I’m trying to reverse engineer the RGB controls for my SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL keyboard. My end goal is to control the RGB using Python, specifically the ctrl_transfer(bmRequestType, bmRequest, wValue, wIndex, data) command.
I am using Wireshark to capture the data sent to the keyboard when demanding a colour using OpenRGB. However, I do not understand why I am missing certain information from the packet being sent. I’ve seen another post that contains additional information in their USB URB, such as Setup Data. How to correctly do a USB control transfer (libusb)?. I am missing this information, and only have Unused Setup Header (see extract from the USB URB below). I’d like to use this to extract the bmRequestType, bRequest, wValue, wIndex, wLength, and Data Fragment. Is there a way to view Setup Data?
From looking around, bmRequestType: 0x21, bRequest: 9, appear to be common for RGB controls, but wValue and wIndex can vary depending on the device.
These are the frames that I capture when I change the colour using OpenRGB:
Initial frame:
Frame 219: 128 bytes on wire (1024 bits), 128 bytes captured (1024 bits) on interface usbmon1, id 0
Section number: 1
Interface id: 0 (usbmon1)
Interface name: usbmon1
Encapsulation type: USB packets with Linux header and padding (115)
Arrival Time: Sep 21, 2024 12:35:27.591740000 BST
UTC Arrival Time: Sep 21, 2024 11:35:27.591740000 UTC
Epoch Arrival Time: 1726918527.591740000
[Time shift for this packet: 0.000000000 seconds]
[Time delta from previous captured frame: 0.001744000 seconds]
[Time delta from previous displayed frame: 0.000000000 seconds]
[Time since reference or first frame: 1.540403000 seconds]
Frame Number: 219
Frame Length: 128 bytes (1024 bits)
Capture Length: 128 bytes (1024 bits)
[Frame is marked: False]
[Frame is ignored: False]
[Protocols in frame: usb:usbhid]
USB URB
[Source: 1.7.2]
[Destination: host]
URB id: 0xffff8b7f8e353d80
URB type: URB_COMPLETE ('C')
URB transfer type: URB_INTERRUPT (0x01)
Endpoint: 0x82, Direction: IN
1... .... = Direction: IN (1)
.... 0010 = Endpoint number: 2
Device: 7
URB bus id: 1
Device setup request: not relevant ('-')
Data: present ('')
URB sec: 1726918527
URB usec: 591740
URB status: Success (0)
URB length [bytes]: 64
Data length [bytes]: 64
[bInterfaceClass: HID (0x03)]
Unused Setup Header
Interval: 1
Start frame: 0
Copy of Transfer Flags: 0x00000204, No transfer DMA map, Dir IN
Number of ISO descriptors: 0
HID Data: 21000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Second frame:
Frame 220: 64 bytes on wire (512 bits), 64 bytes captured (512 bits) on interface usbmon1, id 0
Section number: 1
Interface id: 0 (usbmon1)
Interface name: usbmon1
Encapsulation type: USB packets with Linux header and padding (115)
Arrival Time: Sep 21, 2024 12:35:27.591762000 BST
UTC Arrival Time: Sep 21, 2024 11:35:27.591762000 UTC
Epoch Arrival Time: 1726918527.591762000
[Time shift for this packet: 0.000000000 seconds]
[Time delta from previous captured frame: 0.000022000 seconds]
[Time delta from previous displayed frame: 0.000022000 seconds]
[Time since reference or first frame: 1.540425000 seconds]
Frame Number: 220
Frame Length: 64 bytes (512 bits)
Capture Length: 64 bytes (512 bits)
[Frame is marked: False]
[Frame is ignored: False]
[Protocols in frame: usb]
USB URB
[Source: host]
[Destination: 1.7.2]
URB id: 0xffff8b7f8e353d80
URB type: URB_SUBMIT ('S')
URB transfer type: URB_INTERRUPT (0x01)
Endpoint: 0x82, Direction: IN
1... .... = Direction: IN (1)
