nice!nano certain key presses result in four presses along the row
I purchased the solderless option for my corne 5 column, and it has consistently been an issue. The USB-c cable sold by typeractive is so stiff and tight in the port on the nice!nano that the chip regularly comes loose from circuit board. When this happens, the keyboard behaves in bizarre ways, such as that described above; specifically, it is the first column on right side. On this occasion however, I pressed on the nice!nano and ensured it was seated correctly, and the problem was not resolved. I tried reflashing the firmware, but this also did not work. To further narrow down the issue, I tried switching the right and the left chip, leaving the solderless pins through the receptors on the chips. In this experiment, the faulty chip behaved in exactly the same way in mirror image on the left side. This led me to believe that the issue is either with the chip itself or with the chip-side connection to the solderless pins. To further test, I removed both chips from the pins and started to switch the left/right pins. Unfortunately, I managed to snap one of the pins in half so it can no longer function.
My hypothesis is that one or more of the soldered connections on the chip itself was broken loose under the strain of Typeractive's USB-c cable; the whole chip visibly bends and deforms every time I plug in the cable, despite my best efforts to be gentle and keep everything aligned. The keyboard stopped working after the last time I unplugged the cable.
I'm obviously going to need more pins--maybe I'll solder them this time--but I'm wondering if the community has any advice about the issue I was seeing. Should I perhaps buy an additional nice!nano? Should I invest in a different USB-c cable too? Are my handling practices erroneous? Is the chip malfunctioning due to manufacturer error? I'd appreciate someone else's take. I love this keyboard and I'd hate to leave it behind! Thanks all
6 Replies
It sounds like you've done a great job troubleshooting!
It's very likely the nice!nano itself is the issue, especially since the problem moved when you swapped the controllers. The stiff USB-C cable could definitely be contributing by stressing the connections.
Here's what I recommend:
1. Replace the broken no-solder headers. Soldering them might provide a more reliable connection.
2. Get a new, more flexible USB-C cable. This will reduce stress on the nice!nano.
3. Consider a new nice!nano. Given your testing, it seems like the most likely culprit.
For the keypress issue, it does sound like a connection problem between the nice!nano and the pins.
See our guide on rows/columns not working for more info.
You can also find more info on the nice!nano installation.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Row(s) or Column(s) Not Working | Typeractive.xyz Documentation
Fix row(s) or column(s) not working on your keyboard.
Why are hotswaps recommended? I have a heat gun, so I can easily remove the chip any time from the board.
I like the EZ hotswaps versus no-solders because they create, imo, a stronger connection. If you have a soldering iron, I recommend soldering the nanos to see if this resolves your issue. For someone who does not have soldering equipment, the no-solders are a great option.
Just out of curiosity, how to disolder something that big as nice!nano using heat gun? I tried and it took very long time, my pcb became bent like banana, so experience was awful...
I haven’t tried yet with this particular board, but in the past I have taken the following steps: first use the soldering iron and a suction device to get out as much of the solder as possible one pin at a time. Second wrap other parts of your board in a heat shield (such as aluminum foil in several loose layers). You might need some tape and scissors. Try to cover every possible surface except the pins through the board. Then, calibrate your heat gun (if you can) to be just hot enough to soften the solder. Absent an appropriate thermometer or power settings, you can point the gun at some solder on a heat safe surface and check how long it takes to melt solder when the gun is already warm. Ideally, you’d now want to mount the board in a vice chip facing down. Use a pair of needle nose pliers to apply some light force to draw the chip away from the board as the solder melts. Finally point the heat gun at the exposed pins and slowly heat. You want to reach the lowest viable temperature to pry the chip off the board.
Thanks! Did not expect such detailed instruction, highly appropriate!