Is it possible to replace a "controller" in a Ducky Shine 3? [Read for info]

[Toxicz]

I just want to start off by saying I am new here and I don't know a whole lot about keyboards.

Recently, I painted my Ducky Shine 3 white. To do this, I had to open it up. To open it up, you have to disconnect a cable from a red PCB. There's an image below to show you what the cable and PCB look like (found the image on Overclock.net, not my image FYI.)



So I disconnected that cable, painted my keyboard and put it back together and it worked fine. Shortly after, I noticed I hadn't screwed in two screws. There's an image below to what the two screws look like (I found the image here on Geek Hack, not my image FYI.)



I figured I would try to use the keyboard without the screws in and see how it goes. A few days later, I started to notice that the keys would randomly register as still being pressed down after I let go of them. For example, if I was typing "Reddit" into my URL bar, it would type it out like this; "Reddddddddddit." Or in games like CS:GO if I was holding down the "W" key to walk forward and I let go, my character would continue to walk forward for a few seconds after I let go of the key.

I tried to deal with this and just ignore it for a few more days, hoping it was just a fluke or something but sadly it continued to reoccur a few times every day of use of the keyboard.

Thinking the two screws was the problem, I got fed up with it and took the keyboard apart again. To take it apart, I had to disconnect the cable from the small red PCB that the USB connects to again.

I didn't get the two screws back in yet, but I decided to try to plug it back in to make sure the keyboard is still working. Well, it wasn't. I didn't know what I was doing wrong. I made a post on the Mechanical Keyboards subreddit on Reddit and someone told me that I might have fried the "controller" by plugging the cable back in the wrong way and this is what I think happened sadly.

So my question is, can I replace this "controller" (keep in mind I have absolutely no idea what the controller is) or am I **** out of luck and have to buy a new keyboard?

[suicidal_orange]

If that's what happened you've sent 5v through a chip on the main PCB backwards, which is never going to end well

Theoretically if you find another chip with the same pinout (if you're lucky the model number of the original is written on the chip) and write some firmware that runs on it and find a way to flash it you could remove the dead chip and replace it with the new one, but you don't sound like an expert in all these things so I don't think it's going to happen.  I know what needs to be done but am not capable of doing it either...

The good news is you should be able to hijack the existing matrix for both the LEDs and switches and use a Teensy 2.0++ to power them - here's what the back of my Ducky looks like:



I don't think there are enough pins to do per LED craziness as you may be used to but you never know until you map it.

The first step for this is to get a multimeter and work out what's attached to what.  I've attached a spreadsheet showing the rows and columns for my board with the diode numbers for each key to the left of their ISO-UK legend - if you're lucky it may be the same as your board, but please check as not all Duckys are the same!

[Toxicz]

If that's what happened you've sent 5v through a chip on the main PCB backwards, which is never going to end well

Theoretically if you find another chip with the same pinout (if you're lucky the model number of the original is written on the chip) and write some firmware that runs on it and find a way to flash it you could remove the dead chip and replace it with the new one, but you don't sound like an expert in all these things so I don't think it's going to happen.  I know what needs to be done but am not capable of doing it either...

The good news is you should be able to hijack the existing matrix for both the LEDs and switches and use a Teensy 2.0++ to power them - here's what the back of my Ducky looks like:

Show Image

I don't think there are enough pins to do per LED craziness as you may be used to but you never know until you map it.

The first step for this is to get a multimeter and work out what's attached to what.  I've attached a spreadsheet showing the rows and columns for my board with the diode numbers for each key to the left of their ISO-UK legend - if you're lucky it may be the same as your board, but please check as not all Duckys are the same!

Damn, thanks for all the info but that looks way to complicated for me. Guess I'm going to have to use my old rubber dome until I can afford a new keyboard.

Do you think anyone on here would want to buy my Ducky for parts or something?

[jerue]

You could sell it, for cheap, but.....I would keep it and use as a project board! Test stuff, learn to solder, etc. etc.

[CPTBadAss]

Is it just those two switches that's repeating like that? It's worth a shot to just swap the switches and seeing how it goes before calling the board dead.

[suicidal_orange]

Damn, thanks for all the info but that looks way to complicated for me. Guess I'm going to have to use my old rubber dome until I can afford a new keyboard.

Do you think anyone on here would want to buy my Ducky for parts or something?

I knew absolutely nothing about keyboards when I started to resuscitate my Ducky, now less than a year later I know enough to help people fix their boards - it's not really hard if you're interested and much cheaper than a new board...

Where in the world are you?  I don't think you're near here as 6:30 AM would have been a strange time to post that.  Shame, I'd have had a go at fixing it if you were - I like a challenge )

As to selling it, what switches are in it?  They are probably the only attractive part somebody might buy it for unless your paint job is good (but then you'd probably be keeping it to put on your new one?)  Even so with the recent arrival of Gaterons you'll probably not get much for them, especially as shipping will cost a bit for a fullsize board.

[Toxicz]

Is it just those two switches that's repeating like that? It's worth a shot to just swap the switches and seeing how it goes before calling the board dead.

I don't understand what you are saying, sorry. Are you asking if the W key and the D key are the only ones repeating? If so, then no. It's completely random as to what key repeats.

Damn, thanks for all the info but that looks way to complicated for me. Guess I'm going to have to use my old rubber dome until I can afford a new keyboard.

Do you think anyone on here would want to buy my Ducky for parts or something?

I knew absolutely nothing about keyboards when I started to resuscitate my Ducky, now less than a year later I know enough to help people fix their boards - it's not really hard if you're interested and much cheaper than a new board...

Where in the world are you?  I don't think you're near here as 6:30 AM would have been a strange time to post that.  Shame, I'd have had a go at fixing it if you were - I like a challenge )

As to selling it, what switches are in it?  They are probably the only attractive part somebody might buy it for unless your paint job is good (but then you'd probably be keeping it to put on your new one?)  Even so with the recent arrival of Gaterons you'll probably not get much for them, especially as shipping will cost a bit for a fullsize board.

I live in Georgia in the USA. The keyboard has red cherry switches.

I guess I could give it a go at fixing it, but I don't have soldering equipment and if I buy some and fail that's a waste of money. I'd be willing to ship my keyboard out to someone that could fix it for me and I'd pay them for it. I much rather do that than try it myself and **** the keyboard up even more.

[elzoona]

Hi! First of all, I am not a native english speaker, so excuse my faults!

This very same thing has happened to me yesterday, reversed polarity, dead board. I am planning to resuscitate the keyboard (Ducky Shine 3 TKL ANSI), but since a teensy in Argentina cost as much as 1/10th of a salary I need all the help I can get in order to avoid expensive mistakes! So... My question is: how can I trace the switches to know where to solder in the Teensy, I've seen some things that I don't understand at all in Suicidal_Orange board, like the G and the Spacebar connected together, or the H and G. From some DIY keyboard that I've seen, they are all connected horizontally then columns. I understand that here there is a matrix to be reused, off course, but is it possible to explain how to look the connections or should I declare the keyboard absolutely dead?

Thanks a lot!