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Ergo Pro going senile

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kshopper:
My <2 year old Ergo Pro has developed an increasingly worsening condition where pressing certain keys on the left-half results in multiple keypresses being sent by the keyboard.
It started out as certain keys not working at all (~, 5, F1, F2). Then it started constantly sending F1/F2 when certain other keys were pressed, now it has become completely un-useable due to the multiple keypress issues, all over the course of about a week.  :(

This keyboard has been my office keyboard since the end of May, 2015 and has never been dropped or had any liquids spilled on it.  I contacted Matias support but they said they only have a 1 year warranty, and I would like to buy a replacement at a slight discount?  Very very disappointed in this response. The keyboard is like new, built like a tank, but has some stupid IC issue or something that makes it a worthless pile of junk. I love this keyboard, but cannot fathom a world where I pay Matias $200+ dollars every couple years for the privilege of using it.   :'( :-[

I'm somewhat handy with electronics so I'm kind of faint-hoping I can repair this keyboard myself.  So far I took apart the left section and didn't see any obvious issues with the board, traces, or solder joints. I tested each of the problem switches and they are working fine, only showing continuity on my multi-meter when the switch is actually depressed.  I also tried a different USB cable and headphone cable with the keyboard, no change.

The current behaviour is:
- leftmost column keys work fine: 1 a q z
- 2nd column, each keypress adds 'F1':  , 2(F1) w(F1) s(F1) x(F1)
- 3rd column, each keypress adds 'F2':  3(F2) e(F2) d(F2) c(F2)
- 4rd column adds '5' to each keypress:  45 r5 f5 v5
- 5th column adds '5' to each keypress:  55 65 g5 b5

So I'm thinking it's either the IC that reads the keypress circuits and translates it to the output for the headphone jack (appears to be a Sonix SB8F26E64K6 microcontroller), or a similar IC on the receiving end of the headphone cable on the right side of the keyboard.

Would anyone here have any suggestions on how to proceed? Faced similar issues?  Is this a one-off or a design flaw?

Meanwhile I'm shopping for a replacement that has a reliable track record. No way I can afford to support Matias again with this astounding lack of support on what is otherwise a brilliant keyboard.

Findecanor:
People who have built their own keyboards have experienced issues like this. I think they are usually caused by there being a short somewhere between rows/columns or by a faulty diode.

I would look for some metal particle or similar that cold have bridged two solder joints.

Fleat:
Just a little background first - I was one of the early preorders of the Matias Mini Quiet Pro in January of 2013. The Mini was delayed significantly so I ended up getting the Matias Quiet Pro for PC first and eventually a Mini later.

Both of those keyboards ended up suffering the dreaded multiple key presses and I was essentially told to go fluff a duck by Matias with a measly discount to repurchase a clearly defective product. It was only recently that I decided to look at Matias again because of some interest in a wireless mechanical keyboard (and the limited options out there), and I was not surprised to now see Amazon flooded with reviews with the same issue I experienced many years back.

I have now owned around 20 mechanical keyboards and the Matias ones are the only ones that ever had debilitating issues that meant I couldn't use them anymore. It is a shame really, because I truly enjoyed the typing experience of the Matias switches.

Anyone else out there with a similar experience from a recently purchased Matias board?

Edit: After 6-7 years of being registered I popped my post cherry on a rant. I guess I had some pent up frustration surrounding this experience :mad:

nemui:
My Ergo Pro had the same multiple keypress issue as yours out of the box, and over the months it started spreading to other keys as well, so...I understand the feeling!

Some things I did to try to alleviate the problem:

1) Slot a card under the keycap and press a few times so as to "straighten" it out (suggested by Matias helpdesk when I emailed them about this issue).
Efficiency: Didn't work at all, so I don't think it was a misalignment problem.

2) Use petroleum jelly on the stems (also suggested by Matias helpdesk).
Efficiency: Nope!

3) Jiggle the switch around (my own invention out of desperation)
Efficiency: Worked...but only for a while before it came back with a vengeance.

4) Find the right angle to press the key so that it only types once!
Efficiency: Quite good, as long as you can remember to press the key exactly at that angle all the time!

Maybe one of the methods will work for you, I'm not sure, but maybe give it a go if you're feeling up to it! I'm not handy at all, so I didn't try to take the keyboard apart or anything like that.

As for the phantom keypresses, I've never been able to solve those either.

My faulty key is 3 and it recently spread to the w row. Also, the keyboard sometimes inserts a 6 or 7 without my fingers being anywhere near the number row. Also also, my \ key died (completely unresponsive) a few months ago without any reason whatsoever. I thought hey, I can live without that key! and continued using the board. Finally, just last week, my ; key died as well. Alas, since I cannot live without that key, and the keys on this board cannot be programmed, I've had no choice but to retire my dearly beloved Ergo Pro and switched to another board, because, like you, I simply could not justify paying that price (plus international shipping in my case) again for the possibility of a repeat of this. :(

The typing experience was soooo goooood though. How I wish I could continue using it!

@Fleat
Completely understood your rant as well! Now that you've popped your post cherry so to speak, join us in the other forums too! :) You've gotta have a lot to share with those 20 mech boards of yours!

chx:
Same issue here! The t was first repeating -- I guess it didn't catch the "up" -- then it didn't work well, I was using a SIM card ejector for a while to nudge it and it worked for a while and then it died completely and I did buy a replacement and while I was unaware of the discount I did get a decent $60 discount. It's annoying for sure but there is no choice in keyboards these days:

* Lenovo has stopped manufacturing laptops with the seven row classical keyboard in 2011. The 2012 models can be hacked to accept these but later ones can't. There's some hope for a Retro this fall but that's it. Oh and there are some Chinese laptop hacks from 51nb... I would love to buy an X320 but is impossible to get.
* Motorola Droid 4 was the last to have a landscape keyboard in 2012. There's some hope in the form of a Moto Z keyboard mod https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keyboard-mod-a-physical-keyboard-for-the-moto-z. I did back it up, if it works out (you can never know with crowdfunding) and then later dies your only hope is that they have leftovers. There is zero choice.
* While there are two vertical keyboards on the market, the Kinesis Freestyle w/ an Ascent and the Matias Ergo Pro, travelling with the Kinesis is a pain because the Ascent is heavy AF because it's steel. Travelling with the Ergo Pro is a joy, on the other hand. There is zero choice.
We live in a keyboard winter with some small run, obscure manufacturers keeping small shelters. I have said before and will say again: I would readily pay thousands of dollars for a current hardware ThinkPad with the old keyboard. What's $140 every two years compared to that. At least I can. If this is a common issue, I will buy 2-3 Ergo Pros to make sure I have spares. I have a spare ThinkPad T420 as well. You need to stock up in the winter.

Ps. Now I typed a few days on the Kinesis again and back on the Ergo Pro OMG what a difference in typing experience.

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