diff --git a/src/kaleidoscope/Hardware.h b/src/kaleidoscope/Hardware.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..35a303a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/kaleidoscope/Hardware.h
@@ -0,0 +1,271 @@
+/* -*- mode: c++ -*-
+ * Kaleidoscope-Hardware -- Kaleidoscope Hardware Base class
+ * Copyright (C) 2017, 2018  Keyboard.io, Inc
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
+ * the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
+ * Foundation, version 3.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
+ * ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more
+ * details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with
+ * this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+/** @file kaleidoscope/Hardware.h
+ * Base class for Kaleidoscope hardware libraries.
+ */
+
+#pragma once
+
+#ifndef CRGB
+#error cRGB and CRGB *must* be defined before including this header!
+#endif
+
+/* All hardware libraries must define the following macros:
+ * HARDWARE_IMPLEMENTATION - the name of your public object conforming to
+ *   the 'class Hardware' interface below.
+ * CRGB(r,g,b) - explained below
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Forward declaration of the cRGB structure.
+ *
+ * The base class does not define the cRGB structure, that is left up to the
+ * individual Hardware libraries. We do a forward declaration here, because the
+ * base hardware has methods that depend on a cRGB structure.
+ *
+ * The structure will need to have at least three members: r, g, and b -
+ * compilation will fail otherwise.
+ *
+ * Despite its name, the members do not need to be in the order r g b -- most
+ * likely they will be in an order that is convenient for the hardware. So
+ * initializing a cRGB with a struct literal will give surprising results for any
+ * colors where r, g, and b do not have the same value. Each Hardware library
+ * defines a CRGB(r,g,b) macro which returns a literal cRGB with the given values.
+ */
+typedef struct cRGB cRGB;
+
+namespace kaleidoscope {
+/** Kaleidoscope Hardware base class.
+ * Essential methods all hardware libraries must implement.
+ */
+class Hardware {
+ public:
+  /**
+   * @defgroup kaleidoscope_hardware_leds Kaleidoscope::Hardware/LEDs
+   * @{
+   */
+  /**
+   * Sync the LEDs with the underlying hardware. This should make sure that
+   * changes made before this call are reflected on the device.
+   */
+  void syncLeds(void) {}
+  /**
+   * Set the color of a per-key LED at a given row and column.
+   *
+   * Setting the color does not need to take effect immediately, it can be
+   * delayed until @ref syncLeds is called.
+   *
+   * @param row is the logical row position of the key.
+   * @param col is the logical column position of the key.
+   * @param color is the color to set the LED to.
+   */
+  void setCrgbAt(byte row, byte col, cRGB color) {}
+  /**
+   * Set the color of a per-key LED at a given LED index.
+   *
+   * Setting the color does not need to take effect immediately, it can be
+   * delayed until @ref syncLeds is called.
+   *
+   * @param i is the LED index to change the color of.
+   * @param color is the color to set it to.
+   */
+  void setCrgbAt(uint8_t i, cRGB color) {}
+  /**
+   * Returns the color of the LED at a given index.
+   *
+   * @param i is the index of the LED to return the color of.
+   *
+   * @returns The color at the given position.
+   */
+  cRGB getCrgbAt(uint8_t i) {
+    cRGB c = {
+      0, 0, 0
+    };
+    return c;
+  }
+  /**
+   * Returns the index of the LED at a given row & column.
+   *
+   * @param row is the logical row position of the key.
+   * @param col is the logical column position of the key.
+   *
+   * @returns The index of the LED at the given position, or -1 if there are no
+   * LEDs there.
+   */
+  int8_t getLedIndex(uint8_t row, byte col) {
+    return -1;
+  }
+  /** @} */
+
+  /** @defgroup kaleidoscope_hardware_matrix Kaleidoscope::Hardware/Matrix
+   * @{
+   */
+  /**
+   * Scan the keyboard matrix, and act on it.
+   */
+  void scanMatrix(void) {}
+  /**
+   * Read the state of the keyboard matrix.
+   *
+   * Do whatever is necessary to read the current keyboard state - but without
+   * acting on it.
+   *
+   * This is primarily used by @ref scanMatrix, but may have other uses too.
+   */
+  void readMatrix(void) {}
+  /**
+   * Act on the scanned keyboard matrix.
+   *
+   * Iterate through the scanned state (@see readMatrix), and act on any events.
+   */
+  void actOnMatrixScan(void) {}
+  /** @} */
+
+  /** @defgroup kaleidoscope_hardware_masking Kaleidoscope::Hardware/Key masking
