Linux 4.19 To Add Driver Supporting The Cougar 500k Gaming Keyboard

Right now if using the Cougar 500k gaming keyboard on Linux, when pressing any of the special function keys the keyboard will stop responding. With Linux 4.19 that will be fixed thanks to a new "HID_COUGAR" driver.

A Cougar gaming keyboard end-user has written the few hundred lines of code implementing this custom Cougar HID driver that initially supports the 500K gaming keyboard. This driver implements the custom vendor interface for the keyboard with it not being fully complaint against the HID standard.

The Cougar 500k is an NKPO Membrane based keyboard that features an onboard 32-bit ARM processor, individual key backlights, six programmable macro keys, and other features targeting gamers. This current Linux driver is just about making the keyboard work under Linux and doesn't yet support any bits for configuring the keyboard backlight, etc.

This HID Cougar driver is now queued in hid-next ahead of the Linux 4.19 kernel merge window next month. The Cougar 500k keyboard was launched in 2015.