Skip to content

Photon User Guide

In this guide, we will go over some details about Photon not covered in our build guide

Remapping with ZMK Studio

ZMK Studio can be found here, and can be used for on the fly key remapping! Simply connect your photon with the included USB cable, and input the following keys on the default keymap to unlock it: Hold FN+Right Alt and tap Enter.

Back toggle switch

On the back of the keyboard there is a 3 way toggle switch that can be in the left, center, or right position. This controls which keymap is being used, and if the battery is off or on. By default, these are the positions:

  • Left (towards esc key) - Battery on, Mac layout
  • Center - Battery off, Windows layout
  • Right (towards backspace) - Battery on, Windows layout

Default keymap

Below are the default keymaps found on the Photon. By default, there are Windows and Mac layouts programmed in, but you can remap them to anything you want, and they will be toggleable with the switch on the back!

Photon default keymap

Wireless BT connectivity

Pairing varies from system to system, but you should be able to connect Photon to any standard device such as a computer or phone that uses BT.

First Time Setup

When you first get your Photon it won't be paired to anything. Before starting the pairing process make sure your Photon is unplugged from any devices, the battery is properly installed, and the back toggle switch is set to either the left or right. Open the BT menu on your device. Start the pairing process on your computer/phone/device so it begins to look for BT devices. Next, initiate BT pairing on your Photon by using one of the below keycodes.

  • BT1 - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap PgUp
  • BT2 - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap PgDn
  • BT3 - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap End
  • BT4 - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap Right

After pressing one of the key combinations above, your Photon should pop up on your device as Photon.

Shortened Version

  1. Open the BT menu on the device you want to use Photon with so it starts to look for devices.
  2. Make sure your Photon is not plugged into any device and the battery has been installed.
  3. Put the toggle switch to the left (for Mac mode) or right (for Windows mode) to turn the battery on.
  4. Press the key combination that correlates to the BT profile you want the device to be set to. Key combinations can be found above.
  5. The Photon should pop up in your devices BT pairing interface as Photon once successfully paired.

Understanding How Devices Work

Photon can store 4 devices onboard, meaning once paired you can cycle through 4 devices on the fly. These are called BT1, BT2, BT3, and BT4 on the keymap. Once a device is paired to a specific BT profile, it can be swapped to by hitting the same key combination you used to originally pair it.

If you want to remove a device from a BT profile, cycle to the device using the above shortcuts, and do the following:

  • Hold FN+Right ALT and tap Home

Flashing

While you should never need to flash your Photon, this section will assist in the very simple process. This cannot be done wirelessly. Before beginning, please download the firmware here.

Note

If you are an advanced user who wants to customize their firmware beyond what is available in studio, please see our ZMK Module on GitHub.

  1. Put the PCB into bootloader mode by either pressing the reset button on the bottom of the PCB or by inputting the following keys on the default keymap: Hold FN+Right Alt and tap Left Control.
  2. If successful, on Windows a folder or drive will pop up immediately on your computer called CANNONKKB. This folder represents the storage found on your Photon PCB, and can be found as a removeable storage in file exporer if accidentally closed. If you are on a Mac, the drive will mount and be visible on your desktop as well as the Finder sidebar as CANNONKKB.
  3. To flash, simply drag the firmware downloaded earlier into the CANNONKKB folder. If you get an error, unplug your keyboard/PCB, plug it back in, and try again. If successful, the firmware file will copy into the Photon, the folder will close, and your Photon will now have the new firmware applied!

Shortcut guide

Here are some useful shortcuts to help you get the most out of your photon! Please note that the keys refer to the default keymap. If you have made changes, you will need to press different keys.

  • Studio Unlock - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap Enter
  • RGB Toggle - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap Space
  • RGB Brightness Up - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap R
  • RGB Brightness Down - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap F
  • Charging Indicator On - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap Up Arrow
  • Charging Indicator Off - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap Down Arrow
  • Bootloader Mode (Flashing Mode) - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap Left Control
  • BT Device 1 - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap PgUp
  • BT Device 2 - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap PgDn
  • BT Device 3 - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap End
  • BT Device 4 - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap Right
  • Clear Current BT Profile - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap Home
  • Clear All BT Profiles - Hold FN+Right Alt and tap Esc