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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: jalperin on Tue, 04 September 2012, 15:50:11

Title: Das Professional with Media Controls - Problems with mute and volume keys
Post by: jalperin on Tue, 04 September 2012, 15:50:11
I've been trying out my first mechanical keyboard, the Das Professional with Media Controls, but I'm having an issue that I hope someone might be able to help me with.  I have both a bluetooth headset (Logitech H800) and a pair of external speakers connected to my Windows 7 computer.  Even though I've got the speakers set up in Windows  as the default playback device, the Das mute and volume keys affect the headset, not the speakers (which is the opposite of the desired behavior).  The other media keys (next track, stop/play, etc.) work just fine. 

When I contacted Das, their support eventually said that's the way it was designed.  But that seems odd, especially since my last keyboard, the Logitech Illuminated keyboard while not having the nice mechanical touch of the Das, does work correctly with mute and volume on my external speakers.  Are the Das folks really correct or is there some Windows setting that will change the behavior to what I want (keyboard mutes the speakers or mutes the default device or current device)?  If not, are there any mechanical keyboards similar to the Das which control the volume of external speaker, not headphones?  Thanks for any help/suggestions.

--Jeff
Title: Re: Das Professional with Media Controls - Problems with mute and volume keys
Post by: R54 on Tue, 04 September 2012, 16:26:52
I encountered a similar issue with the built in audio for my G510, where the volume controls would affect the headphones plugged into the keyboard and not the speakers plugged into the computer.

The only "solution" I found was to unplug the headphones from the keyboard. Beyond making sure you have the desired output set as default under the audio control panel, I'm not really sure what else to suggest. 

If you find a solution I'd be interesting in knowing though.

Good luck!
Title: Re: Das Professional with Media Controls - Problems with mute and volume keys
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 05 September 2012, 14:18:15
Mind blown. this makes no sense.
Title: Re: Das Professional with Media Controls - Problems with mute and volume keys
Post by: m00nshake on Wed, 05 September 2012, 18:39:59
I'd be interested to see if you find a fix for this. It's a most bizarre problem. How would the Das know to adjust the volume for the headset and not the speakers? There should be a setting for this in Windows.
Title: Re: Das Professional with Media Controls - Problems with mute and volume keys
Post by: jalperin on Thu, 06 September 2012, 05:00:34
The only "solution" I've found so far is to disable the headphones in the Sound control panel applet in Windows 7.  Then the volume/mute controls the external speakers.  But I agree that there must be a Windows setting to adjust.  The Das keyboard seems to use the standard HID Keyboard Device driver from Microsoft.