[SOLVED] Is there any saving this keyboard?

[Saint Grimm]

I really, really like my CM devastator keyboard, but yesterday, out of the blue, the first 3 keys on all 3 rows typed together, for example, typing "w" would type "qwe", typing "z" would type "zxc", etc.

I took the keys off, cleaned everything the best I could, but it didn't fix the issue. I figured it's probably busted, so what's the harm, and poured a little bit of alcohol into the holes for all 9 keys causing issues. Not like an extreme amount, but it was visible on and around the rubber thing for the key (cm storm dev is imitation mechanical).

After I let it completely dry, i plugged it in and all 9 keys were working correctly, so I spent the day cleaning each individual key and putting it back in it's place.

Finally got it looking as close to new as possible, plugged it in again, and now it doesn't work. When plugged in, certain keys don't work, backspace does nothing, 'q' key opens the windows search bar, and just lots of keys do random ass stuff, which I know Q wasn't doing, because I know all 9 keys were working AFTER pouring alcohol in it but before cleaning the keys which were all cleaned with alcohol as well and completely dry before putting back on the board, so it don't really make sense...

These issues were even carried over to my backup keyboard.... Q was opening search bar, backspace, c, v, b keys did nothing, etc. Finally found a fix, pressing alt+win keys at same time.... So I decided to try that on the devastator. Plugged in back in, pressed alt+win, and it kinda fixed it, kinda didn't.... using alt+win on devastator board makes backspace work, makes q stop bringing up search bar, but q key just doesn't do anything at that point.

The newer CM Devastator 3 is $45 and I just don't have that right now.... Really, the only thing I can afford is one of those RII rk108 boards on amazon for $16.... So i'd really like to keep what I have if anyone can think of anything to try to fix it?

 

[Ralston18]

There are things you can do:

1) Try the keyboards on another known working computer. Try other known working keyboards on your computer. Determine if the problem(s) stay with the computer or follow the keyboards.

(Note it does appear that you have done so to some extent regarding the backup keyboard. That the problems remained/changed is indication that the computer is the problem.)

2) Manually download the keyboard drivers via the manufacturer's website. Reinstall and reconfigure. You may need to do so for both the main keyboard and the backup keyboard. Do not use any third party installers or tools.

3) Try running the built in Windows troubleshooters. The troubleshooters may find and fix something.

= = = =

As for cleaning the keyboard I am becoming more skeptical about alcohol baths etc.. If you do anything other than follow the manufacturer's cleaning instructions then you risk losing warranty - if any. Manufacturer's know that people clean with alcohol and are likely to overdo the process......

Likewise for taking a keyboard apart unless the keyboard is specifically designed to do so to change keys, etc..

Remember that manufacturers want people to buy new keyboards - not clean and repair old keyboards.

 

[Saint Grimm]

There are things you can do:

1) Try the keyboards on another known working computer. Try other known working keyboards on your computer. Determine if the problem(s) stay with the computer or follow the keyboards.

(Note it does appear that you have done so to some extent regarding the backup keyboard. That the problems remained/changed is indication that the computer is the problem.)

2) Manually download the keyboard drivers via the manufacturer's website. Reinstall and reconfigure. You may need to do so for both the main keyboard and the backup keyboard. Do not use any third party installers or tools.

3) Try running the built in Windows troubleshooters. The troubleshooters may find and fix something.

= = = =

As for cleaning the keyboard I am becoming more skeptical about alcohol baths etc.. If you do anything other than follow the manufacturer's cleaning instructions then you risk losing warranty - if any. Manufacturer's know that people clean with alcohol and are likely to overdo the process......

Likewise for taking a keyboard apart unless the keyboard is specifically designed to do so to change keys, etc..

Remember that manufacturers want people to buy new keyboards - not clean and repair old keyboards.

Thanks for the reply! I only did the alcohol bath when I assumed it was a lost cause. I cleaned the rubber buttons under the keys very well, and etc etc. and the problem still persisted. I assumed the alcohol bath would just finish ruining it, but it wasn't usable anyway, so it was a 'might as well try it' kinda thing, ya know? lol just a last ditch effort.

