Are there a way to access the upper area of this pcb w/o de-soldering all switches?

[dgdg]

Ok guys, the main ENTER key has a kind of spring system that helps pulling it back to place after it gets pressed. /it stoped working and now the key actuates every time there a tiny vibration on the keyboard or your finger touches it (like in every time you hit the backspace key).

 

To fix it I need to remove the pcb, but I just noticed that the top metal plate wont come out and expose the top surface of the pcb unless I remove ALL the switches. And seems like all of them are SOLDERED onto the pcb. Thats crazy, that sounds so dumb I cant believe, thats why I started searching around the internet about this keyboard model. There is nothing, so here I am.

 

Am I missing anything? Are there another way to reach this spring system w/o having to have access to the upper side of the pcb, and are there a way to have such access w/o the need to de-soldering all the switches??

Captioned pictures:

 

Spoiler

the keyboard:

 

the spring system as it should be (keyboard is held upside down for this picture):

 

the spring system as it is now:

 

 

the back of the pcb:

 

 

the 'Enter' switch (the one with '2' on it):

 

[seon123]

That's just the stabiliser. That's how it's supposed to act. What made you think it's a spring system? If there's something wrong with just one switch, just replace it. If there's actually something wrong with the stabiliser, that looks like it's plate mount, so there's a decent chance you could remove and replace it by simply desoldering that one switch.

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

1 hour ago, dgdg said:

Ok guys, the main ENTER key has a kind of spring system that helps pulling it back to place after it gets pressed. /it stoped working and now the key actuates every time there a tiny vibration on the keyboard or your finger touches it (like in every time you hit the backspace key).

sounds more like a broken switch, not like an issue with the stabilizer. even without the stab present the switch should not be that sensitive, so like there is something wrong with it.

 

1 hour ago, dgdg said:

To fix it I need to remove the pcb, but I just noticed that the top metal plate wont come out and expose the top surface of the pcb unless I remove ALL the switches. And seems like all of them are SOLDERED onto the pcb. Thats crazy, that sounds so dumb I cant believe, thats why I started searching around the internet about this keyboard model. There is nothing, so here I am.

Now, here is the reason almost everyone nowadays recommend hotswap keyboards: with soldered switches, you now need to solder.

Soldering in the switches is/was actually standard industry practice because it is cheaper, with the added benefit that customers appeared to buy more keyboards for some weird and unrelated reason.

 

With a bit of luck you only need to desolder that single switch, if you wanted you could replace the stabilizer then but there is no reason. Stabs don't contain springs, they only serve as guides/levers to stabilize the large keys and pull them down evenly when you press them.

 

[dgdg]

3 hours ago, seon123 said:

That's just the stabiliser. That's how it's supposed to act. What made you think it's a spring system? If there's something wrong with just one switch, just replace it. If there's actually something wrong with the stabiliser, that looks like it's plate mount, so there's a decent chance you could remove and replace it by simply desoldering that one switch.

I kinda noticed that it could be something else when I noticed that the space key also have one and that its was also retracted while the key werent in place. Confirm to me that the stabilizer servers the purpose of making the key to work fine (descending uniformly) even if pushed on its borders, right? That would really discard my theory about it being the cause of the unintended input of the key. What could I look into before to change the switch completely? I just cleaned and lubbed all these switches recently, probably thats part of the cause. It didnt started doing that right after that but it never happened before, theres around 1 year of time.

2 hours ago, GarlicDeliverySystem said:

sounds more like a broken switch, not like an issue with the stabilizer. even without the stab present the switch should not be that sensitive, so like there is something wrong with it.

 

Now, here is the reason almost everyone nowadays recommend hotswap keyboards: with soldered switches, you now need to solder.

Soldering in the switches is/was actually standard industry practice because it is cheaper, with the added benefit that customers appeared to buy more keyboards for some weird and unrelated reason.

 

With a bit of luck you only need to desolder that single switch, if you wanted you could replace the stabilizer then but there is no reason. Stabs don't contain springs, they only serve as guides/levers to stabilize the large keys and pull them down evenly when you press them.

 

yeah, I agree. If you have any suggestion of what to try in order to solve the problem before to try and replace the switch, Id like to hear your opinion.

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

9 hours ago, dgdg said:

Confirm to me that the stabilizer servers the purpose of making the key to work fine (descending uniformly) even if pushed on its borders, right?

yes, that is what they do.

9 hours ago, dgdg said:

I just cleaned and lubbed all these switches recently, probably thats part of the cause. It didnt started doing that right after that but it never happened before, theres around 1 year of time.

OK, how did you clean and lube them? What type of lube did yo use?

 

9 hours ago, dgdg said:

yeah, I agree. If you have any suggestion of what to try in order to solve the problem before to try and replace the switch, Id like to hear your opinion.

Only other option I can think of is replacing the board entirely. If you want to go really DIY, then you might try to find either a compatible PCB with hotswap sockets, or solder on some yourself:

https://keygem.com/products/mill-max-hot-swap-sockets

Not sure if the usual (and arguably superior) Gateron or Kailh sockets would be compatible, but those should fit in as a replacement.

[dgdg]

7 hours ago, GarlicDeliverySystem said:

yes, that is what they do.

OK, how did you clean and lube them? What type of lube did yo use?

 

Only other option I can think of is replacing the board entirely. If you want to go really DIY, then you might try to find either a compatible PCB with hotswap sockets, or solder on some yourself:

https://keygem.com/products/mill-max-hot-swap-sockets

Not sure if the usual (and arguably superior) Gateron or Kailh sockets would be compatible, but those should fit in as a replacement.

I've used a WD-40 similar lub, applied it with a needle

[GarlicDeliverySystem]

5 minutes ago, dgdg said:

I've used a WD-40 similar lub, applied it with a needle

Applied it to the inside of the switch? To all switches, or only the one that is now broken?

 

I would have a look at the switch itself without keycap attached and see how it behaves under actuation. Could be that it's stuck, or the click slider is not longer moving.

 

Otherwise, flooding it with Isopropyl alcohol and letting it dry off completely might help, though if the metal leafs are broken than you need to replace the switch anyway.

[saintlouisbagels]

2 minutes ago, dgdg said:

I've used a WD-40 similar lub, applied it with a needle

He might be asking if you lubed it properly;

- did you take it apart and lubricate the friction/sliding points [correct way]

- did you just stick in a needle and lubricate from the outside [incorrect way]