Bugs and confusion everywhere - Keyboard usage with AC

[timbo6sic6]

Hi

I already posted this in the keyboard forum, but I think this is the right section regarding AC.

I have a Strix Scope II 96 Wireless keyboard and love the hardware, but what is going on with AC?
The only thing you can find about this program is peoples reddit threads with lots of problems and hate.

So after trying to reach out to ASUS support two times without any help, I need to reach out to you.

For weeks there was a 60% chance to have no lighting on the keyboard after booting up (fast start settings already tried).

1st problem:
After getting rid of this problem (I dont know how), there was an AC update today, which resulted in a change of the dynamic lighting priorities in Windows and now I´m not able to change the order of them.
It switches back after closing the window. Thats a long known issue.
I had to do a Regedit tweak to force AC on first place!

2nd problem:
Today I also got into the situation, that I had to charge the keyboard within a game, which shut off the lighting as soon as the cable was plugged in (still wireless mode on the switch).
There are three entries of the keyboard in AC:

1. "Pey-Key RGB-Keyboard" (Why is that?)

2. "ROG STRIX SCOPE II 96 WIRELESS"

3. "Other" (Its greyed out -This is the ROG receiver. AC cant identify it, but windows lighting can? Ridiculous..)

The "ROG STRIX SCOPE II 96 WIRELESS" is marked as a dynamic lighting device and is hooked as active.
As soon as I remove the hook, the keyboard shows my AURA profile lighting.
If I activate it again, the light shuts off completely.
Then why even list that thing in AC?

The Per-Key RGB-Keyboard isnt even marked as dynamic lighting device, but only it can use it. Thats odd...

3rd problem:
Next scenario is using it in cable mode.
This will not even work in any way with per-key rgb.
The "Pey-Key RGB-Keyboard" entry, which is the only one able to use RGB-profiles, is lost and you can only use the onboard lighting functions, if activated.
Only "ROG STRIX SCOPE II 96 WIRELESS" and "Other" is listed and you can not use it.
Why even list it if it has no purpose, but will trigger errors and confusion?

4th problem:
I set it to 1min energy saving shutoff - lower light intensity (not turing off completely), but it keeps shutting off completely.
This setting has no effect.

5th problem:
As I got fed up with AC I tried to get AC-Gear which can not be started in the up to date version.
I had to find an old version to get around the program bootloop into the program, just to find out, that it does not support per-key RGB.
The most valuable function for me is only available in a huge bugged program like AC and I´m forced to use it.

6th problem:
Even after forcing AC as priority one in the dynamic lighting setting, AC tells me all the time, that it is not on first position.

7th problem:
AURA Creator does not recognise the "Per-Key RGB-Keyboard" anymore.
Suddenly there is only "ROG STRIX SCOPE II 96 WIRELESS" listed, which can not be edited

(As I´m writing this I found a solution, to the lighting shutting off completey: It shut off because it could not load any colour profile from AURA, as I didnt made one. The reason is the next problem....)

8th problem:
When entering AURA Creator, you should be able to choose a device.
Normally I only use "Per-Key RGB-Keyboard" because there is an actual picture of my keyboard to see in the creator itself.
If you choose "ROG STRIX SCOPE II 96 WIRELESS" there is no picture to see.
You have to search for every button with changing colours of layers or whatsoever.
But for now the next problem: AURA Creator does not show my Per-Key RGB Keyboard, so I can not use the program.

Well... I could find more problems but I wasted so much time at this point, that I can only hope there is a ASUS coworker here, forwarding this to the right person.

All those problems concern all the ASUS RGB Keyboard users!

There is no manual, no FAQ, no support, a forum without answers to the important questions and as I can say, not a single person writing about AC, knows how to get around its flaws, besides the Regedit tweak.

This needs to be fixed, documented in detail, or even better, get rid of AC and give us a program which makes the keyboard work as promised.

PS: every driver and every program on my pc is up to date.
I used the AC removal tool 3 times already and I tried it on a fresh and perfect windows installation with the same results.

Now thoughts and prayers that ASUS will even move a finger about this...

[Nate152]

Hello timbo6sic6

I'll try and help address the problems you're having.