But when it fixed the problem, I was pretty excited, until I spent over 8 hours scrubbing every single key to make it look as new as possible, then plugged it in and got a completely different result....

From what I understand, there is no drivers for the board, it's "plug n play". I did read on google though that opening random apps with keys is a driver issue. But since it's plug n play, my understanding is that it keeps the driver software on the keyboard somehow so it doesn't need to be installed? Maybe that's not correct, it's just how I understand it, I will check cool master website to be sure, and report back if I find any drivers. I figure pouring alcohol into it probably screwed up the device/chip/whatever keeps the driver on the keyboard.

Windows troubleshooter found nothing wrong with the keyboard, but that was back when it was typing 3 letters at once, haven't used the troubleshooter since then, but assume it'd have the same results, I'll try it shortly and reply to this IF I get a different result. If I haven't replied back in 10 mins, troubleshooter still didn't detect any issues with keyboard.

Tried it on another PC. It works, but doesn't. Keys are working correctly, but they're all in caps unless i turn caps lock on. It's like one of the shift buttons are held down, but I completely removed them just to see, and it's still typing in caps unless i turn caps lock ON, then it types in lower case. Number keys also put out symbols instead of numbers, so I'm pretty certain it's a shift problem.

Update on that: Brought it back to my PC and it's doing the same here now. No longer bringin up apps, no longer need to press alt+win b4 using it, but it types in all caps and can't seem to fix that by messing with the rubber underneath the keys either.

Update2: Holding down either shift key makes it type normally. So I guess it's not a shift key being stuck down, even though it acts like one is?

It's WAAAY past warranty anyway though lol. They don't even make this keyboard anymore. It's the original Cooler Master Storm Devastator. The only one currently in production is the Cooler Master Devastator 3. I wanted to say I've had it since I built this PC in 2018, but actually... Thinking more now, I think I already had it when I built this PC, I think it actually came from the PC I built BEFORE this one, back in 2014 or so? I'm not fully sure on that, but either way, it's old, it's time for a new one, I just really like this onee, I'm broke atm so can't afford the $45 devastator 3, so I'm grasping at straws hoping to revive it, but at the end of the day, it's probably over-lived it's life expectancy by quite a bit.

I really know nothing about keyboards. I basically know how to put a computer together and troubleshoot the hardware inside the case if it's not working, beyond that, just consider me very uneducated lol

 

[Saint Grimm]

I'll just call it done. I hate this backup keyboard, it's not even imitation mech, it's just like a 5 dollar keyboard from walmart. But I'll just use this and save up for a couple weeks instead of buying a cheaper keyboard I don't like as much.

I guess I'm a cheap ass.... It's not only that I don't have the extra money now, it's that it literally makes me sick to my stomach to spend that much on a keyboard. I paid $20 for my devastator. Devastator 3 is exactly the same, but with RGB color is and more than double the price, I'm only ever gonna have it set to red to match my case, so RGB is pointless. In my head, that tells me it's only worth $20, but I'm gonna sit here and pay $45 for it and that just makes my stomach turn lol.

I'll go ahead and pick your answer, it didn't really solve it, but it made me realize I need to quit wasting all my time trying to get this to work, I spent all day friday and all day yesterday trying to get it to work and cleaning it up real nice, and as old as it is, I just figure there's nothing left to do but buy something at double it's worth lol.


I checked ebay, used original Devastator's like mine are going for $18. So, if they were being made/sold today, I imagine the price would be up to 40+ for a new one of those as well. The prices of everything these days just makes me sick.... I could justify in my head buying a $16 rii keyboard. I'll justify the dev3 by telling myself I was willing to pay 16 for a keyboard that'd break in a year so it'd be silly not to spend 45 on a keyboard that'll last at least 4+ years, possibly 8+ if I'm correct that I bought it in 2014 instead of 18.

I want a mechanical keyboard with a cool shape & wrist rest like the devastator. Devastator DOES make a real mech keyboard.... But it's $198. lol. I've got a $200 Ryzen 5 3600 cpu cuz I'm poor..... I'm not gonna pay the same amount for a keyboard, that'd be insane. lol. Maybe I'll get a $200 keyboard when I have a $2000 cpu. lol