Hardware Effects

Hardware effects run directly on your device's firmware, requiring zero CPU usage from your computer. These effects persist even when the uchroma daemon isn't running.

Overview

Hardware effects are simple, predefined lighting patterns built into Razer device firmware. They're set via USB HID commands and run entirely on the device's embedded controller.

Protocols: Razer devices use two protocol versions:

Legacy (Class 0x03): Older devices, broader effect support
Extended (Class 0x0F): Modern devices, streamlined effects

Most common effects work on both protocols. Effect availability depends on what your specific device supports.

Static

Solid color across all LEDs

The simplest effect - sets every LED to a single color. Perfect for a clean, consistent look.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`color`	color	`green`	The color to display

Examples

bash

# Solid red
uchroma fx static --color red

# Hex color
uchroma fx static --color '#ff6b35'

# RGB values work too
uchroma fx static --color 'rgb(255, 107, 53)'

Visual

A uniform field of your chosen color across the entire device. No animation or variation.

Wave

Rainbow colors flowing across the device

A classic effect where a rainbow gradient smoothly scrolls horizontally across your keyboard or device.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`direction`	choice	`right`	Wave direction: `left` or `right`
`trackpad_effect`	bool	`false`	Enable circular trackpad animation (Blade Pro only)

Examples

bash

# Default right-flowing wave
uchroma fx wave

# Left-flowing wave
uchroma fx wave --direction left

# With trackpad chase effect (supported devices)
uchroma fx wave --direction right --trackpad-effect

Visual

A smooth rainbow gradient scrolling horizontally. Colors cycle through the full spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple) in a continuous loop.

Device Support

All devices with matrix support. The trackpad chase variants only work on devices with illuminated trackpads (e.g., Blade Pro).

Spectrum

Slow color cycling through the entire spectrum

All LEDs simultaneously cycle through the color spectrum in a slow, hypnotic fade.

Parameters

None - this effect has no configurable parameters.

Examples

bash

uchroma fx spectrum

Visual

The entire device slowly fades through red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, and back to red. Unlike Wave, all LEDs show the same color at any given moment.

Breathe

Colors pulse in and out

LEDs fade between bright and dim in a smooth "breathing" pattern. Can use random colors, a single color, or alternate between two colors.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`colors`	colors	(empty)	0-2 colors. Empty = random, 1 = single, 2 = alternating

Examples

bash

# Random colors
uchroma fx breathe

# Single color breathing
uchroma fx breathe --colors '#00ff00'

# Alternate between two colors
uchroma fx breathe --colors '#ff00ff' '#00ffff'

Visual

Random mode: Each breath cycle uses a different random color
Single mode: Smooth fade in/out of your chosen color
Dual mode: Alternates between two colors with each breath

Reactive

Keys light up when pressed

Each key illuminates when you press it, then fades back to dark. Great for seeing exactly where you're typing.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`color`	color	`skyblue`	Color when keys are pressed
`speed`	int	`1`	Fade speed (1-4, higher = faster fade)

Examples

bash

# Default blue glow
uchroma fx reactive

# Red with fast fade
uchroma fx reactive --color red --speed 4

# Slow orange fade
uchroma fx reactive --color '#ff6b35' --speed 1

Visual

Keys start dark. When pressed, they instantly illuminate in your chosen color, then smoothly fade back to dark. The fade duration is controlled by the speed parameter.

Device Support

Requires keyboard with per-key lighting. Not available on single-LED devices.

Starlight

Sparkling effect across the device

Random keys twinkle on and off like stars, creating a gentle, ambient sparkle effect.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`colors`	colors	(empty)	0-2 colors. Empty = random, 1-2 = specified colors
`speed`	int	`1`	Sparkle speed (1-4)

Examples

bash

# Random colored stars
uchroma fx starlight

# White stars
uchroma fx starlight --colors white

# Pink and cyan stars
uchroma fx starlight --colors '#ff69b4' '#00ffff' --speed 2

Visual

Individual keys randomly light up and fade out at different times, creating a twinkling starfield effect. The distribution appears random across the keyboard.

Ripple

Ripples emanate from keypresses

When you press a key, a circular ripple of color expands outward from that position.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`color`	color	`green`	Ripple color
`speed`	int	`3`	Ripple expansion speed (1-8)

Examples

bash

# Green ripples
uchroma fx ripple

# Fast blue ripples
uchroma fx ripple --color blue --speed 6

Visual

Each keypress spawns a circular wave that expands outward. Multiple keypresses create overlapping ripples. The background is dark, with only the expanding rings visible.

