Varmilo keyboard F-keys and Super Win key mode on Ubuntu

I got a Varmilo VA109M keyboard recently (it’s great!), which I’m using on Ubuntu 20.10.

This is how I got the F-keys working correctly:

echo options hid_apple fnmode=2 | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/hid_apple.conf

sudo update-initramfs -u -k all

Then restart.

And to get the Super key (labelled Win on Varmilo PC keyboards) working correctly, make sure your Varmilo keyboard is in PC mode:

Hold down Fn + Esc for 4 seconds.

The CapsLock key light will flash when the mode has been changed successfully.

To enable “Windows mode”, hold down Fn + w.

To enable “Apple mode”, hold down Fn + a.

One final tip: to control the backlights, use Fn + ↑ (up arrow key).