I wanted a mechanical keyboard with Windows keys. I have an IBM Model M keyboard, but its lack of Windows keys makes using Windows 10more annoying than it should be. I don’t hunt and peck around the start menu, I’ve learnt to press the Windows key and just starttyping the program I want to open.
After a bit of poking around Amazon I found a keyboard that seemed to meet my requirements of being mechanical, but also not costing morethan a “real” mechanical keyboard. It’s infected with RGB lights, but never mind they’re quite inoffensive. I fell down the rabbit hole ofmechanical keyswitches, and eventually worked out I needed “blue” ones. They’re the kind that go “click” with a nice positive snap. I oncehad a Corsair mechanical keyboard but it was designed for hyper gamers and would register keypresses if you so much as looked at a key.
![Tecknet mechanical keyboard](https://ncot.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/tecknet-keyboard.jpg)
Tecknet mechanical keyboard
Anyway, my cheap Tecknet keyboard started acting weird the other day. The ‘Enter’ key wouldn’t always register a click the first time, itseemed to need pressing twice. Figuring it was probably dirty I started prying keys off to see what was under them…
![Tecknet mechanical keyboard with keys removed](https://ncot.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/key1.jpg)
Tecknet mechanical keyboard with keys removed
Apart from a lot of cat hair and bits of biscuit I found some fairly standard looking Cherry clone key switches. The Enter key had one, andit went “click” when I pressed it. However it didn’t always tell my PC it had gone “click”. Something intermittent was going on. Furtherresearch was needed, somehow I needed to get inside.
Getting in is fairly easy if you know what to do. First pull all the keys off…
![Tecknet mechanical keyboard with all keys removed](https://ncot.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/key2.jpg)
Tecknet mechanical keyboard with all keys removed
Then look closely at the board, amongst the dirt and food you’ve been eating will be a decent number of small black screws. They need to comeout. After that the whole PCB comes out.
![Tecknet mechanical keyboard PCB](https://ncot.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/underneath.jpg)
Tecknet mechanical keyboard PCB
If you need to remove a keyswitch, a soldering iron is needed. Fortunately I didn’t need to. I was about to go and get mine to swap the evidentlyfaulty “Enter” key for another key I never pressed like “Break” or “Scroll Lock” but after poking the PCB a bit I noticed a random blob of soldersitting between the Enter key and some other trace.
![Random solder blob](https://ncot.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/solder-blob.jpg)
Random solder blob
I guess the quality control person working at Shenzhen Unichain Technology Co., Ltd was having a tea break when my keyboard rolled past theirstation. Since picking it off the keyboard seems to work fine again.
For future reference, here’s the single controller chip. It does everything…
![Random solder blob](https://ncot.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/chip.jpg)
Keyboard on a chip