Keyboard - Hardware

[JasonSuave]

has anyone had any issues with the new illuminated keyboard. I've purchased 4 of these now, and all of them seem to have a problem in that they don't register certain keystrokes when typing fast. I've noticed this when typing 4-5 letter words - sometimes the last character in a word will not register from the keyboard. I thought this might be a software issue, but installing SetPoint doesn't resolve the issue.

Has anyone else noticed this problem? I don't imagine it will affect everyone, as you have to be typing at least 60 WPM to have the keyboard start skipping keystrokes.

[CJChew]

Hi,

Haven't seen any reports on this so far (aside from yours). Is it always a certain key (or set of keys) that get missed?

[JasonSuave]

I've noticed this happens in about 95% of the cases that I type 4 letter words with an apostrophe: don't, can't, won't, etc. The output is always: don', can', won', etc. In those cases, the "t" gets dropped - but if I test my typing on any other keyboards (including laptops), I don't get the issue.

I had a few people test out the illuminated keyboard, and the people who were slower types didn't notice the issue. However, all of the faster types (who type more than 60WPM) were getting dropped letters whenever they typed certain words.

It's almost like the keyboard cannot process the letter "t" at the end of a word if you quickly enter a space afterward, therefore the keyboard simply drops the letter "t" from the output. On the other hand, we were able to replicate the issue with every letter on the keyboard, not just the "t." It seems that the issue can be replicated whenever a user quickly enters a space after a word - and the space causes the dropping of the last letter in the prior word. It just so happens that using words with the apostrophe was the easiest case to pronounce the error.

Do note that I've now tested 4 different keyboards, all from different Best Buy's in the northern Virginia region. I was hoping that these units were from a bad batch of keyboards; however, it appears that input system for the keyboard may just be laggy, and that's why certain keystrokes are getting dropped.

[CJChew]

Hi,

This seems to be a new problem with this keyboard. Please contact Customer Support for further assistance with this issue.

[JasonSuave]

Customer service offered to send over a replacement, but I have a feeling that all keyboards will have this issue. Was Logitech able to replicate the issue, or do we believe that all of Northern Virginia Best Buys received a bad initial batch of the keyboards?

[rlowens]

I wonder if this is related to Key Blocking. All keyboards have sets of 3 keys that block each other, which comes from using a matrix to scan the keys instead of discrete addressing of each key on the keyboard (which would require as many data lines into the keyboard's microcontroller as there are keys on the keyboard, so nobody does it).

Note that you can't press all three keys of DFG at the same time on most keyboards. If you hold down D and F, G doesn't respond. If you hold F and G, D doesn't respond. If you hold D and G, F doesn't respond. There are many sets of 3 keys that have this happen, just hopefully not on any sets you care about.

Since the matrix layout can vary from keyboard model to model, which 3 keys block each other varies. For example, the MX3200 model is the only Logitech has made that blocks on W+A+Space, making that keyboard not work well for gaming (can't move diagonally forward+left and jump at the same time in many games).

Perhaps the Illuminated Keyboard has this happen on n+'+t, so if you are typing quickly and don't release the N and ' before hitting T, the T isn't read. You can use KeyScan to easily test key combos.

If the problem is Key Blocking, there isn't any solution besides getting a different model.

[JasonSuave]

rlowens - that's really insightful information.

Unfortunately I've already returned the keyboards, but I will purchase another one just to run this test. If I find out that the "n ' t " keys are blocking each other, I presume that there is no software fix?

Also, would you think that Logitech would release another hardware iteration of this keyboard, given the "n ' t " keys probably aren't a very good combination of keystrokes to be blocking?

[rlowens]

If that is the problem, only a hardware re-design would correct it. I don't know if Logitech would bother or not.

[JasonSuave]

another interesting thing is that this keyboard has only been sold at Best Buys. You can't order it on Amazon, New Egg, or any other online retailer. Also, many of the Best Buys are running out of stock, and are showing the keyboard as being on Back Order.

I can't help but think that Logitech has already identified the issue, and that is why they're not releasing any more stock to Best Buys or any other online retailers.

[CJChew]

Hi,

Haven't received any official word on this, but it is something that will happen if a design fault was identified.