Fixing Matias Ergo Pro broken micro-USB

[batfink]

I have a Matias Ergo Pro, which is a great keyboard, but after 2 years, it has failed on me.

Problem seems to be the micro-USB connector on the board.  I have opened up the unit, and the USB housing is loose. I tried to repair it, but soldering back the USB connector is pretty much impossible, the connectors are too tiny. I am quite surprised at how flimsily it was connected in the first place, especially when you compare how rock solid the USB 'A' type connectors are (i.e. those of the inbuilt USB hub).

So... what I thought was, maybe I would connect up 4 (5?) wires to appropriate places on the board, which would be easier to solder, and join these up to a spare USB 'A' connector, which is bigger and easier to manage. However for this I would need to understand how to connect it up. The contact pads are too small, and the tracks on the PCB are a bit hard to follow, especially for me as a novice in such matters.

I don't mind if it's a bit hacky, as long as I can make it work again.

Anyone out there with PCB knowledge who has looked at the internals of one of these units before, that could advise on the best approach?

[smshuja]

I have the same problem. Did you manage fix this?

[batfink]

Kind of. I never could get the proper USB housing connector soldered back on though. I suppose, in my initial haste at a repair, I only made things worse, and the connectors on the board became damaged. However, I managed to solder 4 wires directly onto strategic points on the board close to the connector areas, obviously on the same tracks. These 4 wires are then connected on the other end to a USB female connector, allowing me to connect the whole thing up again. Amazingly, it does actually work, but it's very non-portable - if I tried to move it significantly I'm pretty sure my haphazardly soldered wires would come loose.

There are some techniques around for surface-mount soldering, which I wish I'd studied properly before starting. If your PCB is still in good condition, you could probably solder the USB connector back on with a bit of research and the right materials.

[mtourne]

Here is the hack I came up with, it's easy to do with my skills and tools and the result is pretty clean :

(https://imgur.com/sTEVmt3)

[RichardDodson]

When you press the key a few times, what happens? does it stop or not?
It could be something shorting the pcb, yet far-fetched. More probable the switch is flawed. Will you have the capacity to purchase Matias changes in your country?

[8Bitterness]

What I did on an old Matias Mini Quiet Pro was to fold a bit of paper and put it on top of the loose connector and just close the case, it did make the keyboard work and it hasn't failed since so it might be worth a try.

[bitswamp]

Here is the hack I came up with, it's easy to do with my skills and tools and the result is pretty clean :

Show Image

(https://imgur.com/sTEVmt3)

Thank you for this post! This made it easy to revive my Ergo Pro, after I tried and failed a few times at fixing the microusb port.

[kshopper]

Here is the hack I came up with, it's easy to do with my skills and tools and the result is pretty clean :

Show Image

(https://imgur.com/sTEVmt3)

Many thanks for posting this fix, it saved my Matias Ergo Pro w/ Salmon ALPS & PBT caps keyboard (https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23000) that I absolutely love!






Note to Matias:  It's beyond ridiculous to engineer a robust keyboard such as the Ergo Pro and then saddle it with a friggin' surface mounted micro USB port. The USB cable acts as a large lever on the port and it is inevitable that any movement of the keyboard or cable whatsoever result in failure of the port. The heavy keyboard already has 3 USB-A ports on it, why not use the same for the connection to the computer???

This is the most love/hate relationship I've ever had with a keyboard. Love the layout and feel (esp. with the upgraded ALPS Salmon switches and ABS keycaps), hate the lack of reliability in the Matias QuietClick switches, the micro USB port, and controller chip failures...