Submitted by aleksyandr t3_yuo0ik in MechanicalKeyboards
NovaForceElite t1_iwadlr2 wrote
What happened before it died?
aleksyandr OP t1_iwafdls wrote
Was just doing stuff around the house, then came back into the office and sat down. Touched the keyboard and got a zap. It immediately went out and the USB disconnect sound came from the computer. I unplugged it and waited a few minutes, then plugged it back in. Now no LEDs and the 7, Y, H, N column is out. Should've ordered a spare PCB.
QWERKey-UK t1_iwapu2h wrote
Well.... that's one board to avoid then. No ESD protection at that price is criminal. I can understand how it's possible to zap a PCB when it's out of the case and on the bench, but for this to happen is awful.
Zncon t1_iwc31o9 wrote
Yeah this is wild. A device that's designed to be touched should never have this sort of issue. The big companies can make a $15 board that survives almost anything - an expensive board should be safe.
redkeeb t1_iwdzg2u wrote
I would static shock my Drop Alt all the time; It still kept going.
plat1776 t1_iwbr69g wrote
They have ESD protection in both the board processor and an antistatic film in between the case and the pcb.
pulledoutdad t1_iwbrj2b wrote
If they had it in the processor wouldn’t this not have happened? I thought the film specifically protected non-protected processors
plat1776 t1_iwbt59f wrote
It’s ESD protection not immunity. A large enough shock to any electrical component will cause damage.
LASERman71 t1_iwbzvsy wrote
Finally a voice of reason.
JDBCool t1_iwcif43 wrote
Me: I built mine with a foot on metal the whole time.
Dunno how grounding works, but I always touch another metal object. Then the metal legs of my table
NotSoFull-Info69 t1_iwf0kg5 wrote
An antistatic film is quite the patch instead of a real fix The board processor having ESD protection is definitely not enough from my experience There should atleast be a good number of ESD suppression diodes scattered around the board as well as some sort of grounding which from my knowledge is pretty much missing.
deadlock0345 t1_iwap4al wrote
wow a board of that type of cost and it has no ESD protection? that just blows my mind.... that would almost certainly never happen on a non custom keyboard. so how could they think its acceptable to allow it to even be a possibility on that. i would be so pissed off iof this happened to me, esp since i have so many keebs that have cost me 1k plus to build...i wonder why it being plugged into the usb c cable wouldnt prevent this from happening since its grounded is it not
LASERman71 t1_iwb0boh wrote
>wow a board of that type of cost and it has no ESD protection? that just blows my mind....
You should check your facts before making wrong statements and absurd accusations suggesting the makers intentionally made this possible.
Answering your next question: the so called "ESD protection" does not guarantee total immunity and number of factors may contribute to such incident. No - I am not able to investigate this remotely and this is why I would restrain from making silly conclusions.
RaptorJesusLOL t1_iwbt2om wrote
I’m sorry, you’re defending the keyboard maker for selling products that can’t survive static electricity why?
meatydp t1_iwbvd6a wrote
He probably bought one too.
LASERman71 t1_iwbx3q8 wrote
You're probably just another sheep.
meatydp t1_iwbxlfw wrote
What does that even mean??? lmfaoooo
LASERman71 t1_iwbxqa5 wrote
Google internet sheep to educate yourself ;)
meatydp t1_iwbzi3f wrote
wow i've been blue pilled all along...i will now take the red pill
LASERman71 t1_iwbvypa wrote
No silly, maybe read my comment again and again before typing nonsense.
FYI: I am only opposing false statements about facts and coming up with absurd conclusions - all clearly made by wannabe experts. It has nothing to do with this maker.
>products that can’t survive static electricity
And you just done the same! Congratulations!
You all can downvote as much as you like - you still not qualified to make this judgement about the product or maker.
Tip: read comments below about very similar incident with completely different board from different maker - only total ignorant goes instantly to exclusively blame product or maker.
RaptorJesusLOL t1_iwc2t8d wrote
Nice, now can you write a few more paragraphs on why an expensive custom keyboard susceptible to ESD by touching the key caps is anyone’s fault but the manufacturer?
LASERman71 t1_iwc4ztw wrote
Again you are talking rubbish.
You have no authority to judge this wasn't caused by anything else but "touching the key caps", because you weren't there, you have no info how OP build this board, how his setup is grounded etc etc... I have no time to talk about many other factors involved.
Any consumer electronic device is susceptible to ESD damage in some circumstances regardless of best efforts from the maker.
Your expectation based on "expensive custom" is just hilarious since high price has nothing to do with any extra ESD prevention.
RaptorJesusLOL t1_iwc6afz wrote
Good job, so how long have you worked for them?