First, install this firmware update, if you already did this, skip it. - ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless Gaming Keyboard | Compact | Gaming GAMING KEYBOARDS｜ROG - Republic of...

Close Armoury Crate and follow the steps to update the firmware:

1) Connect the charging cable to your keyboard and a pc usb port, you can use motherboard or pc case usb ports.

2) Set the wireless switch on your keyboard to wired mode (switch set to the center position).

3) Connect the wireless dongle to a pc usb port.

4) Run the firmware update.

5) Open Armoury Crate and check for updates at the Armoury Crate Update Center.

1st problem:

You should be able to move Armoury Crate to the top of the Windows Background light control list.

Click and hold on Armoury Crate, move it to the top of the list, it should stay there.

2nd problem:

Let's see if this one is fixed.

You should see the ROG Omni Receiver in the Armoury Crate Devices list.

3rd problem:

In Aura Sync, if a device has the red banner with a snowflake, it's compatible with Windows Dynamic Lighting. The Per-key RGB keyboard does not support Windows Dynamic Lighting, and shouldn't pertain to the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless.

4th problem:

When you set the sleep timer for 1 minute, your keyboard should turn off after 1 minute.

The lighting alert is for when the battery reaches a certain percentage. For instance, I have mine set to turn off the keyboard led's when the battery reaches 20%. 

5th problem:

You can use Device lighting or Aura Sync with the ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless.

Device Lighting - Turn off Windows Dynamic Lighting.

Aura Sync/Aura Creator - Turn on Windows Dynamic Lighting.

6th problem:

This isn't normal, check this after setting it again.

7th and 8th problem:

You should see your ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless in Aura Creator and be able to edit/add lighting effects.

After adding a Layer, click the + sign beside a lighting effect.

[timbo6sic6]

Thanks for the detailed answer!

I did following:

1. I used the Asus uninstall tool, which displayed an error immediately, but i could see the loading animation on my cursor and some flickering CMD windows, so I let it work. 
(The last update I installed yesterday had an error while it was installing, so maybe this is why the uninstall was faulty.)
The uninstall was "successful" i guess, and it showed me this bugged window.

2. FN+ESC to reset the keyboard, disconnected the cable, set it to wired mode and did a restart. 

3. Plugged the cable in the keyboard on Windows login screen and logged in. 

4. Downloaded the firmware update tool and made the update.

5. Installed AC and logged in the Asus acoount. 

6. Did a AC software and Keyboard firmware update in AC again.

7. Checked if Windows dynamic lighting is enabled, and I set AC to Priority one
(This actually works now and stays on top).
Entered the AURA Device section, set the hook to "ROG STRIX SCOPE II 96 WIRELESS", noticing that there still is a device called "Other".
 

AC also showed me this message again, but didnt show up since I confirmed it once, so maybe this message I a must show for once thing...

As the keyboard and PC only know the cable only mode, I´m at the point, where only the "ROG STRIX SCOPE II 96 WIRELESS" keyboard is listed.
No "Per-Key RGB-Keyboard" so far...

Pretending I only want to use it in the cable only mode, I have the problem, that AURA is basically useless, because it does not show the actual keyboard.
You can not identify which button is what character, which results in a hour long workaround to make the right buttons light up.

How it looks: 

How it looked few days ago with the "Per-Key RGB-Keyboard":
The position of the buttons changed and you can see every single button you need.

8. Now I changed to wireless mode: 
There was a disconnect sound but the lighting stays on.
Unplugging the cable results in a blackout on the keyboard. 

The "Per-Key RGB-Keyboard" appeared in AC now and is not hooked.

I hooked the Per-Key RGB-Keyboard, but noticed that the hook on the "ROG STRIX SCOPE II 96 WIRELESS" is gone too. 
I tried to hook it, and this showed up.
This Windows setting was already made and stayed like it, so why cant I hook the device, like its shown in your pictures?
I assume this one only works with cable, which is not mentioned anywhere...?

