I get PR36?
PR36 is available directly from the Settings menu in the MoErgo Layout Editor.
Select the PR36 community firmware when creating or updating your keyboard configuration.

Q7: Can I switch back to the standard firmware?
Yes. You can return to the standard official MoErgo firmware at any time.
When switching firmware, make sure to update the appropriate keyboard halves and follow the recommended reset and re-pair procedure.
Returning to standard firmware is also useful when troubleshooting, as MoErgo Support may ask you to reproduce a problem without PR36.

Q8: Will PR36 be updated at the same time as official MoErgo firmware?
Not necessarily.
Because PR36 is community firmware, a PR36-compatible update may become available a little later than a new official MoErgo firmware release.

Q9: What happens if I contact MoErgo Support while using PR36?
MoErgo Support may ask you to reproduce the problem using the standard official firmware.
This helps determine whether the issue is related to PR36 or to the underlying keyboard or configuration.

Using PR36 RGB

Q10: What can I do with PR36 RGB?
PR36 supports both per-key and per-layer RGB.
You can use different colors to:

Highlight your home row
Identify different layers
Show which layer is currently active
Create visual cues for special keys or functions like capslock

Q11: Can I assign different colors to different layers?
Yes. You can configure RGB colors for individual layers, making it easier to identify the active layer at a glance.

Q12: Can I assign different colors to individual keys?
Yes. PR36 supports per-key RGB, allowing individual keys to have their own colors.

Q13: Can RGB be used as a visual layer indicator?
Yes. This is one of the most useful applications of per-layer RGB. For example, you can assign a different color to each layer so you can immediately see which layer is active.

Q14: Can I assign a color for a Capslock?
Yes. Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock can have their own colors

Q15: Can I assign RGB colors using the MoErgo Layout Editor GUI?
Yes, with an additional tool. The MoErgo Layout Editor does not directly provide a dedicated RGB color editor, but Kiilix Studio allows you to use the Layout Editor's key decorations and assigned colors to create your RGB configuration.

This means you can assign colors visually to keys using the Layout Editor's key decorations and then use Kiilix Studio to generate the corresponding PR36 RGB configuration.

Q16: Does RGB consume a lot of power?
Yes. RGB lighting can significantly increase power consumption, depending on brightness, color, and how many keys are illuminated. White and pastel colors generally consume more power because they use all three RGB channels, while single-color lighting such as red, green, or blue uses less.

To maximize battery life, consider using lower brightness, lighting only the keys that provide useful visual feedback, and avoiding always-on RGB when it isn't needed.

💡 See the Kiilix Studio battery-saving tips for more information and this for practical recommendations.

Helpful resources:

Demo video: Glove80 or Go60
Howto video: TailorKey or Glorious Engrammer users
Instructions for TailorKey users, follow these simple steps
Want to know more? Darknao GitHub and tech layout samples for Glove80 and Go60.
Killix Studio 🔥 Making PR36 easy by using MoErgo Layout Editor key decorations (color) 🔥Demo video

Killix Studio
Visual RGB Design for PR36

Creating per-key RGB colors for PR36 normally requires manually editing the Device Tree section in the MoErgo Layout Editor. While powerful, this text-based approach can be challenging when creating and maintaining color layouts.

Kiilix Studio turns RGB design into a visual experience. Paint your keys with colors, experiment freely, and let Kiilix automatically generate the required PR36 Device Tree configuration.

Built on the existing MoErgo Layout Editor key color decorations, Kiilix keeps your RGB designs fully compatible with the Layout Editor while removing the need to manually write and maintain Device Tree definitions or hexadecimal color values.

⚠️ TailorKey users can simply copy a pre-built RGB scheme and apply it to their layout. See below:

STEP 1:Create your RGB enabled firmware

Using the TailorKey layout?
To stay true to our zero-code principle, the RGB scheme is excluded from TailorKey by default.

Click the blue button on the right to 🚩download the RGB scheme. The file will appear in your Downloads folder. After downloading, open the file in a text editor, select all content, and copy it to your clipboard.

