Mechanical Keyboard Sound Isn't That Simple
Figure 1: I couldn't think of a more literal way to represent this article if I tried... Looking back just a few years ago, there’s no doubt that the huge influx of people that joined the hobby at the peak of the COVID pandemic were drawn to keyboards by way of YouTube, TikTok, and other audio-visual content platforms. Even as the output from these content creators has waned in recent months, their collective impact and legacy on the keyboard hobby is rather firmly etched in the history books. As a result of all of their sound tests, build logs, and opinion videos, the message is clear to any new person joining the hobby: mechanical keyboards are all about the sound. Thock this, clack that. Whether it’s keyboards, keycaps, or even singular switches, seemingly everyone new to the hobby meticulously pores over each component of their keyboard not in an attempt to figure out how it will feel in hand, but how it will sound as they’re furiously grinding their way out from...
Mar 27, 2024
Symptoms:
* Nothing is emitted by the keyboard when any keys are pressed. * Keyboard not recognized by PC -- with the USBTreeView app running, I plug it in and nothing changes, no new USB device is shown. * The Teensy Loader app doesn't see the keyboard either. * All 3 LEDs are on solid (num lock, caps lock, scroll lock). * Pushing the button on the Teensy turns off the LEDs (the only response I see), but the keyboard still doesn't show up as a USB device.
What I've tried:
* Disconnecting and reconnecting the keyboard. * Pushing the Teensy board button. * Disconnecting the keyboard, pushing and holding the Teensy board button, while reconnecting the keyboard. * Using a different USB cable. * Rebooting the workstation (Win XP -- yeah, I know). * Connecting the keyboard to a different workstation. * Combinations of the above.
So far, nothing is effective.
Has anybody had an experience like this? Any clues on what I can do next, what to look for, what to test? Who to ask?
Thanks for any advice you can provide.
[Edit 2013-12-16:]
I informed support@massdrop.com of the issue. Excerpt:
" I had issues with static shocks over the two weeks I used the keyboard, to the point where I started using an anti-static wristband at my desk. I now believe that the USB connector from the Teensy board to the main ErgoDox board (stripped USB mini cable) was the culprit, possibly touching the aluminum top plate (or forming a small-enough air gap) and providing a path to ground for electro-static discharge (ESD). The USB socket on the Teensy board sits very close to the top plate, and if the stripped USB cable's connector is at all bent (easy to do in the stripping process) or if there's any stray metal shielding, it's very likely to contact the top plate or come close enough for some nasty sparks.
Please amend the assembly instructions to include insulating the Teensy board from an aluminum top plate. A piece of electrical tape affixed to the USB socket & connector on the Teensy board would suffice. The assembly instructions describe an aluminum case and a supplied mylar sheet; I assume this was an option on earlier drops. Perhaps such a sheet should be included with the optional aluminum top plates as well. "
I ordered a replacement Teensy board from PJRC (http://www.pjrc.com/store/teensy_pins.html). Hopefully that, and a bit of electrical insulation, will fix the issue.
See http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=52303.0 for a useful discussion.
I'm getting some replies there, hopefully I'll be able to diagnose the issue.
Perhaps I have to get a new Teensy board... But it seems to me that an ErgoDox should be more robust than this.
Has anybody else had issues with static electricity or their ErgoDox breaking?