(FIXED) Help! a whole column in my xd60 stopped working

[Ratchet601]

Well title says all, I was playing and then heard that something was unplugged, then i realized that the keys "$, R, F and C" stopped working.

Checked the pcb and used tweezers to see if the circuit is ok. Did a firmware reset and still nothing.

   

Any ideas?

FIX

• Column was dead because the pin stopped working because of a static shock.
• Tested it with a multimeter and checked if there is continuity between the keys to the cpu and from the diodes to cpu.
• All is working, just a dead pin.
• In order to fix it, Suicidal_Orange repogrammed the cpu and swapped an unused pin and now it has the column function. The only thing remaining is to bridge from the dead pin to the new one, soldering.

[suicidal_orange]

Is it in a metal case?  If so it could be a static shock that has killed a pin on the controller chip.

Looking in the firmware the damaged pin would be PC6 on pin 31 which is not on a corner making checking hard, but what you need to do is short that pin to the diode pin on one of the dead switches and see if it registers.  I would say where that pin  it is but I can't make out the dented dot on the square chip next to Space, that dot shows which corner is pin 1 and you can work it out from there.

[Ratchet601]

Is it in a metal case?  If so it could be a static shock that has killed a pin on the controller chip.

Looking in the firmware the damaged pin would be PC6 on pin 31 which is not on a corner making checking hard, but what you need to do is short that pin to the diode pin on one of the dead switches and see if it registers.  I would say where that pin  it is but I can't make out the dented dot on the square chip next to Space, that dot shows which corner is pin 1 and you can work it out from there.

Actually it is in a metal case, and i didnt know that it can kill a pcb, should i swap it to a plastic one just in case?

[suicidal_orange]

It's a grounding problem that happens with some PCBs/cases.  Looks like the PCB has big ground pads on the screw holes so if you're using them and the stand offs (screw holes in the case) are not exposed find a file and expose them and you should be good.  If you have a fancy "gasket" mount and aren't using the screws you should connect a wire from ground on the PCB to the case.

Just as important is fixing your board, have you confirmed the column pin is dead?  Looks like you don't use the backlight LEDs so you could reassign a pin that's usually used for them to the column.  Would make it non-standard so if you're still in the tweaking stage and are using a friendly website to make the firmware that would be annoying...

Sadly it's a black PCB and the chip has moved from the rev 2 which I have a nice picture of in red so I can't make out much.  If you need help finding the right pin to test post a pic with the shiny bit on the square chip and I'll fire up paint

[Ratchet601]

First of all, thank you for helping me  ^^"

And im kind of lost right now, you said about exposing something with a file, what exactly? the holes where the screws go in? gasket mount? first time hearing it. And most importantly, my pc is already grounded to the heating units, in EU are already grounded so it worked so far.

And then, how can i check if a pin is dead or not, im not even sure which is it yet.

As you can see im pretty new in stuff like this.
Again, thanks for helping me.





The red ones are the not working ones and oh the leds are on but i dont use them because of the metal case.

[suicidal_orange]

Sorry, there are so many options I could write "ifs" all day as I don't know what your board is.  The problem is when static leaves your fingers and goes to the wrong trace on your PCB - typically via the case or plate as the PCB is hidden.  If it goes down a ground trace you're fine, if it puts thousands of volts through a chip designed to handle 5 the chip gets damaged, this is long before it gets to our safely grounded computers/mains sockets.

Looks like your PCB is screwed in and the screw threads look shiny so that should be enough to ground it.  Unless you use paper or rubber washers on top of the PCB under the screws...  From the dust in the case this doesn't look like a new build though so if it's worked fine for years it may just be a cracked trace rather than static so lets find out. 

You need to short something to the third pin in from the corner marked green

To the diode pin of one of the dead switches, marked pink


If you hit the pins next to the green one it will just type the letters either side of the dead key so don't worry about that, just make sure you've hit the green one and see if you can make it output the dead letter.

I'll ask in advance but it doesn't matter if the green pin works - do you use a custom keymap or just as it came?

The LEDs I was talking about go in the holes in the yellow circle and they definitely look unused - if the green pin is dead they will make for a very small and tidy looking fix but we'll get to that if we need to.

[Ratchet601]

So just to confirm,

i solder from the 3rd pin to the pink dot you shown me. If i press the key and it works, do it with the others, if not i ask you again.