.... 0010 = Endpoint number: 2
Device: 7
URB bus id: 1
Device setup request: not relevant ('-')
Data: not present ('<')
URB sec: 1726918527
URB usec: 591762
URB status: Operation now in progress (-EINPROGRESS) (-115)
URB length [bytes]: 64
Data length [bytes]: 0
[Response in: 223]
[bInterfaceClass: HID (0x03)]
Unused Setup Header
Interval: 1
Start frame: 0
Copy of Transfer Flags: 0x00000204, No transfer DMA map, Dir IN
Number of ISO descriptors: 0
Third frame:
Frame 223: 128 bytes on wire (1024 bits), 128 bytes captured (1024 bits) on interface usbmon1, id 0
Section number: 1
Interface id: 0 (usbmon1)
Interface name: usbmon1
Encapsulation type: USB packets with Linux header and padding (115)
Arrival Time: Sep 21, 2024 12:35:27.594736000 BST
UTC Arrival Time: Sep 21, 2024 11:35:27.594736000 UTC
Epoch Arrival Time: 1726918527.594736000
[Time shift for this packet: 0.000000000 seconds]
[Time delta from previous captured frame: 0.002949000 seconds]
[Time delta from previous displayed frame: 0.002974000 seconds]
[Time since reference or first frame: 1.543399000 seconds]
Frame Number: 223
Frame Length: 128 bytes (1024 bits)
Capture Length: 128 bytes (1024 bits)
[Frame is marked: False]
[Frame is ignored: False]
[Protocols in frame: usb:usbhid]
USB URB
[Source: 1.7.2]
[Destination: host]
URB id: 0xffff8b7f8e353d80
URB type: URB_COMPLETE ('C')
URB transfer type: URB_INTERRUPT (0x01)
Endpoint: 0x82, Direction: IN
1... .... = Direction: IN (1)
.... 0010 = Endpoint number: 2
Device: 7
URB bus id: 1
Device setup request: not relevant ('-')
Data: present ('')
URB sec: 1726918527
URB usec: 594736
URB status: Success (0)
URB length [bytes]: 64
Data length [bytes]: 64
[Request in: 220]
[Time from request: 0.002974000 seconds]
[bInterfaceClass: HID (0x03)]
Unused Setup Header
Interval: 1
Start frame: 0
Copy of Transfer Flags: 0x00000204, No transfer DMA map, Dir IN
Number of ISO descriptors: 0
HID Data: 23000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Fourth frame:
Frame 224: 64 bytes on wire (512 bits), 64 bytes captured (512 bits) on interface usbmon1, id 0
Section number: 1
Interface id: 0 (usbmon1)
Interface name: usbmon1
Encapsulation type: USB packets with Linux header and padding (115)
Arrival Time: Sep 21, 2024 12:35:27.594743000 BST
UTC Arrival Time: Sep 21, 2024 11:35:27.594743000 UTC
Epoch Arrival Time: 1726918527.594743000
[Time shift for this packet: 0.000000000 seconds]
[Time delta from previous captured frame: 0.000007000 seconds]
[Time delta from previous displayed frame: 0.000007000 seconds]
[Time since reference or first frame: 1.543406000 seconds]
Frame Number: 224
Frame Length: 64 bytes (512 bits)
Capture Length: 64 bytes (512 bits)
[Frame is marked: False]
[Frame is ignored: False]
[Protocols in frame: usb]
USB URB
[Source: host]
[Destination: 1.7.2]
URB id: 0xffff8b7f8e353d80
URB type: URB_SUBMIT ('S')
URB transfer type: URB_INTERRUPT (0x01)
Endpoint: 0x82, Direction: IN
1... .... = Direction: IN (1)
.... 0010 = Endpoint number: 2
Device: 7
URB bus id: 1
Device setup request: not relevant ('-')
Data: not present ('<')
URB sec: 1726918527
URB usec: 594743
URB status: Operation now in progress (-EINPROGRESS) (-115)
URB length [bytes]: 64
Data length [bytes]: 0
[bInterfaceClass: HID (0x03)]
Unused Setup Header
Interval: 1
Start frame: 0
Copy of Transfer Flags: 0x00000204, No transfer DMA map, Dir IN
Number of ISO descriptors: 0
I have tried various permutations of demands from OpenRGB to try and extract the Setup Data to no avail.
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