+   *
+   * Sometimes there are situations when one wants to ignore key events for a
+   * while, to mask them out. Masked keys will be ignored until they are
+   * released.
+   *
+   * This is implemented in the Hardware library because that knows best how
+   * to mask efficiently, as this requires a deeper knowledge of the hardware,
+   * which is all but hidden from the rest of the plugins.
+   * @{
+   */
+  /**
+   * Mask out a key.
+   *
+   * Masking a key out means that any other event than a release will be
+   * ignored until said release.
+   *
+   * @param row is the row the key is located at in the matrix.
+   * @param col is the column the key is located at in the matrix.
+   */
+  void maskKey(byte row, byte col) {}
+  /**
+   * Unmask a key.
+   *
+   * Remove the mask - if any - for a given key. To be used when the mask
+   * needs to be removed without the key being released.
+   *
+   * @param row is the row the key is located at in the matrix.
+   * @param col is the column the key is located at in the matrix.
+   */
+  void unMaskKey(byte row, byte col) {}
+  /**
+   * Check whether a key is masked or not.
+   *
+   * @param row is the row the key is located at in the matrix.
+   * @param col is the column the key is located at in the matrix.
+   *
+   * @returns true if the key is masked, false otherwise.
+   */
+  bool isKeyMasked(byte row, byte col) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  /** @} */
+
+  /** @defgroup kaleidoscope_hardware_reattach Kaleidoscope::Hardware/Attach & Detach
+   *
+   * In situations where one wants to re-initialize the devices, perhaps to
+   * change settings inbetween, detaching from and then attaching back to the
+   * host is a desirable feature to have. Especially if this does not cut power,
+   * nor reboot the device.
+   *
+   * Because different hardware has different ways to accomplish this, the
+   * hardware plugin must provide these functions. Kaleidoscope will wrap them,
+   * so user code does not have to deal with KeyboardHardware.
+   * @{
+   */
+  /**
+   * Detach the device from the host.
+   *
+   * Must detach the device, without rebooting or cutting power. Only the end
+   * points should get detached, the device must remain powered on.
+   */
+  void detachFromHost() {
+    UDCON |= _BV(DETACH);
+  }
+  /**
+   * Attack the device to the host.
+   *
+   * Must restore the link detachFromHost severed.
+   */
+  void attachToHost() {
+    UDCON &= ~_BV(DETACH);
+  }
+  /** @} */
+
+  /**
+   * @defgroup kaleidoscope_hardware_keyswitch_state Kaleidoscope::Hardware/Key-switch state
+   *
+   * These methods offer a way to peek at the key switch states, for those cases
+   * where we need to deal with the state closest to the hardware. Some methods
+   * offer a way to check if a key is pressed, others return the number of
+   * pressed keys.
+   *
+   * @{
+   */
+  /**
+   * Check if a key is pressed at a given position.
+   *
+   * @param row is the row the key is located at in the matrix.
+   * @param col is the column the key is located at in the matrix.
+   *
+   * @returns true if the key is pressed, false otherwise.
+   */
+  bool isKeyswitchPressed(byte row, byte col) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  /**
+   * Check if a key is pressed at a given position.
+   *
+   * @param keyIndex is the key index, as calculated by `keyIndex`.
+   *
+   * @note Key indexes start at 1, not 0!
+   *
+   * @returns true if the key is pressed, false otherwise.
+   */
+  bool isKeyswitchPressed(uint8_t keyIndex) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  /**
+   * Check the number of key switches currently pressed.
+   *
+   * @returns the number of keys pressed.
+   */
+  uint8_t pressedKeyswitchCount() {
+    return 0;
+  }
+
+  /** @} */
+
+  /**
+   * @defgroup kaleidoscope_hardware_misc Kaleidoscope::Hardware/Miscellaneous methods
+   * @{
+   */
+  /**
+   * Method to do any hardware-specific initialization.
+   *
+   * Called once when the device boots, this should initialize the device, and
+   * bring it up into a useful state.
+   */
+  void setup() {}
+  /** @} */
+};
+}
diff --git a/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ATMegaKeyboard.cpp b/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ATMegaKeyboard.cpp
index 230eb3de..59f17401 100644
--- a/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ATMegaKeyboard.cpp
+++ b/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ATMegaKeyboard.cpp
@@ -51,14 +51,6 @@ void ATMegaKeyboard::setup(void) {
   TIMSK1 = _BV(TOIE1);
 }
 
