Author Topic: 14 months: Broken Ducky (Read 3877 times)

dotancohen · « **on:** Wed, 25 July 2012, 14:00:41 »

Just 14 months ago I purchased a Ducky 1008 keyboard and loved every minute of typing on it. Today it stopped working, it seems that the contacts for the removable USB cable have gone bad. I tried with a second cable, same problem. I could probably tape down the cable to hold it at the correct angle, but I don't expect that to last long.

So beware: the Ducky was great while it lasted, but it _just_ outlived its warranty period. I'll try to contact the manufacturer to see what they might be willing to do, but I don't expect much.

rknize · « **Reply #1 on:** Wed, 25 July 2012, 14:14:41 »

If you are handy with a soldering iron, it's not hard to fix the cable issue. Sometimes it's just the internal cable, too.

dotancohen · « **Reply #2 on:** Thu, 26 July 2012, 03:35:59 »

I could probably solder it, but this is a rather expensive piece of equipment to be self-repairing so soon after purchase.

‏I called the phone number on the Ducky website, but nobody there spoke English, Hebrew, or Russian. I really need to start learning Chinese in Anki! I therefore wrote to the company, let's see if I will get any response.

rknize · « **Reply #3 on:** Thu, 26 July 2012, 10:13:00 »

The Ducky suffers from the same issue as Leopold, CM Storm and others that used the same bottom-recessed USB location. The connector inevitably gets side-loaded when you insert it, unless you are super-careful. The mini-USB socket is attached to a tiny PCB that then attaches to the main PCB via a short cable. The side loading makes the little PCB move, which can work the internal cable loose. This happened on my CM Storm. I also had to touch-up the soldering on the connector itself, though this is a delicate operation due to the pin spacing.

The mini-USB B connector design in general has poor durability. This is part of why most phone manufacturers switched to micro-USB long ago (it's both smaller and more sturdy). The metal frame can easily get deformed (either on the cable or the receiving connector), which causes alignment issues. Often, the connector's frame does not provide enough solder surface to properly mount it to the board.

There are ways to solve all these problems, but they are of little interest to most of these manufacturers.

o2dazone · « **Reply #4 on:** Thu, 26 July 2012, 15:16:49 »

if it looks like a ducky, and quacks like a ducky, it'll probably break like a ducky

That said, I'm sorry you're having issues with it. Just because it's mechanical, doesn't make it impervious to the same ****ty soldering jobs all other electronics get. Hope you get it resolved.

dotancohen · « **Reply #5 on:** Mon, 30 July 2012, 07:25:40 »

Today a Ducky representative contacted me and CCed another rep from the RMA department, asking him to take care of the issue. This story may yet have a happy ending! I don't mind that a mass-produced product has the occasional issue, so long as it is handled responsibly by the manufacturer.

cactux · « **Reply #6 on:** Mon, 30 July 2012, 07:33:51 »

Something that I do not quiet understand, is why people keep buying ultra low quality boards like Ducky's? Agree is a mechanical board flashy, but with a low low quality = manufacturing issues.

rknize · « **Reply #7 on:** Mon, 30 July 2012, 10:11:31 »

My Filco wasn't put together quite right, either. However, there is a trend with the cheaper boards.

ShakeR · « **Reply #8 on:** Tue, 31 July 2012, 00:42:11 »

Quote from: cactux on Mon, 30 July 2012, 07:33:51

Something that I do not quiet understand, is why people keep buying ultra low quality boards like Ducky's? Agree is a mechanical board flashy, but with a low low quality = manufacturing issues.

PRO of offering low end models like 1008s - tons of sales in Asia where your typical customer wants an economy board.

CON of offering low end models like 1008s - people will begin to evaluate your entire brand with your low end budget models.

Ducky should have considered:
Nissan/Infinity
Honda/Acura
Toyota/Lexus

rknize hit the nail on the head in his first post. Why do they make the USB port so awkward?!

cactux · « **Reply #9 on:** Tue, 31 July 2012, 00:53:35 »

^ 169 for a bad quality board with some (year of a Dragon)

?. You can get a Filco for such price and it is by far better board.

dotancohen · « **Reply #10 on:** Tue, 31 July 2012, 04:38:25 »

Quote from: cactux on Mon, 30 July 2012, 07:33:51

Something that I do not quiet understand, is why people keep buying ultra low quality boards like Ducky's? Agree is a mechanical board flashy, but with a low low quality = manufacturing issues.

On what basis would one call Ducky a low quality board? It seems more to be an entry-level high quality board, rather. Sure, I just had a problem but from trolling GH I've seen no less problems than other manufacturers.

Note that I'm not defending Ducky here, but rather I question the logic that since Ducky costs $100 instead of $200 then it is low quality. How do you define high quality?

dotancohen · « **Reply #11 on:** Sun, 10 March 2013, 11:50:57 »

Happy ending!

