After over a year of development, multiple months of testing, and 23 beta releases, we are excited to announce that the Defy v2.0 firmware is live!
If you are a Raise 2 user, don’t worry—we have also released the new v1.2 firmware.
Let’s explore all the improvements, how to update, and what’s next.
Why Did It Take So Long?
We understand that the wait has been long, but there's a good reason!
After we released the Defy firmware version 1.2.7 in February 2024, we encountered significant challenges in addressing several persistent bugs. The only viable solution was to completely rewrite the communication protocols between the various chips within the keyboard.
Dygma's wireless keyboards are powered by seven PCBs: keyscanners on each side that manage keypresses and LEDs, RF PCBs on each side that wirelessly transmit data to the Neuron, Underglow PCBs on each side, and the Neuron itself, which converts keypresses into keycodes that your computer can interpret via Bluetooth or USB.
The problem was that these chips interfered with one another, resulting in lost information—similar to a chaotic family dinner where everyone is trying to speak simultaneously.
With the Defy 2.0 firmware, we established a more organized system in which each chip requests permission before sending data. Although this sounds straightforward, achieving seamless communication across multiple components proved to be a significant challenge, which is why the development process took so long.
The result? A faster and more stable keyboard experience.
What’s New in the Defy v2.0 Firmware
The new communication system features improved stability and faster response times, especially when waking from sleep mode. It achieves latency times of 5.5 ms when wired, 7 ms in wireless mode, and 22 ms via Bluetooth, a significant improvement over the Apple Magic Keyboard’s 40 ms.
Bluetooth connectivity has been enhanced to reduce brief disconnections, resulting in a more reliable experience. The LED driver now turns off at 0% brightness, helping extend battery life.
Additionally, new configuration options for the "add a key on tap" functionality allow you to adjust the "Minimum Hold Time" to prevent accidental activations during fast typing. Setting this to 90 ms can help with unwanted triggers.
There is also a "Minimum Prior Interval" option to define the shortest time between successive key presses necessary to activate the hold function, giving you greater control over your typing experience.
What’s New in the Raise 2 v1.2 Firmware
Raise 2 v1.2 introduces several important fixes and enhancements. We have addressed a bug that caused setting any LED timer to 0 to prevent other timers from functioning properly. This issue also affected wired-only Raise 2 units, and we are pleased to announce that it has now been resolved.
Additionally, we improved stability when using the wireless Raise 2 in wired mode, allowing for a smoother transition between connection types.
We also tackled multiple LED-related issues. Colors now display correctly for positions 10 to 16 in the color palette, and we have fixed a problem where some LEDs on the right side of the keyboard would remain off after waking from deep sleep over Bluetooth. These updates ensure a more polished and consistent lighting experience.
How to Update Your Firmware
- Install Bazecor 1.6.5 — you can check the version at the bottom of the preferences menu.
- Connect your keyboard wired — use the Dygma-provided cables, avoiding USB hubs or KVMs.
- Follow the Update Steps — Go to Bazecor > Firmware Update. Be patient, as both keyboard sides and the Neuron will be updated.
- Restore Layers if Needed — if they don’t automatically restore, go to Preferences and then to Backups.
- Re-pair your Bluetooth connections — Updating the firmware will reset your Bluetooth connections; you'll need to forget the keyboard in your System's preferences and pair it again.
If the process gets stuck for more than 3 minutes, you can close Bazecor, reconnect the keyboard, and start again.
If you have any issues flashing, don't worry: it's impossible to brick a Dygma keyboard. Just follow these troubleshooting steps to bring it back to life:
What’s Next?
We're totally committed to making ongoing improvements because we believe in constantly enhancing our product. As we look ahead, our next priorities are to boost connectivity, address any lingering bugs that might still be causing issues, and significantly improve battery life to improve user experience.
Additionally, we are refining our communication system so that the chips can actually confirm when they’ve received data. We hope this will help eliminate pesky and persistent issues like Bluetooth connectivity problems over wired connections and glitches we've seen with the LED display.
Thank you to our amazing community for your patience, feedback, and support. This release wouldn't have been possible without you 🫶
Enjoy the new firmware—we look forward to continuing to enhance your Dygma experience!
