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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: KaILLERa-Ninja on Mon, 26 May 2014, 23:30:37

Title: Switching Actual Keys
Post by: KaILLERa-Ninja on Mon, 26 May 2014, 23:30:37
Hello everyone from Geekhack, this is my first time on this site and I'm already loving it so far.  :thumb:

I was wondering who can help me out in terms of swapping keys around.

I'll explain. A few years ago I realized I wanted a nice keyboard so I bought a FILCO Majestouch. Pretty happy with it, but I'm now looking at the Rosewill RK-9200 thanks to its simple and modest, yet classy and flashy design.

(I like keyboards that don't need macro buttons and touch-screens to be awesome) There's ONE issue with this keyboard though; they've replaced the WINCLICK/context menu key (a key that I use relatively frequently) and put a FN key that assigns a secondary functionality to certain keys when FN is held down - laptops do it all the time.

So here's what I want to do. Due to the fact that FN doesn't have a scan-code, (meaning I can't just use a key remapper) I'd like to switch the FN key on this keyboard with the right Window key, then just remap that window key to be WINCLICK/context menu key.

Question is, how do I swap the keys themselves? Not just the caps, the actual... Keys? FN key just seems to be too "hardware-bound" for any kind of software to even detect, let alone tamper with.

Any help would be VERY greatly appreciated.

Cheers.
Title: Re: Switching Actual Keys
Post by: Pacifist on Mon, 26 May 2014, 23:31:17
jump some wires

desolder fn layer and jump some wires from right win to fn, and if you still want a fn, jump those wires too
Title: Re: Switching Actual Keys
Post by: rowdy on Mon, 26 May 2014, 23:43:09
Welcome to Geekhack!

What Pacifist said - this is hard-wired at the keyboard level and you will need to modify the PCB.

This will void your warranty.
Title: Re: Switching Actual Keys
Post by: KaILLERa-Ninja on Mon, 26 May 2014, 23:58:23
Ahh awesome, thanks heaps guys I could freakin' kiss you (matter fact, here  :-*) xD

Okay, is there a name for this process? (Re-wiring would be my best guess so far but do excuse my ignorance) I'm looking for a tutorial (really terrified of doing this myself as I'm scared I'll break my KB)

Thanks again!  :)
Title: Re: Switching Actual Keys
Post by: Pacifist on Tue, 27 May 2014, 00:00:31
Quote from: KaILLERa-Ninja on Mon, 26 May 2014, 23:58:23
Ahh awesome, thanks heaps guys I could freakin' kiss you (matter fact, here  :-*) xD

Okay, is there a name for this process? (Re-wiring would be my best guess so far but do excuse my ignorance) I'm looking for a tutorial (really terrified of doing this myself as I'm scared I'll break my KB)

Thanks again!  :)

There are people here who will do this work for you for a small fee. Its pretty basic soldering. AFAIK there isn't a tutorial specifically for this, but the people here: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=42824.0 will help you out with soldering specifics
Title: Re: Switching Actual Keys
Post by: Razor Lotus on Tue, 27 May 2014, 05:05:33
There's a tutorial somewhere on someone doing it to a das keyboard. Perhaps you could see how they do it and figure out for the rosewill and filco? The PCB would be different though.

I can't really link you now cause I'm on mobile. But search something along the lines of "opening up a das keyboard" or something