Author Topic: Is this fixable? (Read 4305 times)

scrambler · « **on:** Sat, 05 November 2022, 04:24:36 »

Hi all,

i tried to remove the switches from my Ducky Mecha Mini to lube them. While removing the solder, i messed up one of the keys (TAB). The pad is ripped off and some of the trace has come off too (see pictures). The key is still functional - tested it with some tweezers. I tried to look into different options of fixing it like copper tape, adding a jumper/bridge, conductive glue. I'm out of my depth here though and can't figure out how to proceed. Can someone point me in the right direction?

Thx

Chris

suicidal_orange · « **Reply #1 on:** Sat, 05 November 2022, 05:26:13 »

Hi Chris, welcome (back) to geekhack

Any break between switches is fixable, some are much easier than others and this looks to be one of the easier, though not obvious, ones. You could solder to the loose traces but it would be a more solid fix if you soldered the pins to the diode and another switch, so please post a photo of a bigger area around Tab with the traces visible as they are in the little photos and I'll put some dots on it to poke-test then solder and it'll be good as new.

scrambler · « **Reply #2 on:** Sat, 05 November 2022, 06:28:48 »

hey, thx for responding. I hope these images suffice. I can take more if you need.

suicidal_orange · « **Reply #3 on:** Sun, 06 November 2022, 04:49:51 »

Got a bit scared seeing those dip-switches but luckily they're irrelevant.

Looks clear enough - too big for tweezers so find a bit of wire (if it looks suitable it is) and short orange to pink and it should type tab. If it does you can solder jumpers for the blue and green lines to reconnect the switch good as new. If you're using stiff wire strip, bend and position it before soldering the switch end then the diode end last to avoid pulling the diode off (unlikely but better safe than sorry

)

scrambler · « **Reply #4 on:** Sun, 06 November 2022, 09:56:22 »

Wow! I won't pretend that i understand how you figured this out, but it worked! The key is registering when shorting it the way you described. Thank you so much for taking the time

I'll report back once i soldered the jumpers.

scrambler · « **Reply #5 on:** Fri, 18 November 2022, 09:49:13 »

Soldering the jumper cable to make TAB functional again worked. Nice!

But then i noticed some weird behavior with the top row of keys. ESC would register ESC, TAB, SHIFT, CAPS, CTRL; 1 would register 1,Q,A,Z and so on. I initially thought that the behaviour was caused by the jumper. I desoldered the jumper cable, but the behavior continued. I now suspect that it has something to do with the ESC key, which i completely butchered as well (see pics attached). Is there anything i can do at this point or is this now beyond repair?

Otherwise the board is fully functional. Also lubing the switches did work and gave the board a much nicer sound; but with this strange behavior it probably isn't usable as a regular keyboard anymore

suicidal_orange · « **Reply #6 on:** Fri, 18 November 2022, 10:36:35 »

Wow, did you try to remove the switch using nothing but a screwdriver?!

From what you've described you have a short to the trace that runs along the lower pins on the top row. The obvious cause would be the loose trace on Esc hitting one of the scratches but doesn't look like the trace has been crushed by the switch, and now the switch is removed it shouldn't be that. Best to cut/snap the loose trace off as short as possible anyway so it can't do anything. Does turning RGB off make the top row work properly? Does it get dimmer when you press a key on the top row, or is Esc always dimmer? The other option is it's shorted to the ground tab of the USB socket which is also right there, there's a lot of ... flux? Bubbled solder mask?? around it so try and clean that off.

Reconnecting Esc is no harder than tab (see pic below) but no point connecting it until it works.

scrambler · « **Reply #7 on:** Fri, 18 November 2022, 13:30:28 »

Thx for your reply. I snapped the loose trace off. RPG on/off doesn't seem to make any difference. Also tried cleaning up with Isopropanol alcohol. All no changes to the behavior.

What did change it though were those dip-switches. I tried all combinations and those where the results. Maybe you can read something out of that. Also attached a bigger picture of the PCB and the Ducky manual entry about the dip-switches.

