xbm2qmk

xbm2qmk is a command-line tool that reads a standard XBM file, extracts the image data, and converts it into a page-packed bitmap format ready to display on SSD1306-based OLED screens (such as those used in QMK Firmware).

Features

• Supports typical 1-bit depth XBM files of various dimensions (e.g., 128×32, 128×64).
• Uses standard C libraries, making it simple to compile on most systems.

Usage

1. Clone or download this repository.
2. Open a terminal and navigate to the repository folder.
3. Compile the tool:

gcc xbm2qmk.c -o xbm2qmk

or

clang xbm2qmk.c -o xbm2qmk

4. Run with

./xbm2qmk /path/to/image.xbm > image_qmk.c

This generates a C source file containing a PROGMEM array (named after the XBM’s identifier) that you can include in your QMK firmware project.

Incorporating into QMK

Include the generated .c file in your QMK keymap source. For example, if the output array is named myimage_qmk:

#include "myimage_qmk.c"

bool oled_task_user(void) {
    oled_write_raw_P(myimage_qmk, sizeof(myimage_qmk));
    return false;
}

Make sure that:

• Your board is configured for an OLED display of the same width/height as your bitmap.
• You have enabled OLED_DRIVER_ENABLE = yes in your rules.mk.

Happy converting!

Have fun displaying crisp, custom images on your QMK-powered mechanical keyboards. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to open an issue or create a PR!

Credits

The example XBM image was found in this repo.