RGB Lighting
The Split72 has a per-key RGB LED under every keycap — 72 in total, 36 per half. Because the keycaps are transparent and the OLED sits inside them, one key shows both a legend and a colour at the same time.
Controlling the lighting
Section titled “Controlling the lighting”The lighting controls are together on the settings layer of the default keymap, in the right-hand block. You don’t need to memorise them: when that layer is active every keycap shows what it does, so each key shows its own function.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| On / off | Toggles the matrix. The status display shows RGB Off while it is off |
| Previous / next effect | Steps through the enabled effects |
| Four direct effect keys | Jump straight to a plain, breathing, rainbow or swirl effect |
| Hue − / + | Shifts the colour |
| Saturation − / + | From pale to fully saturated |
| Brightness − / + | Dims or brightens the LEDs |
| Speed − / + | How fast an animated effect runs |
There are 41 effects compiled in, including reactive ones that light the key you just pressed and splash effects that ripple outward from it.
Your choices are stored on the keyboard and survive a reboot, and the on/off state is shared with the other half so both sides stay in sync.
Colour as a status signal
Section titled “Colour as a status signal”The keyboard also uses the lighting to tell you something the keycaps cannot, because during an update they cannot show it: whether it is safe to keep typing.
| What you see | What is happening | Can you type? |
|---|---|---|
| Breathing cyan | A font pack or a firmware image is being written to the keyboard | Yes — the keyboard is still running normally |
| Breathing orange | A staged firmware image is being applied, or a half is in its bootloader | No — a reboot is imminent |
When the update finishes, your normal lighting comes back exactly as it was — including staying off if you had it off. The keyboard turns the matrix on only for the duration of the signal.