-void ATMegaKeyboard::detachFromHost() {
-  UDCON |= _BV(DETACH);
-}
-
-void ATMegaKeyboard::attachToHost() {
-  UDCON &= ~_BV(DETACH);
-}
-
 void __attribute__((optimize(3))) ATMegaKeyboard::readMatrix(void) {
   for (uint8_t current_row = 0; current_row < KeyboardHardware.matrix_rows; current_row++) {
     uint16_t mask, cols;
diff --git a/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ATMegaKeyboard.h b/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ATMegaKeyboard.h
index ca73a12f..88320fe4 100644
--- a/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ATMegaKeyboard.h
+++ b/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ATMegaKeyboard.h
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ struct cRGB {
 
 #endif
 
+#include "kaleidoscope/Hardware.h"
+
 #define ROW_PIN_LIST(...)  __VA_ARGS__
 #define COL_PIN_LIST(...)  __VA_ARGS__
 
@@ -69,85 +71,21 @@ struct cRGB {
 
 namespace kaleidoscope {
 namespace hardware {
-class ATMegaKeyboard {
+class ATMegaKeyboard : public kaleidoscope::Hardware {
  public:
   ATMegaKeyboard(void) {}
 
-  // these will be overridden by the subclass
   static uint8_t debounce;
 
-  void syncLeds(void) {}
-  void setCrgbAt(uint8_t row, byte col, cRGB color) {}
-  void setCrgbAt(int8_t i, cRGB crgb) {}
-  cRGB getCrgbAt(int8_t i) {
-    return CRGB(0, 0, 0);
-  }
-  int8_t getLedIndex(uint8_t row, byte col) {
-    return -1;
-  }
-
   void setup(void);
-
-  /** Detaching from / attaching to the host.
-   *
-   * These two functions should detach the device from (or attach it to) the
-   * host, preferably without rebooting the device. Their purpose is to allow
-   * one to do some configuration inbetween, so the re-attach happens with
-   * different properties. The device remains powered between these operations,
-   * only the connection to the host gets severed.
-   */
-  void detachFromHost();
-  void attachToHost();
-
   void readMatrix(void);
+  void actOnMatrixScan();
+  void scanMatrix();
 
-  /**
-   * Check the number of key switches currently pressed.
-   *
-   * @returns the number of keys pressed.
-   */
   uint8_t pressedKeyswitchCount();
-
-  /** Key switch states
-   *
-   * These methods offer a way to peek at the key switch states, for those cases
-   * where we need to deal with the state closest to the hardware. Some methods
-   * offer a way to check if a key is pressed, others return the number of
-   * pressed keys.
-   */
-  /**
-   * Check if a key is pressed at a given position.
-   *
-   * @param row is the row the key is located at in the matrix.
-   * @param col is the column the key is located at in the matrix.
-   *
-   * @returns true if the key is pressed, false otherwise.
-   */
   bool isKeyswitchPressed(uint8_t row, byte col);
-
-  /**
-   * Check if a key is pressed at a given position.
-   *
-   * @param keyIndex is the key index, as calculated by `keyIndex`.
-   *
-   * @note Key indexes start at 1, not 0!
-   *
-   * @returns true if the key is pressed, false otherwise.
-   */
   bool isKeyswitchPressed(uint8_t keyIndex);
 
