Trouble in Paradise….

I have been testing quite a few keyboards since the inception of this blog.  I almost never encounter a defective keyboards throughout my life.  So, it’s rather rare that I would encounter an issue on a keyboard, much less a mechanical keyboard.  Ah, Murphy’s Law strikes again.  One of the mechanical keyboards I have been testing has developed a sticky escape key.  I didn’t notice it until I have trouble shutting down my Windows PC.  The shutdown command was constantly getting cancelled.  I was wondering what’s going on until I finally looked at the keyboard I was testing and noticed that the escape key is stuck on down position.  After a few pull attempts, I was able to pop it back up.  I then used the key cap puller to see if I can find out what’s wrong with the key.  Removed the key cap and found that the switch was in perfect working order.

Strange….  Then I put the key cap back on and then ah-ha!  The key cap is bumping against the top case cover.  The little fingers coming down from the case top cover is rubbing against the key cap, hence causing the jam.  A little bit of filing here and there.  Viola!  Just a minor annoyance at best, but still, it was surprising.

I don’t plan on naming the keyboard as one might be wondering.  I don’t think this is a major manufacturing or design defect.  It’s more of a manufacturing tolerance issue.  It’s a simple problem to solve with a bit of investigation.  A few little filing sessions resolve the issue, but never the less this speaks volumes of the quality issue that might come up.  So, the take home lesson is to check every keys and make sure that you purchase the keyboard from a reputable retailer that will accept returns and exchanges.  Even the best manufacturer will make a dud or two…..