Rosewill 9000BR broken, replacement

[yester64]

I had this keyboard for a while and now some keys are getting stuck. This is not the keyboards fault since something went inside. I assume soda. Anyway, what bugged me really is that the usb connector on the keyboard is broken. It just broke off and i had to fiddle a little to get the cable in.
Not sure how that could brake since it was just sitting on the desk. Did that happen to anybody else?

Right now i am thinking of getting another keyboard perhaps so i can attempt to repair this one.
This had brown switches which are ok. But since i am also a gamer are these the best switches for gaming or is there anything better and what do you buy on a keyboard if its more money ($100 >)?

[rowdy]

There are some keyboards that are notorious for the USB connector breaking.  It is not fixed very well to the PCB, and can pull off.

I think it can be soldered back on again, and/or fixed properly with a glue gun, so if your keyboard is out of warranty then you might want to explore that possibility.

Reds or, if your fingers are a bit stronger and you do not have any hand/write medical problems, blacks are usually preferred for gaming.

[Grimey]

I had this keyboard for a while and now some keys are getting stuck. This is not the keyboards fault since something went inside. I assume soda. Anyway, what bugged me really is that the usb connector on the keyboard is broken. It just broke off and i had to fiddle a little to get the cable in.
Not sure how that could brake since it was just sitting on the desk. Did that happen to anybody else?

The Rosewill that I fixed recently was babied on a desk, but a few plug in/out of the cable was all it took to displace a wire from the pcb->connector.  In the case that I fixed I am not sure I would have been able to re-use the connector as one of the wires had some loose and I was not sure I would be able to take it apart.  The solution was just to remove connector and solder a usb cable right to the pcb board.

[samwisekoi]

The Rosewill that I fixed recently was babied on a desk, but a few plug in/out of the cable was all it took to displace a wire from the pcb->connector.  In the case that I fixed I am not sure I would have been able to re-use the connector as one of the wires had some loose and I was not sure I would be able to take it apart.  The solution was just to remove connector and solder a usb cable right to the pcb board.

I have one of the new "fixed" ones under daily use on a desktop now.  But if it breaks, I'm gonna follow your lead and hard-wire the cord with a nice strain relief.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

[rowdy]

Or install your own plug, maybe a short cable soldered to the PCB with a female plug on the end, then plug the longer keyboard cable into that.

[yester64]

Well, i will fix it down the line. Right now it works and if i don't unplug it it isn't a problem.

On the other hand, i had to clean the keyboard and i did it the way you should not do it. Hot water with dishsoap. But it works like new. All keys are responsive and working.
I don't recommend anyone doing it the way i did it, but as a last resort it may be worth it.

But i will buy me another keyboard and i have my eyes on a WASD keyboard. Not sure about the rings but i like the idea of custom made.

Anyway, i thank you all for the input and i will fix the usb plug soon. Just need some time for that.

[rowdy]

You can add (or remove) O-rings at any time.  A bit fiddly and time-consuming, but once you get a routine going it just takes a little time.

[yester64]

Ok, my rosewill keyboard is broken now. The usb connector flew out of its place and i think it shorted my psu as well.
Now i have a pretty messed up board and i wonder if i can just solder the usb pins onto the board itself to get it working again. Does anybody have some guideens about what cable goes where on the board?

[rowdy]

Broken USB is a common problem with the Rosewill.

Maybe these might help a bit:

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=38656.0
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=24398.0

[yester64]

Thank you for posting the links. I will research that a little more. Would be nice if i can save the keyboard.

[TotalChaos]

I fixed my brand new broken Rosewill RK-9000RE with Scotch(tm) Tape because after spending tons of money on keyboard-related purchases, I am too poor to afford proper shipping tape. 

I donno how long it will hold... probably until it gets bumped.

It has lasted 24 hours so far.

[yester64]

Good luck with that. I waited to long until it flew out of the soldering places. I am honestly surprised that a keyboard like this gets through quality testing. I remember that in the earlier days cables were secured with either a plastic holder (fixed) or under the keyboard with a tunnel.
This has to brake at one point, just by design. Now i have to solder the cables directly onto it and secure it somehow so it doesn't rip off again.
On the other hand the WASD keyboard i have is much better secured but its a fixed cable. So it should not fly off.

But it reminds me, if you have a gluegun you may can just glue it to the board. Would be try.

[Glod]

when i got my 9000 i heard about this usb issue and i wanted to take care of this early, i applied hot glue strategically and then checked the solder joints and reworked one of the joints that i was suspicious of. I then subjected the 9000 to port abuse tests and encountered no issues, the glue didnt come off area. this picture is after doing my stress tests. If it does manage to come out, ill just solder the wire directly to the pcb; which looks a little bit hard to do but not impossible

[TotalChaos]

when i got my 9000 i heard about this usb issue and i wanted to take care of this early, i applied hot glue

Is this hot glue stuff better or worse than superglue for this application?

