ckb is an open-source driver for Corsair keyboards. It aims to bring the features of their proprietary software to the Linux and Mac operating systems. This project is currently a work in progress but already supports much of the same functionality, including full RGB animations. More features are coming soon. Testing and bug reports are appreciated!
Disclaimer: ckb is not an official Corsair product. It is licensed under the GNU General Public License (version 2) in the hope that it will be useful, but with NO warranty of any kind.
If you use and enjoy this project, I'd appreciate if you could spare a few dollars for a donation. This is completely voluntary - the project will remain free and open source regardless. :)
I accept donations through PayPal: Click here
Or through Bitcoin: 1LDHCfyDqAziUPtp3a4BdUaKmwphG1yroQ (click for QR code)
ckb currently supports the following Corsair keyboards:
- K65 RGB
- K70
- K70 RGB
- K95*
- K95 RGB
* = hardware playback not yet supported. Settings will be saved to software only.
Requires Qt5, libudev, zlib, gcc, g++, and glibc (Ubuntu: qt5-default, libudev-dev, build-essential, zlib1g-dev. In other distros, Qt5 may be known as qt5-base or libqt5*-devel). Check with your package manager to make sure you have the correct libraries/headers installed.
You can download ckb using the "Download zip" option on the right. Extract it and open the ckb-master directory. The easiest way to install ckb is to double-click the quickinstall script and run it in a Terminal. It will attempt to build the application, and if all goes well, will ask if you'd like to install/run ckb on your system (press enter to proceed; default answer is "yes"). If the build doesn't work for some reason, or if you'd like to build ckb yourself, see BUILD.md for instructions.
To install a new version of ckb, or to reinstall the same version, first delete the ckb-master directory and the zip file from your previous download. Then download the source code again and re-run quickinstall. The script will automatically replace the previous installation. You may need to reboot afterward.
First, stop the ckb-daemon service and remove the service file.
- If you have systemd (Ubuntu versions starting with 15.04):
sudo systemctl stop ckb-daemon
sudo rm -f /usr/lib/systemd/system/ckb-daemon.service
- If you have Upstart (Ubuntu versions earlier than 15.04):
sudo service ckb-daemon stop
sudo rm -f /etc/init/ckb-daemon.conf
- If you're not sure, re-run the quickinstall script and it will tell you when it installs itself as a service. The script will say
System service: Upstart detectedorSystem service: systemd detected
Afterward, remove the applications and related files:
sudo rm -f /usr/bin/ckb /usr/bin/ckb-daemon /usr/share/applications/ckb.desktop /usr/share/icons/hicolor/512x512/apps/ckb.png
sudo rm -rf /usr/bin/ckb-animations
The latest OSX binary can be downloaded here: https://github.com/ccMSC/ckb/releases/latest
Click on ckb.pkg under the Downloads section. This is an automated installer which will set up the driver for you. After it's finished, open ckb.app (it will be installed to your Applications directory) to get started.
Install the latest version of Xcode from the App Store. Open Xcode, accept the license agreement, and wait for it to install any additional components (if necessary). When you see the "Welcome to Xcode" screen, the setup is finished and you can close the app. Then install Qt5 from here: http://www.qt.io/download-open-source/
The easiest way to install the driver is with the quickinstall script, which is present in the ckb-master folder. Double-click on quickinstall and it will compile the app for you, then ask if you'd like to install it system-wide. If the build fails for any reason or if you'd like to compile manually, see BUILD.md.
Download the latest ckb.pkg, run the installer, and reboot. The newly-installed driver will replace the old one..
Remove the existing ckb-master directory and zip file. Re-download the source code and run the quickinstall script again. The script will automatically replace the previous installation. You may need to reboot afterward.
Drag ckb.app into the trash. If the daemon plist file isn't cleaned up automatically, you can find it and remove it here: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.ckb.daemon.plist.
The user interface is still a work in progress. See DAEMON.md for info about the daemon program.