-  void actOnMatrixScan();
-  void scanMatrix();
-
-  /* Key masking
-   * -----------
-   *
-   * There are situations when one wants to ignore key events for a while, and
-   * mask them out. These functions help do that. In isolation, they do nothing,
-   * plugins and the core firmware is expected to make use of these.
-   *
-   * See `handleKeyswitchEvent` in the Kaleidoscope sources for a use-case.
-   */
   void maskKey(byte row, byte col);
   void unMaskKey(byte row, byte col);
   bool isKeyMasked(byte row, byte col);
diff --git a/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ez/ErgoDox.cpp b/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ez/ErgoDox.cpp
index 46f1fdd6..b5228780 100644
--- a/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ez/ErgoDox.cpp
+++ b/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ez/ErgoDox.cpp
@@ -223,14 +223,6 @@ void ErgoDox::debounceRow(uint8_t change, uint8_t row) {
   }
 }
 
-void ErgoDox::detachFromHost() {
-  UDCON |= (1 << DETACH);
-}
-
-void ErgoDox::attachToHost() {
-  UDCON &= ~(1 << DETACH);
-}
-
 bool ErgoDox::isKeyswitchPressed(byte row, byte col) {
   return (bitRead(keyState_[row], col) != 0);
 }
diff --git a/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ez/ErgoDox.h b/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ez/ErgoDox.h
index c7672ca7..87249560 100644
--- a/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ez/ErgoDox.h
+++ b/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/ez/ErgoDox.h
@@ -42,11 +42,13 @@ struct cRGB {
 
 #define CRGB(r,g,b) (cRGB){b, g, r}
 
+#include "kaleidoscope/Hardware.h"
+
 namespace kaleidoscope {
 namespace hardware {
 namespace ez {
 
-class ErgoDox {
+class ErgoDox : public kaleidoscope::Hardware {
  public:
   ErgoDox(void) {}
 
@@ -54,76 +56,17 @@ class ErgoDox {
   static constexpr byte matrix_rows = 14;
   static constexpr int8_t led_count = 0;
 
-  void syncLeds(void) {}
-  void setCrgbAt(byte row, byte col, cRGB color) {}
-  void setCrgbAt(int8_t i, cRGB crgb) {}
-  cRGB getCrgbAt(int8_t i) {
-    return CRGB(0, 0, 0);
-  }
-  int8_t getLedIndex(byte row, byte col) {
-    return -1;
-  }
-
   void scanMatrix(void);
   void readMatrix(void);
   void actOnMatrixScan(void);
   void setup();
 
-  /** Detaching from / attaching to the host.
-   *
-   * These two functions should detach the device from (or attach it to) the
-   * host, preferably without rebooting the device. Their purpose is to allow
-   * one to do some configuration inbetween, so the re-attach happens with
-   * different properties. The device remains powered between these operations,
-   * only the connection to the host gets severed.
-   */
-  void detachFromHost();
-  void attachToHost();
-
-  /* Key masking
-   * -----------
-   *
-   * There are situations when one wants to ignore key events for a while, and
-   * mask them out. These functions help do that. In isolation, they do nothing,
-   * plugins and the core firmware is expected to make use of these.
-   *
-   * See `handleKeyswitchEvent` in the Kaleidoscope sources for a use-case.
-   */
   void maskKey(byte row, byte col);
   void unMaskKey(byte row, byte col);
   bool isKeyMasked(byte row, byte col);
 
-  /** Key switch states
-   *
-   * These methods offer a way to peek at the key switch states, for those cases
-   * where we need to deal with the state closest to the hardware. Some methods
-   * offer a way to check if a key is pressed, others return the number of
-   * pressed keys.
-   */
-  /**
-   * Check if a key is pressed at a given position.
-   *
-   * @param row is the row the key is located at in the matrix.
-   * @param col is the column the key is located at in the matrix.
-   *
-   * @returns true if the key is pressed, false otherwise.
-   */
   bool isKeyswitchPressed(byte row, byte col);
-  /**
-   * Check if a key is pressed at a given position.
-   *
-   * @param keyIndex is the key index, as calculated by `keyIndex`.
-   *
-   * @note Key indexes start at 1, not 0!
-   *
-   * @returns true if the key is pressed, false otherwise.
-   */
   bool isKeyswitchPressed(uint8_t keyIndex);
-  /**
-   * Check the number of key switches currently pressed.
-   *
-   * @returns the number of keys pressed.
-   */
   uint8_t pressedKeyswitchCount();
 