My Rosewill #2 got superglued by the Lube Shop guy so that maybe it might last me longer than 25 days.

I can't imagine superglue preventing it from breaking since the glue would presumably be applied on the side of the thing being glued, rather than inbetween 2 smooth surfaces.  That is how I imagine it to be.

strategically and then checked the solder joints and reworked one of the joints that i was suspicious of.

I think one or more of my solder joints was broken when I took it out of the box because the connector was very wobbly from the first instant.  Though it worked perfectly for those first 25 days.

I then subjected the 9000 to port abuse tests and encountered no issues, the glue didnt come off area. this picture is after doing my stress tests. If it does manage to come out, ill just solder the wire directly to the pcb; which looks a little bit hard to do but not impossible

Show Image

In your pic it looks like you applied the hot glue all over the port and it hardened into, basically a solid piece of plastic that is now reinforcing the USB port from 3 different directions, is that correct?

How many years does this hot glue stuff last?

In my opinion it will still break eventually since there is no strain releif at all for this keyboard cable.  Every time you slide your keyboard around there is a little bit of stress transferred straight into the PCB solder joints.  A little stress there, a little here, its death by 1000 cuts.  Electrical joints should not be subjected to stress at all.

Normal keyboards have strain relief cables that prevent any stress from being transferred to the solder joints.

What kind of hot glue do u recommend?
Any special tool I hafta buy to apply it?

I might take mine apart and do ur hot glue fix.  This is what Rosewill wants us to do.  Fix their crap for them.  (Notice I said "crap" not "mistake" because they did it on purpose.)

All I have handy right now is Fabric Glue.

The solder joints to the electrical connection on mine are broken, but not 100% detached.  As long as there is some pressure on it to hold it in place I can type as fast as I want now and the keyboard works.  (For the last couple of weeks I had to type real slow and gentle or the keyboard would go berzerk and freak out).

The whole Rosewill experience has been really stressful for me  :eek:

[Glod]

when i got my 9000 i heard about this usb issue and i wanted to take care of this early, i applied hot glue

Is this hot glue stuff better or worse than superglue for this application?

My Rosewill #2 got superglued by the Lube Shop guy so that maybe it might last me longer than 25 days.

I can't imagine superglue preventing it from breaking since the glue would presumably be applied on the side of the thing being glued, rather than inbetween 2 smooth surfaces.  That is how I imagine it to be.

strategically and then checked the solder joints and reworked one of the joints that i was suspicious of.

I think one or more of my solder joints was broken when I took it out of the box because the connector was very wobbly from the first instant.  Though it worked perfectly for those first 25 days.

I then subjected the 9000 to port abuse tests and encountered no issues, the glue didnt come off area. this picture is after doing my stress tests. If it does manage to come out, ill just solder the wire directly to the pcb; which looks a little bit hard to do but not impossible

In your pic it looks like you applied the hot glue all over the port and it hardened into, basically a solid piece of plastic that is now reinforcing the USB port from 3 different directions, is that correct?

How many years does this hot glue stuff last?

In my opinion it will still break eventually since there is no strain releif at all for this keyboard cable.  Every time you slide your keyboard around there is a little bit of stress transferred straight into the PCB solder joints.  A little stress there, a little here, its death by 1000 cuts.  Electrical joints should not be subjected to stress at all.

Normal keyboards have strain relief cables that prevent any stress from being transferred to the solder joints.

What kind of hot glue do u recommend?
Any special tool I hafta buy to apply it?

I might take mine apart and do ur hot glue fix.  This is what Rosewill wants us to do.  Fix their crap for them.  (Notice I said "crap" not "mistake" because they did it on purpose.)

All I have handy right now is Fabric Glue.

The solder joints to the electrical connection on mine are broken, but not 100% detached.  As long as there is some pressure on it to hold it in place I can type as fast as I want now and the keyboard works.  (For the last couple of weeks I had to type real slow and gentle or the keyboard would go berzerk and freak out).

The whole Rosewill experience has been really stressful for me 

There are different kinds of super glue and apoxy and i have not educated myself enough on them to know what would or would not hurt my board. Im sure there are some that would work but i personally did not want to risk it without educating myself. I on the other hand have used Hot Glue enough to know how it usually reacts to plastics, metals, pcb's, etc.

To tell you the truth i have no idea what type of hot glue i have, ive had the gun so long (10+ years) that any labeling identifying the gun is gone, and the glue sticks for the gun were sitting in the bottom of my toolbox loose so i don't know even where they came from.

[tp4tissue]

Gorilla Glue would be better for this.. because hot glue is still pretty pliable, meaning the port could still flex.