- Joined
- Aug 16, 2005
- Messages
- 25,862 (3.79/day)
- Location
- Alabama
| System Name | Rocinante |
|---|---|
| Processor | I9 14900KS |
| Motherboard | EVGA z690 Dark KINGPIN (modded BIOS) |
| Cooling | EK-AIO Elite 360 D-RGB |
| Memory | 64GB Gskill Trident Z5 DDR5 6000 @6400 |
| Video Card(s) | MSI SUPRIM Liquid X 4090 |
| Storage | 1x 500GB 980 Pro | 1x 1TB 980 Pro | 1x 8TB Corsair MP400 |
| Display(s) | Odyssey OLED G9 G95SC |
| Case | Lian Li o11 Evo Dynamic White |
| Audio Device(s) | Moondrop S8's on Schiit Hel 2e |
| Power Supply | Bequiet! Power Pro 12 1500w |
| Mouse | Lamzu Atlantis mini (White) |
| Keyboard | Monsgeek M3 Lavender, Akko Crystal Blues |
| VR HMD | Quest 3 |
| Software | Windows 11 |
| Benchmark Scores | I dont have time for that. |
So, I haven't soldered anything since like 2009. That doesn't mean I didn't take short cuts on prep but maybe it should be considered.
In this case I have a limited run DKS6 Golden White. Lately the 2 and Q keys have been intermittently working. To the point were I will miss a stroke or two hitting them 4 or 5 times in notepad. It was getting pretty bad.
So the DKS6 is plate mount so after finding the right keys, I wanted to take a shot at fixing it. I no longer have any of my solder equipment, but wanted to keep the KB running. I have others, but this was a limited run and I got it specifically for my desktop.
So I got some ultra cheap like $14 starter iron off amazon that came with like 6ft of solder of an undisclosed weight. Better than nothing I guess. I also didnt bother buying any flux. All of this contributed to the outcome; between the amount of time its been since I touched one, and the corners I cut (because I really don't want a bunch of solder gear hanging around) the end result could be better.
At any rate back to it. After taking a peek, the issue wasnt the solder joints, so the switches were actually bad. Glad I bought some.
Green is original. Blue are the joints after I removed the solder.
Old keys came out without an issue, not pulling or otherwise, the joints were clean, so pressing the clips in on the top and bottom of the switch and out they came.
As you can see my cat slept on this mat for a bit.
The sockets after the switches were removed.
The after is as follows before I cleaned up the solder on the sides, which was from the removal process and solder slag falling off my solder sucker.
Orange is before. Green are my new joints using mystery solder.
For this the LED did not need to be removed so it was easier.
Of course, as you read in the first sentence the 2 and q keys now work fine! Its not fantastic work, and some professionals will simply not like it and thats fine.
Maybe if they break again I will go and buy all the proper flux and a good quality solder. For now, im just happy I saved a board that was a limited edition and can no longer be bought.
Thanks for reading about my day off pet project. Back to drinking.
In this case I have a limited run DKS6 Golden White. Lately the 2 and Q keys have been intermittently working. To the point were I will miss a stroke or two hitting them 4 or 5 times in notepad. It was getting pretty bad.
So the DKS6 is plate mount so after finding the right keys, I wanted to take a shot at fixing it. I no longer have any of my solder equipment, but wanted to keep the KB running. I have others, but this was a limited run and I got it specifically for my desktop.
So I got some ultra cheap like $14 starter iron off amazon that came with like 6ft of solder of an undisclosed weight. Better than nothing I guess. I also didnt bother buying any flux. All of this contributed to the outcome; between the amount of time its been since I touched one, and the corners I cut (because I really don't want a bunch of solder gear hanging around) the end result could be better.
At any rate back to it. After taking a peek, the issue wasnt the solder joints, so the switches were actually bad. Glad I bought some.
Green is original. Blue are the joints after I removed the solder.
Old keys came out without an issue, not pulling or otherwise, the joints were clean, so pressing the clips in on the top and bottom of the switch and out they came.
As you can see my cat slept on this mat for a bit.
The sockets after the switches were removed.
The after is as follows before I cleaned up the solder on the sides, which was from the removal process and solder slag falling off my solder sucker.
Orange is before. Green are my new joints using mystery solder.
For this the LED did not need to be removed so it was easier.
Of course, as you read in the first sentence the 2 and q keys now work fine! Its not fantastic work, and some professionals will simply not like it and thats fine.
Maybe if they break again I will go and buy all the proper flux and a good quality solder. For now, im just happy I saved a board that was a limited edition and can no longer be bought.
Thanks for reading about my day off pet project. Back to drinking.