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Author Topic: What to do about a sticky key?  (Read 2885 times)

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Offline Lunatique

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What to do about a sticky key?
« on: Thu, 08 September 2016, 23:56:31 »
I just bought a Ducky one (white version, Cherry MX brown switch) from mechanicalkeyboards.com, and the Q key sticks often. Can the switch on this keyboard be pulled off without opening the case and desoldering, and I can just swap out the bum keyswitch? I don't want to deal with opening the case and dealing with soldering--I hate doing that stuff. Or I have to ship it back to them to have them repair it or exchange it?
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Offline suicidal_orange

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Re: What to do about a sticky key?
« Reply #1 on: Fri, 09 September 2016, 03:03:49 »
You can't take the switches out without desoldering and that means bye-bye warranty so probably not a good idea anyway.

Have you tried taking the keycap off and blowing compressed air into the switch?  If it's just a bit of dust it could fix it, if not send it back.
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Offline rowdy

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Re: What to do about a sticky key?
« Reply #2 on: Sun, 11 September 2016, 04:21:45 »
Before you do anything drastic, remove the keycap and try pressing the switch to see if it really is the switch.

Perhaps the keycap just has a damaged stem that it catching on the switch.
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

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Offline Lunatique

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Re: What to do about a sticky key?
« Reply #3 on: Sun, 11 September 2016, 15:23:27 »
I already did. It's indeed the switch itself. mechanicalkeyboards.com said to send it back. Their RMA policy sucks though--you have to play for return shipping even if the product arrives with defects and it's absolutely not your fault in any way.
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Offline Lunatique

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Re: What to do about a sticky key?
« Reply #4 on: Sun, 11 September 2016, 16:28:48 »
I just checked shipping price for returning it to mechanicalkeyboards.com, and it's going to cost me $18 at the cheapest. Now I'm not sure if I want to bother with replacing it. The key doesn't stick every single time--more like one time out of 10 presses or so, which means it's something I can live with. Also, it's the Q key, which doesn't get used all that much compared to much more common alphabets.

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Offline rowdy

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Re: What to do about a sticky key?
« Reply #5 on: Mon, 12 September 2016, 05:37:29 »
Quote from: Lunatique on Sun, 11 September 2016, 15:23:27
I already did. It's indeed the switch itself. mechanicalkeyboards.com said to send it back. Their RMA policy sucks though--you have to play for return shipping even if the product arrives with defects and it's absolutely not your fault in any way.

Be thankful you are not in Australia - I'd have to pay something like $30 or $40 to ship it back.

Quote from: Lunatique on Sun, 11 September 2016, 16:28:48
I just checked shipping price for returning it to mechanicalkeyboards.com, and it's going to cost me $18 at the cheapest. Now I'm not sure if I want to bother with replacing it. The key doesn't stick every single time--more like one time out of 10 presses or so, which means it's something I can live with. Also, it's the Q key, which doesn't get used all that much compared to much more common alphabets.

The switch could be replaced for considerably less than the RMA shipping cost, should it irk you sufficiently at some future date.

But remember that opening the case and removing a switch will void your warranty.
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

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Offline saxophone

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Re: What to do about a sticky key?
« Reply #6 on: Mon, 12 September 2016, 08:26:46 »
From what I've heard from other sources

Get high alcohol concentration
Remove key cap
Pour a drop of it down the edge/corner of the slider and middle left/right of slider while it's pressed down
Mash the switch a couple dozen times

repeat until its no longer sticky
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Offline Lunatique

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Re: What to do about a sticky key?
« Reply #7 on: Mon, 12 September 2016, 14:44:32 »
Quote from: saxophone on Mon, 12 September 2016, 08:26:46
From what I've heard from other sources

Get high alcohol concentration
Remove key cap
Pour a drop of it down the edge/corner of the slider and middle left/right of slider while it's pressed down
Mash the switch a couple dozen times

repeat until its no longer sticky

Thanks for the tip. I'll try it.

I asked mechanicalkeyboards.com if putting W40 into the switch will help, and they said don't do it. Is it because it'll gunk up the insides eventually?
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Offline Lunatique

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Re: What to do about a sticky key?
« Reply #8 on: Mon, 12 September 2016, 17:14:38 »
I'm happy to report that the alcohol trick worked! No more sticky key! Thanks man!
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Offline Lunatique

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Re: What to do about a sticky key?
« Reply #9 on: Mon, 19 September 2016, 18:36:25 »
Looks like the alcohol was only a temporary fix. It's now far worse than it ever was--totally gunked up as if the stem is pressing into mud. If I do the alcohol trick again, it'll again "melt" whatever crap is in the switch, but once the alcohol dries, it's gets incredibly gummy.

Any other solutions besides sending it back?
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Offline Lunatique

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Re: What to do about a sticky key?
« Reply #10 on: Mon, 19 September 2016, 18:47:51 »
I noticed that around that switch (on the plate), there's this layer of dried yellow grease-like thing, and when I wipe it with alcohol, it melts and wiped off. It's only around that switch, which leads me to believe that when the keyboard was put together, someone accidentally dropped that yellow grease right on the switch, which then seeped inside. It probably dried and only was affecting the switch a little bit since it's just along one side of the switch's inner well. But once I put alcohol in and swished it around, it melted the grease and now it's all over the switch and completely gunked up the inside.

So I'm guessing if I keep diluting the inside of the switch with the alcohol and then try to blow out the mixture with compressed air, I'll eventually thin the grease enough to the point that it won't gunk up the switch anymore.

If that still doesn't work, then I'll have to send it back.
« Last Edit: Thu, 19 January 2017, 15:21:14 by Lunatique »
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Offline Lunatique

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Re: What to do about a sticky key?
« Reply #11 on: Mon, 19 September 2016, 18:59:47 »
Yep, sure enough, when I fill the switch with alcohol and press it quickly to "mix" it up with the yellow grease, then flip the keyboard and put a piece of white tissue to the switch and press quickly to get the mixture sucked out, it comes out yellow. I'll have to keep repeating this process until it no longer comes out yellow.
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Offline Capnmycraw

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Re: What to do about a sticky key?
« Reply #12 on: Tue, 20 September 2016, 14:01:36 »
I suspect Ducky eggs.  They are an Asian delicacy.
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Offline Lunatique

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Re: What to do about a sticky key?
« Reply #13 on: Tue, 20 September 2016, 14:29:33 »
It worked. I repeated that process several times until the tissue was no longer yellow.
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