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wontonotnow
307
May 12, 2016
Well I guess I really screwed up. I got the aluminum case today, took the vb87m out of the stock plastic case, took off the keycaps, then tested to make sure it was still working before putting the aluminum case on. The bluetooth would not connect. I tried both my phone and my computer, nothing. fn->del to wipe, attempt to pair again....nothing. The keyboard functions seem to work fine (turn on, turn off, search mode, wipe paired memory)...the lights blink accordingly, there is just no sign of it on bluetooth from either the phone or the computer. Any ideas? What does the bluetooth module on the PCB look like? I only have connections to the battery and the usb connection...no modular bluetooth...is it printed on the PCB itself? If I somehow broke the board, this is turning into a very expensive blunder. I'm too deep in this custom job now to back out...any ideas? I'll talk with massdrop tomorrow if I can't think of something else to try.
koriolisah
18
May 13, 2016
wontonotnowLet me know if massdrop doesn't help you out. I almost cracked something on the pcb putting my va87 into the new case so I feel your pain. I have a couple extra VB87s kicking around. No metal case (you're on your own there), but maybe I can help you. Msg Koriolis on Geekhack.
wontonotnow
307
May 13, 2016
koriolisahThanks! I put in a support ticket with them yesterday, we'll see what they say. If I'm screwed and have to wait for the next drop I'll contact you @ geekhack. On top of the aluminum case I also bought front-facing shine-through keycaps on taobao, which are perfect for this board since they have the LEDs on the front of the switches. I have an extra set in case you're interested. Good to know I might have a plan B, thanks again!
koriolisah
18
May 13, 2016
wontonotnowOoh hey nice! Are they different than the translucent keys WASD is selling? I'm using those now on my VA87 and it looks great. Anyways, I hope it works out w/ customer support; let me know if not and we can work something out.
wontonotnow
307
May 13, 2016
koriolisahNot sure, I haven't found them anywhere except taobao. Here's a link w/pics: http://www.engtaobao.com/item/527305969269.html . The ones I received are PBT and only translucent on the "side-printed" legends, the rest of the keys are solid black.
koriolisah
18
May 14, 2016
wontonotnowThat is really cool! I would love a set like that. How did you go about buying from taobao? Did you use an agent or?
wontonotnow
307
May 14, 2016
koriolisahYeah the keycaps were really hard to find, and perfect for these varmilo models. That's why I'm so bummed that my VB87M isn't working! No "agent" was involved I don't think...I used lots of google translate :).
Sorry for long story, but it was a fun experiment. engtaobao.com acts as a translation/filter/user-account for taobao international orders, and does a pretty good job, although the product descriptions are still mostly in Chinese, making it hard to find things. After lots of random searching and google translating back & forth, I found the front/"side"-printed keycap set and purchased 2. My bank called within minutes warning me that my account was being used in Shanghai. I asked them to unblock the transaction because it was indeed me ordering something. Once purchased, I translated the order details and it said "Out of Stock...Do Not Shoot!!" which I assume means do not order. It was too late since I had already paid. I logged in each day to see if the order was canceled and if I could get my money back, but it acted like nothing was wrong and was delivered in about 3 weeks. Strange bonus is that they were PBT instead of ABS as it stated in the product description. Shipping was ~$30 I think, which is fairly steep but worth it for something I couldn't find anywhere else.
koriolisah
18
May 14, 2016
wontonotnowDo you think you received PBT instead of ABS because they were out of stock on the ABS? I've never bought from taobao but secondhand stories make it seem like kind of a grab bag/mystery purchase.
I would hope massdrop customer support helps you out. I got in touch with them because one LED died on my varmilo va68, and they asked me if I would rather have 5 dollars or if I wanted to return the board, as the manufacturer didn't have extra single LEDs. I basically wrote the whole thing off and didnt answer the email, it wasn't worth the effort to me.
Interesting thing is that when my last varmilo drop arrived, I also received an entirely new va68 in addition to the two va87s I had ordered... Thanks massdrop! <3
wontonotnow
307
May 18, 2016
koriolisahYeah, my guess is they saw my order come in and gave me PBT since ABS wasn't in stock...score! I heard back from massdrop and they said they'll send out a replacement but don't have any in stock, so it might be awhile. In the meantime I have a Nulaxy bluetooth thing which allows me to convert a usb keyboard into bluetooth, so I'll be patient and wait. Sounds like you got hooked up, congrats! Massdrop gets a lot of complaints but I've always been surprised at their level of support: not always punctual but things have worked out in the end. Hopefully it keeps up with growth of the company...seems like they're always playing catch-up due to expansion.
koriolisah
18
May 19, 2016
wontonotnowYou might have to wait until the next Varmilo drop whenever that occurs. It can't be a coincidence I got the replacement VA68 at the same time as the VA87 drop. Glad they'll help you out!
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