Mechanical Keyboard 'S' Key Releasing When Rocked Back and Forth

meowthful127 · 04 Dec 2018, 13:37

I was playing a game where I had to hold down keys to match with the beat. For a few weeks, the 'S' key had been fine. I don't know what really happened, but there was this time when I held down the 'S' key, and there were times that it was releasing it. I figured out that when I rock the 'S' key back and forth, it would release it. I tried replacing the keys, but it seemed that the problem was the mechanism, not the 'key case'. I searched on how to fix it, but nothing helped. I tried blowing it and even tried to shake it very hard.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you

Edit: If I don't use the "S" key that much for a day, it will not be a problem. But when I use it many times, the problem comes back again.

Muirium · 04 Dec 2018, 13:40

People are going to want to know the keyboard in question. There’s a whole world of them in the category! With wildly different switches.

meowthful127 · 04 Dec 2018, 13:43

Muirium wrote: ↑People are going to want to know the keyboard in question. There’s a whole world of them in the category! With wildly different switches.

My keyboard is the Redragon Kumara K552-1. And I don't really know the kind of switch it is.

Wodan · 04 Dec 2018, 13:43

Must be one of the few keyboards made entirely with MX Lock switches.

Edit: Take a closeup pic of the switch

meowthful127 · 04 Dec 2018, 14:00

Wodan wrote: ↑Must be one of the few keyboards made entirely with MX Lock switches.

Edit: Take a closeup pic of the switch

Here you go
https://imgur.com/a/M2YczEQ

swampangel · 04 Dec 2018, 15:32

meowthful127 wrote: ↑I tried replacing the keys, but it seemed that the problem was the mechanism, not the 'key case'.

Can you describe with more detail what you did here?

Did you order it from Amazon? Is it new enough that you could get it replaced under warranty?

Do the other keys like W, A, D have the same problem, or is it definitely only the S key?

meowthful127 · 04 Dec 2018, 15:58

swampangel wrote: ↑
meowthful127 wrote: ↑I tried replacing the keys, but it seemed that the problem was the mechanism, not the 'key case'.
Can you describe with more detail what you did here?

Did you order it from Amazon? Is it new enough that you could get it replaced under warranty?

Do the other keys like W, A, D have the same problem, or is it definitely only the S key?

Yes, I bought it in Amazon as a bundle. I have a warranty but unfortunately, I think it was me who broke it, which is not covered by the warranty.

No, only the 'S' key is broken, nothing else.

swampangel · 04 Dec 2018, 16:52

meowthful127 wrote: ↑Yes, I bought it in Amazon as a bundle. I have a warranty but unfortunately, I think it was me who broke it, which is not covered by the warranty.

I would be inclined to contact amazon customer service anyway. Often if you just want a replacement of the same model, they don't ask too many questions. Up to you though!

meowthful127 wrote: ↑No, only the 'S' key is broken, nothing else.

One straightforward fix would be to desolder and swap the switch under the S key with a different, less-used key (scroll lock is usually where I start).

Desoldering and re-soldering switches is not difficult, but if you need to purchase soldering equipment, then the up-front cost may be more than your keyboard.

Findecanor · 04 Dec 2018, 17:23

Looks like Outemu switches.

Perhaps one of its pins were just poorly soldered to the PCB. You see that sometimes with mechanical keyboards, especially cheaper ones, but the problem is more often chattering: multiple key presses when you pressed just once. If that is the case, it could be repaired by redoing the solder joint: holding the soldering iron's tip to the solder joint until it melts and reforms and perhaps addding a bit more solder.

meowthful127 · 31 Dec 2018, 18:37

You are right when I shake the "S" key, the "base" of it moves a little bit. When I tried it on another key, specifically the "D" key, the "base" of the key didn't shake. So I'm guessing that the "S" key was not attached properly, or was moved by me tapping it hard.

Edit: I think the lower right "pad" of the "base" of the "S" key is the one that's not glued in properly. Any way to glue it back down?

Muirium · 31 Dec 2018, 19:14

Yes. Soldering, as Findecanor described. Switches are “glued” in by electrically conductive solder.

Findecanor · 31 Dec 2018, 20:27

Looking more closely in the pic, it looks to me as if the top housing (transparent9 is not snapped on properly onto the bottom, but that the bottom housing (white) is flush with the mounting plate.
If you can confirm that is the case, then you could try pressing down the transparent housing. But if space is too tight for doing that inside the mounting plate then you may have to de-solder the switch to get it out of the mounting plate, press it shut, mount it and solder it back in.