Home

Hall Effect Keyboard Key Issue Diagnosis

Scope

  • All of our Hall Effect keyboard products
  • Accidental key presses, key chattering, key disconnection
    If the keyboard cannot connect to a computer, please contact after-sales support directly. The after-sales contact details can be found on the corresponding product page.

Tools

Our keyboard configurator has a real-time key press distance display feature. This is an important tool for diagnosing key issues.
The entry point is under "Config" - "Debug."

Concepts:

  • Raw Data: The number displayed in the upper left corner of the key, without a unit.
  • Distance Data: The number displayed in the lower left corner of the key, with the unit mm.

Diagnosis Steps

0. For products requiring self-assembly or if you have replaced the switches yourself

Always remember that the keyboard is designed with the assumption that the switches are firmly fixed to the PCB. Under no circumstances should the switches themselves move.

If this condition is not met, any issue may occur.

For products requiring self-assembly

  1. Ensure that the keyboard has been installed correctly according to the tutorial.
  2. Ensure that no soft or slotted plates are used (which may cause slight movement of other keys when pressing a key).

1. Observe whether the raw data range is abnormal when not touching any key

The data range varies depending on the product and the installed switch.

For example, when using Gateron Magnetic Jade switches:

  • EDGE 80, 60 V2 series: Around 7000
  • 60 V1 series (and other collaborative products using the same technology): Around 3700

If the raw data deviates significantly from the above values (by several thousand) and the switch installation is confirmed to be correct, then the keyboard may have an issue.

2. Observe whether the key data fluctuates excessively when not touching the key

Under normal conditions, raw data should fluctuate by only a few units; distance data should always be 0.000mm (occasional jumps to around 0.010mm are normal for some keys).

3. If pressing key "A" also triggers key "B"

Press the problematic key and observe whether its distance data is roughly correct and whether other keys' distance data also change significantly.

For example, if one key is pressed down to 3.500mm while another key's distance data reaches 1.200mm.

4. If "pressing the key fully down and wobbling it causes key chattering or disconnection"

  1. For self-assembled products or if switches were replaced, first confirm that the switch installation is correct.
  2. Ensure that "manual bottom-out calibration" has been performed.
  3. When wobbling the key, observe the distance data. If the variation is very small (around 0.1mm), it is normal. Check whether the current settings exceed the switch's performance limits.

The keyboard can only detect the strength of the magnetic force and infer the press distance accordingly. Wobbling causes the angle of the magnet inside the switch to change, which alters the magnetic force. The keyboard cannot distinguish whether a change in magnetic force is due to wobbling.
Since switch wobbling cannot be completely eliminated, some variation in distance data due to wobbling is normal.

If the user has set the rapid trigger reset distance or actuation distance too low (e.g., 0.005mm), then key chattering or disconnection due to key wobbling is a normal phenomenon.

5. If "pressing or releasing a key causes multiple unintended activations"

Since the keyboard detects tiny displacement changes, and materials such as switches, PCBs, and plates inevitably undergo slight deformations when keys are pressed or released, excessively low settings may cause multiple unintended activations.

If this issue occurs under extreme settings (all options set to the lowest or very close to the lowest values) and becomes more frequent when pressing the key quickly and forcefully, it is likely a normal phenomenon.