X= on
0= off

0000 = 1st row off
0X00 = 1st row off
00X0 = 1st row off
0XX0 = 1st row off
XXX0 = 1st row off

XXXX = 1st row off -- after USB out/in Demo Mode
00XX = 1st row off -- after USB out/in Demo Mode
0X0X = 1st row off -- after USB out/in Demo Mode
000X = 1st row off -- after USB out/in Demo Mode
0XXX = 1st row off -- after USB out/in Demo Mode
X0XX = 1st row off -- after USB out/in Demo Mode
XX0X = 1st row off -- after USB out/in Demo Mode

X000 = weird behavior (like described in previous post)
XX00 = 1st row clones 2nd row
X0X0 = 1st row clones 3rd row
X00X = 1st row clones 4th row / after USB out/in Demo Mode

suicidal_orange · « **Reply #8 on:** Fri, 18 November 2022, 18:31:45 »

I hate black PCBs, can't see anything! Based on the diode numbers and what little I can make out I think the traces could be as highlighted in the attached which makes it look like the dip switches are wired in with the keys - can you see the yellow and blue ones?

It still looks like a short but can't get my head round how to work out where so I'm going to sleep on it.

scrambler · « **Reply #9 on:** Sat, 19 November 2022, 00:23:15 »

From what i can see, blue and yellow go like you drew them. Maybe you can see better in this shot.

suicidal_orange · « **Reply #10 on:** Sat, 19 November 2022, 03:09:57 »

Thanks, that's nice and clear. I've accused the designers of Ducky boards of being on drugs before half jokingly but whoever designed this one really must have been - why is D81 connected to the A key as well as dip3?! That surely explains why turning off dip3 stops the top row from pressing that row... Does shorting these two reds type an A?

A pic with the shine the other side of the dip switches would be great too, showing as many switches as possible please. So much mess over there I'm not expecting to see much but this is so weird I really want to work it out

scrambler · « **Reply #11 on:** Sat, 19 November 2022, 05:50:19 »

jep, shorting the two reds types an A.

For row 1 to clone row 3 however (1 typing A, 2 typing S, 3 typing D,...) dip3 needs to be on (XOXO//1=on;2=off;3=on;4=off).

If you need more pictures, let me know

suicidal_orange · « **Reply #12 on:** Fri, 25 November 2022, 03:57:29 »

This is the weirdest problem I've seen and it's annoying me!

Can I get a picture of the whole back of the boar? If you can somehow get lots of shine on it to see the traces that would be great but it's very hard with a black PCB.

Also you never explained the parallel scratches next to Esc, they don't look to have cut any traces but could there be more of them?

scrambler · « **Reply #13 on:** Sat, 26 November 2022, 07:25:21 »

I honestly can't figure out how i made these scratches, but it seems that those are the only ones.

i uploaded a vid in 4k of the PCB to YouTube

Can you work with that?

suicidal_orange · « **Reply #14 on:** Sat, 26 November 2022, 09:18:48 »

It confirms that there are too many traces on the other side to work it all out but yes, that works surprisingly well to reference any part and you kept the camera pretty level so I can always screenshot it and stick bits together.

Can I just check when you said "XX00 = 1st row clones 2nd row" does that mean 1 types 1 and Q or just Q?

scrambler · « **Reply #15 on:** Sat, 26 November 2022, 09:42:14 »

XX00 = 1 types just q

suicidal_orange · « **Reply #16 on:** Mon, 28 November 2022, 06:29:19 »

Still can't get my head round this.

If there's a short it should type 1 and Q (or A, or Z) when a given dip is ON, but how do you short to all the rows without shorting them to each other? On the other side if there's a break it should never be able to type the broken row, but if you turn all the dips ON it can.

Lets fix Escape and see if that helps. First reconnect the diode with a jumper from blue to orange as that's not in doubt. I think Esc is connected to shift so touching purple to orange should type an Esc - if it does solder a jumper from purple to pink.

It's possible purple is not right and that trace instead heads directly to the controller chip so if this doesn't work we'll have to start poking that. I can't make out the sideways text on my < HD monitor so please type out everything on the square NUVOTON chip and hopefully we can find a datasheet for it.

scrambler · « **Reply #17 on:** Mon, 28 November 2022, 15:49:00 »

Turning all switches ON turnes the first row (ESC, 1, 2, 3,...) off completely though - does this make a difference for your thought process?

Just touching purple to orange types left-shift. I didn't solder blue to orange yet. Would this be needed for it to work?

Printing on the Nuvoton Chip is M032SE3AE 2921B074-ZW2 003GAFB

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Author Topic: Is this fixable? (Read 4305 times)

scrambler

Is this fixable?

suicidal_orange

Re: Is this fixable?

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