Rosewill RK9000 Repair

[minho]

My brother's Rosewill RK9000 just stopped working. It isn't an issue with the cable (tried with multiple cables) or computer (tried with multiple computers too). When the keyboard is plugged in, the indicator lights flash once and then after that everything is dead - no key presses register and capslock/numlock won't turn the LEDs on.

Can any advise what issues to look for and how to check if various components are working?

EDIT: whoops posted prematurely.

[Sifo]

I recall a typical problem of the Rosewill RK9000s was that the mini usb port wasn't soldered on very well, I'd guess it has something to do with that since multiple cables aren't working

[minho]

I recall a typical problem of the Rosewill RK9000s was that the mini usb port wasn't soldered on very well, I'd guess it has something to do with that since multiple cables aren't working

So I finally got around to taking apart the keyboard and couldn't really tell what was wrong with the soldering around the mini USB port. can anyone shed any light?

PCB under USB port:


USB port:


PCB pictures:

[IvanIvanovich]

Looks about the same as mine, which is currently working. How about the controller daughterboard (the little pcb next to the USB)? Does it have any visible signs of problem? It just slots in, pull it straight up it should come of easy. Does it have any burned resistor or something? Asides from the usb that little controller pcb has anything else that can go wrong really.

[minho]

Looks about the same as mine, which is currently working. How about the controller daughterboard (the little pcb next to the USB)? Does it have any visible signs of problem? It just slots in, pull it straight up it should come of easy. Does it have any burned resistor or something? Asides from the usb that little controller pcb has anything else that can go wrong really.

I don't think there's any issues with it?

pics:



Anyone have any ideas for what to test to see what is broken or not properly connected?

[Grendel]

Does the computer see the keyboard ? Or does it complain about a USB device problem when plugging it in ? I would probably just resolder the connector and see if that fixes it.

[minho]

Does the computer see the keyboard ? Or does it complain about a USB device problem when plugging it in ? I would probably just resolder the connector and see if that fixes it.

Pretty sure the computer does not see the keyboard. When plugged in, the lights on the keyboard flash once and then its dead - pressing any buttons does nothing, and there's no messages about installing drivers or even USB device detected (plugged into a computer it hasn't been plugged into before).

[Grendel]

Hm, could be the USB D- signal not getting through (pin 2 of the mini-B connector.) I would at least resolder pins 2 & 3 of the connector (D- and D+, top-left and bottom-middle in your picture above) and check if the traces are still connected to the pads (mechanical movement of the connector can break the pads of the traces. Hard to see in a picture sometimes.) May as well resolder the pads on the controller socket these lead to (5th and 6th pad from the left in the connectors top row, same pic.) Check the corresponding pads on controller PCB as well. Also, take a closer look at the joints of the following components on the controller PCB: R113, R114, R106, R107. Resolder if something looks bad.

If this doesn't fix it it's very likely that the controller is toast -- can happen if there is some form of voltage spike (lightning, static discharge), although that's very rare and I would expect other problems w/ the computer the board was connected to after something like that. If you have access to a known good RK-9000 you could swap in your controller to see if it's ok.