Fingers crossed

[suicidal_orange]

No solder yet, just touch a wire or something conductive to both ends and see if it types the dead key.

[Ratchet601]

Update, pin is dead, tested pin 2 and 4 and they work, it registers other keys which is expected. So let me guess, it wont be easy from here right?

[suicidal_orange]

Well that depends - do you use a custom keymap?

[Ratchet601]

I've got some binds but none in 4RFC

[suicidal_orange]

No idea what 4RFC is, do you compile the firmware yourself?  If you do you need to change pin C6 in the column section to F5 and change F5 in the backlight section to C6 and recompile.  If you use a helpful website it won't be so easy but link it and I'll have a look.

I could compile QMK for you but you have a lot of FN keys and not many legends in that pic so I'll need more layers.

Edit: 4RFC is the dead column, so you don't care about that FN2?  I'll start recreating what you posted...

[Ratchet601]

Oh sorry for that ^^" 4RFC are actually my non working keys

And about the firmware, used a website to configure the binds and all but im not sure if you can swap the pins from here. Here take a look

Oh and to reset the board i use a program called Zadig


https://xd.tkg.io/


And this is the data that i then upload to the keyboard




[{a:0},"Esc\n\n\n\n~\n`",{a:4},"!\n1\n\n\nF1","@\n2\n\n\nF2","#\n3\n\n\nF3","$\n4\n\n\nF4","%\n5\n\n\nF5","^\n6\n\n\nF6","&\n7\n\n\nF7","*\n8\n\n\nF8","(\n9\n\n\nF9",")\n0\n\n\nF10","_\n-\n\n\nF11","+\n=\n\n\nF12",{w:2},"Backspace\n\n\n\nDelete"],
[{w:1.5},"Tab","Q","W\n\n\n\n↑","E","R","T","Y\n\n\n\nCalc","U","I\n\n\n\nIns","O","P\n\n\n\nPSc","{\n[\n\n\nScrLk",{a:0},"}\n]\n\n\nPus\nBrk",{a:4,w:1.5},"|\n\\"],
[{w:1.75},"Caps Lock","A\n\n\n\n←","S\n\n\n\n↓","D\n\n\n\n→","F","G","H","J","K","L",":\n;\n\n\nHome","\"\n'\n\n\nPgUp",{w:2.25},"Enter"],
[{w:2.25},"Shift","Z","X\n\n\n\nApp","C\n\n\n\nFn2","V\n\n\n\nFn1","B\n\n\n\nFn3","N\n\n\n\nVolDn","M\n\n\n\nVolUp","<\n,\n\n\nMute",">\n.\n\n\nFN4","?\n/\n\n\nPgDn",{w:2.75},"RShift"],
[{w:1.25},"Ctrl",{w:1.25},"Win",{w:1.25},"Alt",{w:6.25},"Space",{w:1.25},"Ralt",{w:1.25},"Fn0",{w:1.25},"Win\n\n\n\nFN6",{w:1.25},"Ctrl\n\n\n\nFN7"]

[suicidal_orange]

... right.  I've been out of the game for a while when it comes to firmware (I fix lots of hardware problems) and you've lost me!

The tkg website converts the layout data to tmk and from what I found Zadig installs windows drivers, but what happened to compiling and flashing a hex file to the board?!

Edit:  If you know how to flash a .hex flash the attached, then touch a wire between pink and cyan - one of them should type the letter.  If it does solder between cyan and blue and they should all work good as new.

[Ratchet601]

Im actually lost rn, why do i need a hex file when i could upload it with a json file?

Just curious and trying to learn

[suicidal_orange]

I've been reading, the hex file has the part of the firmware that defines the pins as well as the keymap, the eep you make from the json is just the keymap.  As you need to swap out the dead pin you need to flash a hex.

My hex is for QMK as the XD60 config is not included in the downloadable TMK, although someone obviously has it to put on the website.

[Ratchet601]

After fighting with it for quite a while, i did manage to flash the keyboard and the leds under it are red now, so it means that it worked.

But i also tried what you said about touching the pink and cyan dots, and nothing?. It doesnt register the key.



Edit: Spelling

[suicidal_orange]

That's annoying.  Do the other keys work?

Edit:  Maybe the resistor is blocking the signal - try pink to orange (that's the bottom end of the resistor)

[Ratchet601]

As usual




Edit: Saw your edit, tried it and in other working keys, still nothing, should it touch it and then press it?