Not using TailorKey and created your own layout:
I recommend using Kiilix Studio. It allows you to quickly add Layout Editor key decorations (key colors) and use these to generate your PR36 color scheme. See the Kiilix Studio Quickstart

Go60 RGB Scheme

Glove80 RGB Scheme

3. Clone your layout: In the Layout Editor, open your layout and press Clone to start editing.

4. Add the RGB Scheme: 🚩 Paste the copied content into the 🚩 Custom Device-tree section in the Layout Editor➔

5. Go to Settings (top of the screen) → Firmware Version, and select:

community.pr36.per-key-rgb

🚩Firmware choice isn’t saved, so you’ll need to reselect PR36 each time you go in to make a change.

6. Scroll down and Open Advanced Configuration, type rgb to filter the RGB options in the list.
Set your RGB options as shown below. Once configured, click Save and Build Firmware.

STEP 2: Update your keyboard (Both Halves)

🚩 Update Both Halves using Bootloader Mass Storage Device Mode on Power-Up → 📃Go60 or📃Glove80
- Connect your keyboard to your computer.
- Enter Bootloader Mass Storage Device Mode on Power-Up
- Copy the updated firmware files to both halves.

Note: On macOS, you may need to rename the UF2 file to a shorter filename to ensure the operating system copies it correctly.

STEP 3: Configuration Factory Reset

🚩Perform a Configuration Reset → 📃Go60 or📃Glove80

⚠️ IT WILL NOT WORK WITHOUT THIS STEP!!!
- Because you changed firmware VERSION, you MUST perform a CONFIGURATION FACTORY RESET.

🚩 You must perform the reset both halves, follow the docs!!!!!
After that, the halves will automatically re-pair with each other.
You’ll need to remove the existing Bluetooth pairing from your PC and recreate it after the reset.

STEP 4: Activating your RGB scheme

Turn On RGB Underglow
- Turn on RGB underglow with RGB_TOG (qwerty, Magic + T).,
- 🚩 Cycle through effects with RGB_EFF ( qwerty, Magic + G) until the home-row lights up. 💡See video

The layer effect is located after the swirl effect and before the static color effect.

Wait for Configuration to Save

Adjust underglow brightness using RGB_BRI and RGB_BRD on the Magic layer. See MoErgo docs for details.
The save stores your current RGB state, so when you power the keyboard back on, it remembers exactly how you left it.

- Changes will save automatically after 1 minute.
- Don’t turn off your keyboard too soon, or your RGB settings (state) may not be saved.

💡Why RGB Turns Off Automatically

RGB lighting looks great, but it drains battery quickly. To balance aesthetics with battery life, the PR36 firmware includes automatic turn-off and fade-out features. Here’s how it works and how you can customize it:

1. Remove unnecessary permanent RGB:

Avoid keeping RGB always on for the base layer’s home-row.
Adjust your RGB scheme so only key layers or important indicators are lit.

2. Enable automatic idle turn-off

In the Layout Editor, enable
- ZMK_EXPERIMENTAL_RGB_UNDERGLOW_AUTO_OFF_IDLE in Advanced Configuration
- The keyboard automatically turns off RGB after 30 seconds of inactivity, conserving battery.

3. Reduce battery usage while typing

Use the fade-delay property in your RGB scheme to set how long the lights stay on per layer before fading:

To disable fading entirely, either remove the fade-delay line or set it to -1. The RGB layer will stay on continuously (at the cost of higher battery usage).

The fade-delay property allows you to configure an RGB layer to fade out after a specified number of seconds. If not set, or set to -1, RGB layer is always on (like before). When the fade-out is complete, RGB is turned off to save battery life. You can adjust the fade-out speed with the RGB_SPI & RGB_SPD keys on the magic layer. Once faded-out, the RGB stays off until you change layer (or by pressing the Magic key longer than 200 msec). That setting is per layer. You can enable it for one or more layers on which you want temporary RGB.

Revert back to standard firmware?

No problem—the bootloader lets you always return to stock firmware:

Create a regular firmware file from the Layout Editor
Flash both halves of the keyboard.
Perform a Configuration Factory Reset

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