Major features:
- Control multiple keyboards independently
- United States and European keyboard layouts
- Customizable key bindings
- Per-key lighting and animation
- Reactive lighting
- Multiple profiles/modes with hardware save function
Roadmap (roughly in order)
- v0.2 release:
- M65 RGB support
- Additional lighting options
- Customizable indicator lights
- v0.3 release:
- More functions for the Win Lock key
- Key combos
- Key macros, other advanced keypress features like running a custom command
- (Daemon) Macros with timing info, delays, repeats
- (Daemon) Notification macros
- v0.4 release:
- Ability to store profiles separately from devices, import/export them
- Ability to tie profiles to which application has focus
- Timers
- v0.5 release:
- Ability to import CUE profiles
- v1.0 release:
- OSD? (Not sure if this can actually be done)
- Extra settings?
- ????
Closing ckb will actually minimize it to the system tray. Use the Quit option from the tray icon or the settings screen to exit the application.
If you have problems connecting the keyboard to your system (keyboard doesn't respond, ckb-daemon doesn't recognize it or can't connect the keyboard), try adding the following to your kernel's cmdline:
- K65 RGB:
usbhid.quirks=0x1B1C:0x1B17:0x400 - K70:
usbhid.quirks=0x1B1C:0x1B09:0x400 - K70 RGB:
usbhid.quirks=0x1B1C:0x1B13:0x400 - K95:
usbhid.quirks=0x1B1C:0x1B08:0x400 - K95 RGB:
usbhid.quirks=0x1B1C:0x1B11:0x408
For instructions on adding cmdline parameters in Ubuntu, see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/KernelBootParameters
If the keyboard still doesn't work, try replacing 0x400/0x408 with 0x4. Note that this will cause the kernel driver to ignore the keyboard completely, so you'll need to make sure ckb-daemon is running at boot or else you'll have no keyboard input.
If you've rebound your modifier keys in System Preferences, the changes will not be recognized anymore. You can rebind them again within the application.
Compile problems can usually be resolved by rebooting your computer and/or reinstalling Qt. Make sure that Xcode works on its own. If a compile fails, delete the ckb-master directory as well as any automatically generated build-ckb folders and try again from a new download.
Before reporting an issue, please connect your keyboard to a Windows computer first and see if the problem still occurs. If it does, contact Corsair. Additionally, please check the Corsair user forums to see if your issue has been reported by other users. If so, try their solutions first.
Connection issues can sometimes be solved by rebooting. Make sure that your system is up to date. If possible, update your computer's BIOS to the latest version as well.
Common problems:
- Problem: Keyboard doesn't work in BIOS, doesn't work at boot
- Solution: Some BIOSes have trouble communicating with the keyboard. They may prevent the keyboard from working correctly in the operating system as well. First, try booting the OS without the keyboard attached, and plug the keyboard in after logging in. If the keyboard works after the computer is running but does not work at boot, you may need to use the keyboard's BIOS mode option.
- BIOS mode can be activated using the poll rate switch at the back of the keyboard. Slide it all the way to the position marked "BIOS". You should see the scroll lock light blinking to indicate that it is on. (Note: Unfortunately, this has its own problems - see Known Issues. You may need to activate BIOS mode when booting the computer and deactivate it after logging in).
- Problem: Keyboard isn't detected when plugged in, even if driver is already running
- Solution: Try moving to a different USB port. Be sure to follow Corsair's USB connection requirements. Note that the keyboard does not work with some USB3 controllers - if you have problems with USB3 ports, try USB2 instead. If you have any USB hubs on hand, try those as well. You may also have success sliding the poll switch back and forth a few times.
- Using the keyboard in BIOS mode prevents the media keys (including mute and volume wheel), as well as the K95's G-keys from working. This is a hardware limitation.
- The tray icon doesn't appear in some desktop environments. This is a known Qt bug. If you can't see the icon, reopen ckb to bring the window back.
- When starting the driver manually on OSX, the Terminal window sometimes gets spammed with enter keys. You can stop it by unplugging and replugging the keyboard or by moving the poll rate switch.
- When stopping the driver manually, the keyboard sometimes stops working completely. This seems to be a hardware/OS communication issue.