Some issues with Avant Prime keyboard I got recently

[armani]

This Avant Prime is my first mechanical keyboard that I've ever had, I got it the other day in the mail. I really like Northgate keyboards and the like, so I got basically what is a newer Northgate. The keyboard is super pristine physically but has some issues. I'm new to this kind of stuff, so forgive me if I'm lacking anything common.

First of all, the "~" key is recognized as the "Escape" key when I go to keyboardtester.com. I need the "~" key when I'm playing Counter-Strike in case that's somehow important to this thread.

Secondly, the "Caps Lock" key either takes a while to respond, or it doesn't respond at all.

Thirdly, about 10-15 seconds in typing, the letters like to repeat themselves when I do a singular keypress.

Fourthly, when I go into the Avant software (I found a version that was optimized for Windows 7 and up. I am using this keyboard on an IdeaPad Flex 5 15 with Windows 10 64-bit), my keyboard is not recognized, despite it working regularly.

I'm not sure if it's due to it never being cleaned, or what (despite it being a very nice keyboard, it is still rather dirty on the inside with clumps of who knows what that are very much ominpresent), but I still ordered a cleaning/maintaining kit for mechanical keyboards on Amazon, and it's coming tomorrow. Also, I have an even older Mitsumi membrane rubber dome keyboard that has never been cleaned and does not have these problems, but I have heard from a video that white ALPS switches are sensitive to grime and such.

Can anyone enlighten me on what might be the problem?

[armani]

Okay, I fully cleaned the keyboard and took off every last keycap, and the problems are still ensuing. Can anyone help?

[Maledicted]

Did you buy that in the last few weeks on Ebay? I may have dodged a bullet, the seller didn't want to meet my offer. I'm no expert on those boards, but I have read that the later Avant rebrands of Omnikeys have had circuitry problems. I do also know that Matias switches, in particular, have had problems with key chatter when dirty. Being that your Avant most likely has Alps clones, and Matias switches are also Alps clones, there could be some parallels there maybe? I have one DC-2014 with complicated alps that currently feels like somebody dumped sand into the switches, but I haven't noticed any chatter on that, so not sure whether or not that happens on genuine alps switches. I'm also no expert on keyboard matrices, but tilde and escape should be in the same column, so maybe you've got a short or some sort of board damage near those keys?

I would check the continuity of the traces leading from the caps lock key to the next contacts above or below it. You would think if there were a cut trace you would have more switches not functioning, but I did just have a shift key that didn't seem to be tied to literally anything else that I had to jump. I had the always fantastic idea of drilling a hole in the case for a 5-pin din socket ... with the motherboard still inside (laziness) and cut a bunch of traces on the board with the bit.

This is still partly just a bump though, hopefully somebody with more experience/knowledge of the Avant boards can chime in.

[armani]

Did you buy that in the last few weeks on Ebay? I may have dodged a bullet, the seller didn't want to meet my offer. I'm no expert on those boards, but I have read that the later Avant rebrands of Omnikeys have had circuitry problems. I do also know that Matias switches, in particular, have had problems with key chatter when dirty. Being that your Avant most likely has Alps clones, and Matias switches are also Alps clones, there could be some parallels there maybe? I have one DC-2014 with complicated alps that currently feels like somebody dumped sand into the switches, but I haven't noticed any chatter on that, so not sure whether or not that happens on genuine alps switches. I'm also no expert on keyboard matrices, but tilde and escape should be in the same column, so maybe you've got a short or some sort of board damage near those keys?

I would check the continuity of the traces leading from the caps lock key to the next contacts above or below it. You would think if there were a cut trace you would have more switches not functioning, but I did just have a shift key that didn't seem to be tied to literally anything else that I had to jump. I had the always fantastic idea of drilling a hole in the case for a 5-pin din socket ... with the motherboard still inside (laziness) and cut a bunch of traces on the board with the bit.

This is still partly just a bump though, hopefully somebody with more experience/knowledge of the Avant boards can chime in.

Yeah, I purchased this one on eBay for $38 very recently, I think it's the most recent auction you'll see for this keyboard.

I honestly didn't know they had problems such as these. I looked up a lot of stuff about Avant keyboards, and all I saw was good reviews for them. I don't have a proper sized screwdriver with me at the moment, so I can't check the insides until I can actually remember to buy a  proper screwdriver, lol. I will update this thread once I get a proper screwdriver, and I will take pictures of the contacts, because I am not sure what to look for and how to fix one of these.