   // ErgoDox-specific stuff
diff --git a/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/keyboardio/Model01.cpp b/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/keyboardio/Model01.cpp
index f0f67980..0db65458 100644
--- a/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/keyboardio/Model01.cpp
+++ b/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/keyboardio/Model01.cpp
@@ -292,14 +292,6 @@ void Model01::setKeyscanInterval(uint8_t interval) {
   rightHand.setKeyscanInterval(interval);
 }
 
-void Model01::detachFromHost() {
-  UDCON |= (1 << DETACH);
-}
-
-void Model01::attachToHost() {
-  UDCON &= ~(1 << DETACH);
-}
-
 bool Model01::isKeyswitchPressed(byte row, byte col) {
   if (col <= 7) {
     return (bitRead(leftHandState.rows[row], 7 - col) != 0);
diff --git a/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/keyboardio/Model01.h b/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/keyboardio/Model01.h
index c0fc0a6e..5457f87b 100644
--- a/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/keyboardio/Model01.h
+++ b/src/kaleidoscope/hardware/keyboardio/Model01.h
@@ -29,11 +29,13 @@
 
 #define CRGB(r,g,b) (cRGB){b, g, r}
 
+#include "kaleidoscope/Hardware.h"
+
 namespace kaleidoscope {
 namespace hardware {
 namespace keyboardio {
 
-class Model01 {
+class Model01 : public kaleidoscope::Hardware {
  public:
   Model01(void);
 
@@ -53,17 +55,6 @@ class Model01 {
   void setup();
   void rebootBootloader();
 
-  /** Detaching from / attaching to the host.
-   *
-   * These two functions should detach the device from (or attach it to) the
-   * host, preferably without rebooting the device. Their purpose is to allow
-   * one to do some configuration inbetween, so the re-attach happens with
-   * different properties. The device remains powered between these operations,
-   * only the connection to the host gets severed.
-   */
-  void detachFromHost();
-  void attachToHost();
-
   /* These public functions are things supported by the Model 01, but
    * aren't necessarily part of the Kaleidoscope API
    */
@@ -72,51 +63,13 @@ class Model01 {
   void setKeyscanInterval(uint8_t interval);
   boolean ledPowerFault(void);
 
-  /* Key masking
-   * -----------
-   *
-   * There are situations when one wants to ignore key events for a while, and
-   * mask them out. These functions help do that. In isolation, they do nothing,
-   * plugins and the core firmware is expected to make use of these.
-   *
-   * See `handleKeyswitchEvent` in the Kaleidoscope sources for a use-case.
-   */
   void maskKey(byte row, byte col);
   void unMaskKey(byte row, byte col);
   bool isKeyMasked(byte row, byte col);
   void maskHeldKeys(void);
 
-  /** Key switch states
-   *
-   * These methods offer a way to peek at the key switch states, for those cases
-   * where we need to deal with the state closest to the hardware. Some methods
-   * offer a way to check if a key is pressed, others return the number of
-   * pressed keys.
-   */
-  /**
-   * Check if a key is pressed at a given position.
-   *
-   * @param row is the row the key is located at in the matrix.
-   * @param col is the column the key is located at in the matrix.
-   *
-   * @returns true if the key is pressed, false otherwise.
-   */
   bool isKeyswitchPressed(byte row, byte col);
-  /**
-   * Check if a key is pressed at a given position.
-   *
-   * @param keyIndex is the key index, as calculated by `keyIndex`.
-   *
-   * @note Key indexes start at 1, not 0!
-   *
-   * @returns true if the key is pressed, false otherwise.
-   */
   bool isKeyswitchPressed(uint8_t keyIndex);
-  /**
-   * Check the number of key switches currently pressed.
-   *
-   * @returns the number of keys pressed.
-   */
   uint8_t pressedKeyswitchCount();
 
   keydata_t leftHandState;