[suicidal_orange]

When you press a switch it connects the two pins so the idea is to touch the other side from where you would solder so you don't have to balance the board in one hand while pressing the switch with the other.

I've found a second place the LED pin is mentioned in the config but changing it outputs exactly the same hex (MD5sum of b2bf6a4be4e7642b73a21d2d2862a77c) so something is not quite right.  Annoyingly I now have to go to bed so I'll have to have a look tomorrow.

Another thought - is there a component with two legs on the corners one side and one in the middle of the opposite side?  I can't see one but again, it's black.  This could be a transistor (I think that's what it's called...) used to power the LEDs.  If there is you would have to short to that.

[Ratchet601]

Dont worry there is no rush.

And here is the transistor you asked


Edit: Ok what if i solder a wire from the pin that doesnt work to a pin that is not being used for anything and also change it in the hex file? Could it work?

[suicidal_orange]

That's a very small transistor and it's in a very strange place (not near the chip or the USB socket) but could be the cause.

Are you a very confident solderer and are thinking of soldering to the pins on the controller chip?  If so B0 and F7 are not connected and could be used, but they're not on a corner (see pinout above, they're labeled PB0 and PB7) so would be very hard to solder to.  Not impossible but it's small enough I wouldn't want to do it.

There is also the LED in Caps Lock which it doesn't look like you're using?  If you're not the attached hex uses that pin so flash it and short from pink to both of the LED holes and one should work (there definitely wont be a transistor for a single LED)

[Ratchet601]

Im capable i just need some time.
But to confirm, i solder a wire from the dead pin to the new one being B0 or F7.
Then flash it again with a new hex file?


Edit: Or im doing something wrong but still nothing :/ what a tough cookie this pcb is.

[suicidal_orange]

I tried to answer that and had an idea - is the dead pin shorted to ground or 5v?  If it is it would be interfering with the signal from the other pin we're trying to use.

If you have a continuity tester, diode tester or a multimeter you could check for shorts, if not you could carefully cut the trace that goes out of the dead pin on the chip to disconnect it.  Worst case you cut and it still doesn't work with the hex files above, then you would have to solder the wire from the switch to the chip (easier but not as tidy)

[Ratchet601]

Green = works fine. Orange = works but should it from there?  If so, all wires work nothing broken

[suicidal_orange]

I see you edited in a test - did you cut the trace by the chip pin?  That should work if you're on the first hex file.  Unless it's also the transistor...

The diode is connected to the middle two pins on that switch so orange is the same as green.

What you need to check is if the green pin is also connected to the GND pin on the chip, or 5v.  It's already dead but unplug it just in case (shorting either of them to the pin next door might not be good with power)

[Ratchet601]

I disconected it and tried checking the continuity with green pin (the faulty one) and every other,there is no continuity in any pin + green, should it? Did i do something wrong here?

[suicidal_orange]

I'm not sure there is a "should" - it's dead but whether the connection in the chip breaks or melts to form a short.  If it's not connected to anything that's good - you should be able solder the wire between the two pins without anything strange happening.

[Ratchet601]

I managed to solder it with PF7
how can i know in the hex file what function does it do in order to change it?

[suicidal_orange]

Good work - how?  One member took his board to a professional PCB repairer who said they couldn't do it...

In the QMK source tree in keyboards/xd60/rev3 is config.h, open that in a text editor and change C6 in the column pins section to F7 and compile it.  Don't ask me how to compile - I use Linux and that makes it much easier.

Alternately I've attached two hex files with this change in, one has your keymap and the other has the default and should work with VIA so you can change the keymap easily whenever you want.

[Ratchet601]

YEEEES!!! Finally!!!



I have pacience but this was really difficult, specially soldering a single copper wire to the chip. Even though this is my first DIY mechanical keyboard it feels awesome to revive it this way.


It might be NSFW for you guys, but i had to protect that wire with tape. It prevents it from moving and from touching any other electrical parts, the wire doesnt have the coating after all...






But it works

Im really grateful suicidal_orange, and i hope this post will help someone in the future.

[suicidal_orange]

Very clean, your patience paid off

You're right about holding the wire and stopping it from shorting but tape looses it's sticky and falls off so hot glue would be the SFW choice.

I always say a DIY board isn't really unless it's got a jumper or two, most are big and obvious but few are anything like as tidy as this fix.  Enjoy!