Flashing Firmware

Flashing is a one-time process that loads the firmware onto your keyboard. The Dinkey series supports three firmware options — ZMK for wireless, and QMK or Vial for wired. Choose the one that matches your build.

ZMK (Wireless)

ZMK is the wireless firmware for the Dinkey series. It runs on the nice!nano v2 and supports Bluetooth split, ZMK Studio for live keymap editing, and long battery life.

Getting your firmware

The easiest way to get ZMK firmware is through GitHub Actions — no local toolchain required.

  1. Fork the config repo for your board:

  2. Go to the Actions tab in your forked repo

  3. Run the build workflow

  4. Download the firmware artifact — it contains two .uf2 files, one for each half

Flashing

  1. Put the left half into bootloader mode by double-tapping the reset button — the nice!nano will appear as a USB drive on your computer

  2. Drag the left half .uf2 file onto the drive — it will flash and disconnect automatically

  3. Repeat for the right half with the right .uf2 file

QMK (Wired)

QMK is the wired firmware for the Dinkey series. It runs on the Pro Micro and supports full QMK feature set including layers, combos, tap-dance, and more.

Getting your firmware

The Dinkey 34 and 32/30 are merged into QMK main — build it with:

  • qmk compile -kb idlebuilds/dinkey34 -km default

  • qmk compile -kb idlebuilds/dinkey32_30 -km default

Flashing

  1. Open QMK Toolbox

  2. Load your compiled .hex file

  3. Put the keyboard into bootloader mode by pressing the reset button on the back of the PCB

  4. Click Flash in QMK Toolbox

  5. Repeat for the other half

Vial (Wired)

Vial is a wired firmware that adds a live keymap editor — remap keys, create combos, and configure tap-dance without re-flashing. It runs on the Pro Micro alongside QMK.

Getting your firmware

Download the keyboard definition from the Dinkey repo under vial-qmk/ and copy it into your local Vial-QMK installation, then build with:

  • make idlebuilds/dinkey34:vial

  • make idlebuilds/dinkey32_30:vial

Flashing

Same process as QMK — use QMK Toolbox to flash the compiled .hex file. Once flashed, open the Vial app and your keyboard will be detected automatically.

Security unlock: The first time you connect in Vial you will be prompted to unlock the keyboard. Hold the unlock combo for a few seconds:

  • Dinkey 34: Q + P

  • Dinkey 32|30: T + Y