LASERman71 t1_iwci8dx wrote
Good job, you disqualified yourself from further discussion by pulling most absurd calling card.
RaptorJesusLOL t1_iwcj5ps wrote
So you’re defending the defective keyboard for free? Are you ok?
NovaForceElite t1_iwagd4k wrote
Yup that sounds like an ESD shock. Sorry to hear that. I'd at least try reaching out to the vendor if I was you.
aleksyandr OP t1_iwagsk7 wrote
Yeah, think I will, to see if they have any leftover PCBs I could purchase to replace. This is like getting a mark on your new shoes when you were a kid on the first day you wore them.
MechNoob251 t1_iwccmro wrote
at least it's not a scuff on the case though, essentially you just got the shoes dirty and you can just clean them but if it was a scuff you frayed the laces
aleksyandr OP t1_iwcetxq wrote
Yeah that’s true. Long as I don’t shock it again. So many others saying this is still a problem with this new version of the board makes me worry that even if I replace the PCB it will happen again.
Pinkisacoloryes t1_iwdmjzs wrote
Back in the day, KBD75 from kbdfans had an issue with ESD. Luckily mine would just shut off and would work if I plugged it back in. What I did eventually was take all the mouting screws off and isolate the PCB from the case with electrical tape. When its closed and sandwiched in, it doesn't really need the mounting screws at all.
Now they coat their PCBs in some sort of blackness to prevent this.
so what I'm saying is, maybe if you get a new pcb from them, maybe try isolating the pcb from all metal contact. Hopefully they fix their design. They obviously knew it was a thing if they included the ESD protection as stock.
aleksyandr OP t1_iweoj97 wrote
Thanks for the tip. I will try that if I get another PCB.
sunfaller t1_iwalnnl wrote
how is ESD normally triggered? I always just touch my keyboard without thinking about this risk.
mynameisWei t1_iwaosox wrote
Usually by like rubbing your hand against fabric or something along the lines of that
Minh_Katze t1_iwbhr8i wrote
Doesn't it have to be a direct contact with the PCB for that to happen? I always rub my hand on my sweater or a piece of cleaning cloth laying on my table and touch the keyboard after but nothing abnormal ever happened.
[deleted] t1_iwd7790 wrote
[deleted]
NotSoFull-Info69 t1_iwf033e wrote
Direct contact? Yes for plastic cases and such
For metal cases? Easily sparks can jump from case to PCB or even for metal plates sparks can jump right to the PCB
ZulkarnaenRafif t1_iwguyfc wrote
Nope, in this case, aluminum (it's metal) case boards have a risk for ESD.
In my case, I'll feel buzzy when I'm touching my Vega when I'm not grounded. Makes me think that the board was "susceptible" to ESD. Even though it never broken once on me.
More metal, more risk to conduct static discharge. Even then, I don't think it's accurate to just say "swap to polycarbonate or plastic case" to simply alleviate the issue.
Then again, I am no electrical engineer. Probably helps a little that I have little to no carpet flooring at my current residence plus the wood flooring probably helped.
Nyohn t1_iwcselj wrote
I've always been curious about this. I get static shocks from doorhandles and my cardoors all the time, but have never ever gotten a shock from any of my keyboards. Maybe I've been lucky
xdaysee t1_iwen2sc wrote
You can get esd mats but the bracket is annoying. Never used then after my 2nd year of work switching to pure software.
RaptorJesusLOL t1_iwbsw6m wrote
Probably because it shouldn’t be a risk on a reasonably well built consumer electronic.
sunfaller t1_iwcl8rb wrote
So this space65 is an expensive keyboard with cheap pcb or something?
RaptorJesusLOL t1_iwcmyfl wrote
Not just cheap, but missing basic ESD protection components. It’s a PCB built by someone who knows nothing about electronics, sold as a high-end electronic.
Centurion832 t1_iwc5831 wrote
Some part of the PCB/electronics is touching the case and then the static discharge from wearing socks on carpet or whatever discharges when you touch the case.
Pinkisacoloryes t1_iwdmxso wrote
I've had ESD trigged by my dog rubbing against my leg. Happens more often in a dry environment. Some people say to use humidifiers to stop it.
NovaForceElite t1_iwi34cf wrote
Wearing socks on carpet is usually what builds up the biggest charge for me, but you can get static electricity build up from pretty much every daily activity. Then it's just touching something or arcing with something that is conductive.
Relevant_Desk_6891 t1_iwdvxbh wrote
Sounds like pretty awful engineering.
v81 t1_iwewjju wrote
It's the ground of the PCB tied to the external metal where you zapped?
If it did whilst closed up it sounds like possibly poor design.
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