Device Support

Legacy protocol only. Modern devices should use the custom Ripple renderer for similar functionality.

Ripple Solid

Ripples on a solid color background

Similar to Ripple, but with a solid color background instead of darkness.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`color`	color	`green`	Ripple and background color
`speed`	int	`3`	Ripple expansion speed (1-8)

Examples

bash

uchroma fx ripple_solid --color purple --speed 4

Visual

The keyboard shows a solid color. Keypresses create brighter ripples that expand outward before fading back into the base color.

Device Support

Legacy protocol only.

Fire

Animated flames

A dynamic fire effect with flames rising from the bottom of the keyboard.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`color`	color	`red`	Base flame color
`speed`	int	`64`	Flame animation speed (16-128)

Examples

bash

# Classic orange/red fire
uchroma fx fire

# Blue flames
uchroma fx fire --color blue --speed 80

# Slow, smoldering fire
uchroma fx fire --color '#ff4500' --speed 32

Visual

Animated flames flicker upward from the bottom edge of the keyboard. The effect uses your chosen color as the base, with brightness variations creating the illusion of dancing flames.

Device Support

Legacy protocol only. Not available on devices with extended protocol.

Sweep

Colors sweep across the device

A color transition that sweeps horizontally across the keyboard.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`color`	color	`green`	Sweep color
`base_color`	color	`black`	Background color
`direction`	choice	`right`	Sweep direction: `left` or `right`
`speed`	int	`15`	Sweep speed (1-30)

Examples

bash

# Green sweep on black
uchroma fx sweep --color green

# Cyan sweep on purple background
uchroma fx sweep --color cyan --base-color purple --speed 20

# Left-moving red sweep
uchroma fx sweep --color red --direction left

Visual

A band of color moves across the keyboard, transitioning between the base color and sweep color. Creates a clean, directional animation.

Device Support

Legacy protocol only.

Morph

Color morphing on keypress

Keys morph between colors when pressed, creating a flowing, organic effect.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`color`	color	`magenta`	Color when pressed
`base_color`	color	`darkblue`	Resting color
`speed`	int	`2`	Morph speed (1-4)

Examples

bash

# Magenta flashes on blue background
uchroma fx morph

# Orange on dark purple
uchroma fx morph --color orange --base-color '#1a0033'

# Fast green on black
uchroma fx morph --color '#00ff00' --base-color black --speed 4

Visual

The keyboard displays the base color. When you press a key, it flashes to the accent color and the color smoothly "morphs" outward to neighboring keys before fading back.

Device Support

Legacy protocol only.

Disable

Turn off all lighting

Disables all effects, turning off the LEDs.

Parameters

None.

Examples

bash

uchroma fx disable

Effect Availability by Device

Effect support varies by device. Here's a general guide:

Effect	Legacy Devices	Extended Devices
Disable	Yes	Yes
Static	Yes	Yes
Wave	Yes	Yes
Spectrum	Yes	Yes
Breathe	Yes	Yes
Reactive	Yes	Yes
Starlight	Yes	Yes
Ripple	Yes	No
Ripple Solid	Yes	No
Fire	Yes	No
Sweep	Yes	No
Morph	Yes	No

To see exactly which effects your device supports:

bash

uchroma fx --list

This shows all available effects with their configurable parameters and current values.

Hardware Effects ​

Overview ​

Static ​

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Wave ​

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Device Support ​

Spectrum ​

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Breathe ​

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Visual ​

Reactive ​

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Visual ​

Device Support ​

Starlight ​

Parameters ​

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Visual ​

Ripple ​

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Visual ​

Device Support ​

Ripple Solid ​

Parameters ​

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Visual ​

Device Support ​

Fire ​

Parameters ​

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Visual ​

Device Support ​

Sweep ​

Parameters ​

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Visual ​

Device Support ​

Morph ​

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Visual ​

Device Support ​

Disable ​

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Effect Availability by Device ​

Hardware Effects

Overview

Static

Parameters

Examples

Visual

Wave

Parameters

Examples

Visual

Device Support

Spectrum

Parameters

Examples

Visual

Breathe

Parameters

Examples

Visual

Reactive

Parameters

Examples

Visual

Device Support

Starlight

Parameters

Examples

Visual

Ripple

Parameters

Examples

Visual

Device Support

Ripple Solid

Parameters

Examples

Visual

Device Support

Fire

Parameters

Examples

Visual

Device Support

Sweep

Parameters

Examples

Visual

Device Support

Morph

Parameters

Examples

Visual

Device Support

Disable

Parameters

Examples

Effect Availability by Device