In August I got the go-ahead to mail the board to Canada for repair, with no guarantee of them being able to fix it. Due to some problems I only got around to mailing it at the end of November! Today the refurbished board is sitting on my desk and I'm typing this on the board. They fixed the issue and didn't charge me anything.

Of course there was a very long wait period for which I was without the keyboard, but like most Geekhackers I do have other boards to type on and in fact I do like a change in keyboard every few months. After half a year on Cherry Reds at home and on a modified Microsoft 4000 Ergonomic with reduced-pressure rubber domes I am finding this Cherry Brown board a bit stiff. But it is a very enjoyable buttonslab and I'm sure that it will come in handy when any of my other daily drivers need repair.

Edjewh · « **Reply #12 on:** Sun, 10 March 2013, 14:53:40 »

I love my ducky and the connector is just a bad design but you see them on a lot of keyboards QFRs come to mind

tp4tissue · « **Reply #13 on:** Sun, 10 March 2013, 17:36:54 »

It happens... sigh...... rip

uzoc · « **Reply #14 on:** Sun, 10 March 2013, 18:22:29 »

Quote from: cactux on Mon, 30 July 2012, 07:33:51

Something that I do not quiet understand, is why people keep buying ultra low quality boards like Ducky's? Agree is a mechanical board flashy, but with a low low quality = manufacturing issues.

Thank you. I usually stay away, if it :
- Doesn't sell from the US...
- Doesn't have a good return policy (from US sellers).
It narrows down to:
Is it sold from the US, can it be returned to the US?

tp4tissue · « **Reply #15 on:** Sun, 10 March 2013, 18:24:17 »

Quote from: uzoc on Sun, 10 March 2013, 18:22:29

Quote from: cactux on Mon, 30 July 2012, 07:33:51
Something that I do not quiet understand, is why people keep buying ultra low quality boards like Ducky's? Agree is a mechanical board flashy, but with a low low quality = manufacturing issues.
Thank you. I usually stay away, if it :
- Doesn't sell from the US...
- Doesn't have a good return policy (from US sellers).
It narrows down to:
Is it sold from the US, can it be returned to the US?

I thought, ducky's WERE low quality, but now they're Better because they're the same as leopold.

noons · « **Reply #16 on:** Sun, 10 March 2013, 19:07:44 »

Good to hear there was a happy ending!

Dubsgalore · « **Reply #17 on:** Sun, 10 March 2013, 20:43:39 »

hope it works out for you

dotancohen · « **Reply #18 on:** Mon, 11 March 2013, 13:59:00 »

Quote from: uzoc on Sun, 10 March 2013, 18:22:29

Quote from: cactux on Mon, 30 July 2012, 07:33:51
Something that I do not quiet understand, is why people keep buying ultra low quality boards like Ducky's? Agree is a mechanical board flashy, but with a low low quality = manufacturing issues.
Thank you. I usually stay away, if it :
- Doesn't sell from the US...
- Doesn't have a good return policy (from US sellers).
It narrows down to:
Is it sold from the US, can it be returned to the US?

Interesting, I usually have to stay away from US goods due to the shipping. For instance, this very keyboard costs me $99 including shipping from China. I see that the shipping from Canada (via US Postal Service, interestingly) costs $48. The company probably could have saved money by just shipping me a brand new board from China!

fohat.digs · « **Reply #19 on:** Mon, 11 March 2013, 14:26:55 »

I appreciate sturdy attached cables with appropriate strain relief.

Sure, there are people who want or need detachable cables, but they are just great weak points waiting to fail.

Who has EVER had an attached cable fail?

uzoc · « **Reply #20 on:** Mon, 11 March 2013, 14:27:13 »

Quote from: dotancohen on Mon, 11 March 2013, 13:59:00

Quote from: uzoc on Sun, 10 March 2013, 18:22:29
Quote from: cactux on Mon, 30 July 2012, 07:33:51
Something that I do not quiet understand, is why people keep buying ultra low quality boards like Ducky's? Agree is a mechanical board flashy, but with a low low quality = manufacturing issues.
Thank you. I usually stay away, if it :
- Doesn't sell from the US...
- Doesn't have a good return policy (from US sellers).
It narrows down to:
Is it sold from the US, can it be returned to the US?
Interesting, I usually have to stay away from US goods due to the shipping. For instance, this very keyboard costs me $99 including shipping from China. I see that the shipping from Canada (via US Postal Service, interestingly) costs $48. The company probably could have saved money by just shipping me a brand new board from China!

Yes, you know us Yanks, we think the world revolves around us.
The comment was made thinking you lived in the US.
But I guess, just replace US for Canada and I think it would apply the same.

News:

Author Topic: 14 months: Broken Ducky (Read 3877 times)