Author Topic: Broken RK-9000 (Read 2653 times)

DivideByZer0 · « **on:** Tue, 15 May 2012, 19:28:27 »

My 8 or so month old Rosewill RK-9000BR started disconnecting from my computer randomly when the cord jiggled, so I assumed it was a loose solder joint on the USB connector. I managed to solder it back on and glue it back in place, which was very difficult because the male part of the USB plug just barely sat in the board. However, in the midst of this I managed to knock my Scroll Lock LED indicator loose, which also had very poor solder joints. The rings attaching this to the board broke free in the process of re-soldering, and I had to actually scrape the insulation off of some of the printed circuit and build a really hack-job solder bridge to that, before gluing the scroll lock key back in place. Now when I plug the keyboard into either of my computers, it is not detected, but all 3 indicator lights turn on.

I'm thinking that my controller board might be fried, and that I might have shorted something out in the process of soldering and testing - it was working okay when I first tested the USB plug but before I knocked the Scroll Lock LED loose. Anyway I was wondering if anyone has any insight into what might be going on here, and if anyone knows if it's possible to get a replacement controller board? (I figure this is pretty unlikely for Rosewill/Newegg to just ship me the component). Of course I've stupidly voided my warranty as well by playing solder cowboy, but oh well. Any advice or suggestions for troubleshooting or fixing this will be greatly appreaciated.

mkawa · « **Reply #1 on:** Tue, 15 May 2012, 19:37:41 »

rip the scroll lock LED off, desolder the USB connector completely, hack off the end of a USB cable and solder the wires of the cable directly to the appropriate pads. double check for bridging, plug in now-permanently-cabled rosewill. if your wiring is solid and the keyboard is not recognized, your controller is toast, or you cut a trace you weren't supposed at some point. either way, you're probably best off using or selling the board for parts.

DivideByZer0 · « **Reply #2 on:** Tue, 15 May 2012, 20:12:30 »

Hmm, removing the Scroll Lock LED does nothing, although the other two LEDs still light up. It looks like sellling for parts is my best option now; the solder joints on the USB connector are so closely set that it would be nigh impossible to solder multiple wires to them. Oh well...Thanks for your response!

DivideByZer0 · « **Reply #3 on:** Tue, 15 May 2012, 20:43:21 »

Yeah, so I've heard...

Should I just spring for this do you guys think? I'd rather get the standard key lettering style but it's the only brown switch with numpad Filco I could find (damn you Nethack and Dwarf Fortress...) Of course I can always just buy a different set of keycaps at a later date if it doesn't grow on me.

http://www.valuebasket.com/Filco-Majestouch-2-NINJA-Brown-Switch-104-Keys-Gaming-Keyboard-(Black)/mainproduct/view/10363-AA-BK

DivideByZer0 · « **Reply #4 on:** Tue, 15 May 2012, 20:44:40 »

Yeah, so I've heard... I thought the detachable cord was cool, but look how that worked out. (pretty annoying, the same thing happened on my laptop and I fixed that successfully.)

Do you guys think I should just spring for this? It's the only Filco with brown switches and a numpad that I could find (damn you Nethack and Dwarf Fortress...), although I'm not sure whether I'd like the blank keycaps or not:

http://www.valuebasket.com/Filco-Majestouch-2-NINJA-Brown-Switch-104-Keys-Gaming-Keyboard-(Black)/mainproduct/view/10363-AA-BK

Of course I could always swap them out if I really didn't like them.

DivideByZer0 · « **Reply #5 on:** Tue, 15 May 2012, 21:10:46 »

...Or, come to think of it, I could just use the keycaps from my recently bricked keyboard...

laffindude · « **Reply #6 on:** Tue, 15 May 2012, 21:12:44 »

How about a WASD without keycaps?

DivideByZer0 · « **Reply #7 on:** Tue, 15 May 2012, 21:18:02 »

Not a bad idea, I'm actually looking forward to customizing this one, since the Rosewill RK-9000 had that pretty red plate behind the keys - I liked it, but it really restricted options like the RGBY sets and such.

rknize · « **Reply #8 on:** Tue, 15 May 2012, 21:27:00 »

Mini USB connectors are notoriously unreliable, but this sounds more like a solder process issue. When you go about soldering a cable directly to the PCB, look for other places to solder the wires to that are further away from the connector. There may be places that are easier to get to. For example, Vbus and ground should have large components in the board that can be used. D+ and D- might be more tricky.

mkawa · « **Reply #9 on:** Wed, 16 May 2012, 00:13:28 »

alternatively, the board is worth non-trivial amounts of money in our classifieds forum. there are people here who delight in desoldering switches..

DivideByZer0 · « **Reply #10 on:** Wed, 16 May 2012, 15:23:57 »

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely consider it once finals are over and I have time to think about these things.

Although I might hang on to a couple switches myself just in case...

DivideByZer0 · « **Reply #11 on:** Fri, 18 May 2012, 18:02:11 »

Wow, I just got my Filco today. Having the broken RK-9000 next to it to type on, the Filco keys definitely have a nice velvety feel (the smooth keycaps are actually quite nice, as opposed to the laser engraved RK-9000 keys). The build quality just feels better, but in a way that's proportional to the price - the RK-9000 was a great keyboard for what I paid for it, aside from this whole USB plug issue and the interior build quality. (But maybe it's just the keys?)

This idea that RK-9000s are rebranded Filcos (was this ever proven?) is an interesting thought - the cases are exactly the same, aside from the embedded FILCO logo, and the place where the cord exits from the case. I'm not voiding my warranty (until I figure out if there is one or not) by opening this up, though. Even if it's just the better quality keys, I could pay $110 (now $99) for the Rosewill keyboard and upgrade the keys for $40, which would end up being $150, $10 less than I paid for this, but I'll pay the extra $10 for nicer build quality and a classier logo

That said, if you're on a budget, I think that the RK-9000 is a fine choice, IF you carefully open it up first thing when you get it and glue the bottom and sides of the USB connector to the board with epoxy or super glue or something. (not the top because the connector has holes in the top).

Oh, also, I recommend this valuebasket.com site: It took them a couple days to ship, but when they did it left the warehouse in Hong Kong at 6:47PM yesterday and was delivered in Boston at 11:34AM today. 17 hours across half the world, that has to be some sort of logistical record; I'm starting to think they chartered a plane just for my keyboard. Especially when you have something sitting at the USPS distribution center for two days, a mile from where you are....

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Author Topic: Broken RK-9000 (Read 2653 times)