9. Entering the AURA Creator:
There is an error popping up because no device is detected: 

Clicking on "Update now" (right button) sends me to update section, where everything is up to date. 
Clicking on the "available devices" shows me this:
 

So i closed Aura, headed back to the AURA Device section, which showed me this message again.
The Windows setting is still the same, yet the message appears.
(While typing this, the Keyboard lighted up and I dont know why. Nothing changed in AC and the lighting is an AURA profile lighting, not changable with FN+Arrow)

And thats it for now. 
I cant use the Keyboard with my Per- Key RGB settings anymore, unless I use the cable mode and set up new profiles for the "ROG STRIX SCOPE II 96 WIRELESS" device.

10. Trying to workaround with wireless mode and cable plugged made the Keyboard switch to onboard RGB Rainbow lighting.

11. Opened AC again and got a message to register my products, which I already did. This message pops up 3/5 times now, when starting AC.  

12. Went to AURA Device section and got the same Windows setting message again. 
Per-Key is hooked,  "ROG STRIX SCOPE II 96 WIRELESS" is greyed out.


((((((So, no workaround. I´ll send this answer now, do a restart and edit later, if something changed. 
If not, this is my actual situation.)))))


After restart the AURA Lighting showed up on the Windows Login screen. 
After logging into Windows, the Keyboard blacked out again. 
(Still wireless mode with cable connected)

Opening AC and thought there is no message to register my product again, but it still popped up, only a bit later. 
Checking my User Center -> Im logged in and my device is still registered.

Heading to AURA devices and saw this:
The ROG Strix device is no dynamic lighting device anymore.

Hooked the Per-Key RGB and the AURA Lighting is on now (cable still connected)

Entering the AURA Creator works now with the actual picture of the keyboard, yet there is no Per-Key RGB device listed.  
Closed AURA creator and got back to the AURA Devices, which changed now... But why?
The Per-Key RGB Keyboard  is greyed out again. 

This behauvior is kind of the opposite what the program used to do, which made me focus only on the Per-Key RGB for making AURA Key-Profiles. 

There is no understandable red line in this program how everything works. 

It is how it is now and I want to use it without cable.

13. Disconnecting now

The Keyboard blacked out again, but nothing changed in AC AURA/Sync devices and my Windows lighting settings are the same, besides it lost the keyboard device.

I entered AURA Creator, put a layer of static red on every button (The device is "ROG STRIX SCOPE II 96 WIRELESS" and the actual picture of the keyboard is visible), saved the static red profile as "test" and clicked on save and exit. 

Nothing changed - still blacked out. 

So I headed to szenario profiles, set this one up, saved it and nothing changed.

So now this whole thing is more bugged than before. 
Dont know what I did wrong or where the problem is. 

____________________________________________________________________________

After writing the second reply I went to AURA effects in AC, clicked the static light and the Keyboard had light again.
You see, what I mean with persistent behaviour? This wasnt possible like few minutes ago.

So then I tried the saved "Test" profile (whole layer static red), which i saved before and the Keyboard blacked out again.
Then went to AURA creator, tried to make a new profile but it does not react in any way to changes with AURA creator.

__________________________________________________________________________

This is edit no: 483272894372383 I can understand the captcha to ask me If im a robot now.

I resetted the keyboard with FN+ESC and immediately the AURA Test profile lighting shows up.
This must not happen.
That was just a lucky shot which could have been another few hours of work lost

[timbo6sic6]

I´m posting a second answer for better overview.

This is regarding the energy setting, where a translation flaw to german language lets me think this thing works in another way and should be corrected.

 

If you translate this word to word it says:
"Switch to power saving mode after a runtime of:"

Then under this setting it says:
"Power saving mode" 
It is switched to on - lower the keyboard lighting 

You see how theres a missunderstanding? 

Of course I tried this function in any other way, to see how the keyboard lowers the lighting, but I couldnt see this effect in any situation till now. 

Means for me, this function is broken.

Theres another translation flaw in AURA Creator too.  

It says: 
There are changes that haven't been saved yet. Do you want to discard the changes?

Option one "Save" - Option two "No" 

This logically means: Option 1 - Yes, save it / Option 2 - No, dont discard I want to save 

You see the misunderstanding? 


My head is burning.... this was a lot of work and I already did all of this lots of times, resulting in different outcomes every time, because of no persisting behaviour of AC.


I really hope there will be a solution to all of this.
AC is driving me crazy and I cant even use any other RGB software...