nice!nano seems to have broken after USBC charging and a cold walk
Hi y'all. Built my first corne using the solderless headers. So for context, I walk to work in a cold state in the USA. I charged my corne overnight via USB-C (it didn't show 100% charge after, but it had never fully charged). I walked to work (~30min in 5F-ish, standard for the week prior) a whole row & col of keys (corresponding to p1.13 and p1.00, both 4 up from the bottom) were no longer working on the right side. The corne was in my bag, and it wasn't banged or anything like that. The cold may have been unrelated, maybe I just put it together wrong -- but it had been working for around a week or so before this. I'm a newbie when it comes to electronics, so I tried to have Mr. GPT help talk me through the steps as I read the troubleshooting documentation.
So my main question is: Is this something that I broke? Could the cold do this? Or is this just a bad nice!nano?
The AI also summarized all of the troubleshooting steps below.
Keyboard Model: Corne with ZMK firmware, using solderless nice!nano microcontrollers. Problem: An entire row and column of keys on the right half of the keyboard stopped working after charging via USB-C and exposure to sub-zero outdoor temperatures. Symptoms: Battery Charging Issue: The battery does not charge properly, showing a "lightning bolt" icon but never reaching 100%, even before the key failure. Troubleshooting Steps Taken: - The firmware was reflashed on both halves multiple times, which did not resolve the issue. - Swapped headers; problem remained invariant. - The pins and contacts were cleaned using NU-TROL 401B electronics cleaner via a Q-tip. They pins and connectors were visually inspected with a jeweler's loupe, and appeared clean. - The nice!nano microcontroller from the left side (working) was swapped with the one from the right side (faulty). - After swapping, the issue moved with the nice!nano. - After swapping everything back and re-flashing, right side won't connect to the left anymore.
Keyboard Model: Corne with ZMK firmware, using solderless nice!nano microcontrollers. Problem: An entire row and column of keys on the right half of the keyboard stopped working after charging via USB-C and exposure to sub-zero outdoor temperatures. Symptoms: Battery Charging Issue: The battery does not charge properly, showing a "lightning bolt" icon but never reaching 100%, even before the key failure. Troubleshooting Steps Taken: - The firmware was reflashed on both halves multiple times, which did not resolve the issue. - Swapped headers; problem remained invariant. - The pins and contacts were cleaned using NU-TROL 401B electronics cleaner via a Q-tip. They pins and connectors were visually inspected with a jeweler's loupe, and appeared clean. - The nice!nano microcontroller from the left side (working) was swapped with the one from the right side (faulty). - After swapping, the issue moved with the nice!nano. - After swapping everything back and re-flashing, right side won't connect to the left anymore.
5 Replies
It sounds like the nice!nano is the issue, as the problem moved when you swapped them. The cold could have contributed, but it's hard to say for sure.
Since swapping back, the right side won't connect. Try the steps in our Split Halves Won't Connect guide.
If the issue persists, it might be a faulty nice!nano. Reply or tag me for further assistance!
Okay, the steps in the "Split Halves Won't Connect guide" worked to get my left side reconnected to my right side, but the row/column still don't work. I've double-checked, it's not the headers either. I rotated them 180 degrees (so the bottom header pin was on the top and vice-versa), and it's still the same sockets that are non-responsive. Is this a manufacturer defect then?
It sounds like the nice!nano is defective, since the issue persists after troubleshooting.
Reach out to us via email with your order number and a description of the issue. We'll be happy to help with a replacement if needed.
I received your email. 🙂
Oh hi! Wonderful. :)
I do want to add, besides this little defect I have been having a delightful time with my keyboard. I even have the aluminum case and the hypersonic keycaps, and using it was loads of fun. I look forward to getting it up-and-running again.
FYI - put the new nice!nano in that you all sent and it works like a dream. Thanks!