# Corsair keyboard RGB doesnt work during install



## Kk2 (Jan 1, 2019)

Hi guys *I* have done some research about usb_quirk and *I* never understood if *I* am able to run it on then boot of my ISO install? 

That*'*s my only keyboard and my Motherboard doesn*'*t have a PS/2 connector and I really want to use FreeBSD as my main OS .

Any tips?! Tricks?!

It*'*s a Corsair RGB strafe abnt2 version


----------



## rigoletto@ (Jan 1, 2019)

USB keyboards work out of the box, but about led and stuff I suppose that would depends of Corsair supporting them on FreeBSD if they need OS support for something.


----------



## Kk2 (Jan 1, 2019)

*I* don*'*t know what happens rigoletto@ because when I try to press any button of my keyboard the never gets any letter just like things like SPACE or ``` but nothing that is currently in my keyboard.


----------



## xtremae (Jan 1, 2019)

I had problems under FreeBSD with a Corsair Strafe mechanical keyboard (non RGB). The problem is that FreeBSD doesn't support keyboards with NKRO and tries to apply a quirk in order to disable the feature during boot. Thus, if your keyboard supports disabling NKRO it will work.


----------



## Polyatomic (Jan 2, 2019)

Right honorable OP, a splendid keyboard you have. May I be so bold as to  make  a solitary request. Routing onward, when you find the  solution to your  keyboard puzzle, can you post the operating requirements that enable you to move forward.


----------



## recluce (Jan 3, 2019)

xtremae said:


> I had problems under FreeBSD with a Corsair Strafe mechanical keyboard (non RGB). The problem is that FreeBSD doesn't support keyboards with NKRO and tries to apply a quirk in order to disable the feature during boot. Thus, if your keyboard supports disabling NKRO it will work.



The Corsair Strafe is notoriously bad with everything that is not a plain Windows system. I had one of these on a KMB switch for a short while - it never worked correctly (Windows / Linux dual boot machine and a second Linux machine). The manufacturer did not give a damn. By the way: "Strafe" means "punishment" in German - so you can't complain the vendor did not warn you.

An Asus ROK Sagaris GK1100 works a lot better for me (RGB, Cherry Blue switches). If somebody is *truly *interested to get that keyboard, I will be happy to connect mine to one of my FreeBSD boxes to verify it works as expected. The Asus also is a lot cheaper than the Corsair Strafe.

RGB options for the ROK Sagaris can be chosen through Fn key combinations. Programming the keys should be possible with a Windows software (persistent), but I never used that - I found a Fn key option out of the box that works well for me.


----------



## xtremae (Jan 3, 2019)

recluce said:


> ... By the way: "Strafe" means "punishment" in German ...


I can see why :/



recluce said:


> The Corsair Strafe is notoriously bad with everything that is not a plain Windows system.


The following systems are a non comprehensive listing of my experiences with the unit so far:

DragonflyBSD > semi-works
FreeBSD > semi-works
Linux > works
NetBSD > doesn't work
OmniosCE > doesn't work
OpenBSD > works
Windows > works
*works = works as advertised
*semi-works = works without NKRO capabilities, and a debug LED blinks constantly to indicate that the unit is in BIOS mode
*doesn't work = the system doesn't register any keystrokes

Personally, i could't care less about Christmas lights, NKRO, macros, etc, but it is good to know that the Asus ROK Sagaris GK1100 works under FreeBSD.

Hopefully, people planing to deploy FreeBSD as a workstation have a bit more info regarding the Corsair Strafe.


----------



## GautamGoel (Jan 4, 2019)

My Corsair started working when I changed the mode of operation. Mine has a switch at the top which allows me to switch into legacy mode. Consult the manual that comes with your keyboard, you might have one also.


----------



## recluce (Jan 4, 2019)

GautamGoel said:


> My Corsair started working when I changed the mode of operation. Mine has a switch at the top which allows me to switch into legacy mode. Consult the manual that comes with your keyboard, you might have one also.



Legacy Mode was selectable and required to have any function with the Corsair Strafe on my KMB switch. It did still not work reliably (lost key presses or blocking the switch key combination) and on top of that, a bright red LED (one of the status LEDs) kept blinking all the time.
Results may differ with other Corsair products, of course.


----------



## pieside (May 24, 2019)

I experimented a similar issue with a Corsair Strafe RGB. I was not able to use the keyboard. The solution was to put the keyboard in BIOS mode. I assume that this setting is not the same for all models. For this model, I had to press F1 + Windows Lock Key simultaneously for 3 seconds (located at the right-top corner). And, yes, a debug LED blinks constantly. I found this solution on the Corsair forum.


----------

