EPOMAKER Galaxy100 QMK/VIA: problems, parts and running costs

Checked: 2026-10-08

Summary

The Galaxy100 is an aluminum 1800 (96%) tri-mode keyboard with a numpad, a knob and an 8000 mAh battery. Its hardware is praised and its firmware is the weak point: the stock QMK does not compile against current releases without community patches, VIA shifted-character remaps work only wired, and the shipped VIA JSON carries wrong codes. There are no subscriptions or battery programs; optional spend is about $20–$30 on shine-through keycaps. At $98.99–$109.99 it is a strong buy for an aluminum numpad board if you can tolerate the firmware quirks.

Common problems and fixes

Stock QMK will not compile — the shipped firmware fails to compile against QMK versions newer than 0.28.10 without community patches, and even patched builds have non-functional wireless and broken End, Print Screen and Num Lock RGB indicators from missing pin definitions. One owner returned the keyboard over broken QMK support; the only fix is community patches, and wireless stays broken in them. [5]
VIA shifted-character bug — remapping a key to output a shifted character (for example “?”) works in VIA and in wired mode but in no wireless mode; there is no fix, so do shifted-character remaps only on the wire. [2]
Wrong VIA JSON codes — the manufacturer-shipped JSON has incorrect vendor and product codes, so the keyboard is undetectable at usevia.app; the fix is to load the community-corrected file. EPOMAKER now publishes a separate JSON for units bought after October 2025, but it is not documented whether that fixes these bugs. [6][11][12]
It wakes Macs over Bluetooth — the keyboard can wake a Mac from sleep when connected over Bluetooth; EPOMAKER says it is investigating and no fix is documented. [3]
Flickering backlight — one Reddit owner reports a chance that the unit you get will have a flickering backlight; no failure rate is published. Within the 1-year warranty EPOMAKER covers repair or replacement, and after the 30-day return window it covers return shipping but not the outbound shipment. [7][9][10]
Fixed angle, no adjustable feet — the typing angle is fixed at about 7 degrees with no adjustable feet, and with no storage for the 2.4 GHz dongle the roughly 2 kg board is strictly a desktop keyboard. [1][2][4]
Stock keycaps block the RGB — the PBT keycaps are not shine-through, so the per-key backlighting has minimal effect with the stock set. [2][4]

Parts and consumables

Aftermarket shine-through keycaps — about $20–$30 per Reddit owners, no store or month reported; owners buy them because the stock keycaps are not shine-through. [8]
No battery replacement program and no official replacement-parts catalog were documented; the box includes 2 spare switches, a keycap and switch puller and extra Mac keycaps on some colorways, and the PCB is hot-swappable for 3-pin and 5-pin switches. [2][4][13]

Yearly running cost

Not enough data. There is no proprietary software subscription and no battery replacement program; the only spend owners report beyond the keyboard is about $20–$30 for shine-through keycaps. Electricity cost was not measured, so no per-year total can be computed. [8]

When it is a good buy

$98.99 at EPOMAKER direct (a sale price against $109.99 regular, checked 2026-10); Notebookcheck listed $109.99 for the Feker Marble White version and $119.99 for the Wisteria Linear, and RedDB tracked $109.99. [1][2][7]
At $100 or below it is strong value — it is cited as one of the lowest-cost aluminum numpad mechanical keyboards available — and $101–$110 is still a good buy if the firmware quirks do not bother you. [7][8]
$111–$130 narrows the value, because aluminum boards with more mature firmware enter the comparison; above $130 the QMK and VIA problems are harder to justify. [8]
The Keychron Q series (roughly $200) is the named alternative when budget allows and firmware maturity matters more than price; the Galaxy100 Lite (plastic case, about 1.7 kg, lower price) is the pick when the aluminum case is not worth it. [8]