U key not working properly on Wooting One

[wary pumice]

Hello!

A few days ago, my U key started acting up and is now mostly unresponsive. Here's a list of what I’ve tried and what I’ve observed:

Things that I've tried:

Reconnected the keyboard multiple times.
Switched USB ports (from my KVM monitor directly to the PC).
Tried the keyboard throght the monitor in my Pixel 8 Pro.
Swapped the switch several times with known working ones.
Cleaned the socket (and the PCB) with 96% alcohol (a couple of times).
Updated the firmware and reset the keyboard via Wootility web.
I don't think there is rust/corrosion in the PCB or near the key socket, but tried to "clean" the sensor with a needle and I might have finally broken it (there is like a transparent layer that I might have scratched a bit

The U key fails to register about 95% of the time.
Occasionally, if I press the key very slowly, it gets detected.
If I remove the keycap and switch, the keyboard sometimes sees the switch as constantly pressed.
I've noticed that pressing nearby keys like 6 or I sometimes causes the U key to register as well, and these two keys (6 and I) sometimes are registered more than once per press.

I'm out of ideas, can you suggest me something else to try?

The keyboard is already 5y old (Aug 2020) so I understand it reached it's limit. Also, I have some old white PBT keycaps that I bought from Wooting for the Wooting One, will them work in a new 60HE+ or 80HE+?

Thanks in advance!

[silent ibex]

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[haughty token]

clear image of the pcb area under the u key

as close as possible

[wary pumice]

I would say this is the best I can get

[haughty token]

yeah so you scratched up the sensor good

also cant tell if I40 is broken on the right edge or if thats a scratch

looks like a chip or such

have you tried using your phone camera while its plugged in to see if I40 is as bright as the key next to it

(the phone camera will make the IR visible as a faint purple dot)

[wary pumice]

Oh, it was plged, gonna check and compare with the Y

I coldn't see an IR. Shold I try to take the pictre withor the leds/external light? Shold I se flash?

The Y key seems okay. If I remove the keycap and switch, the uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuj is printed, bt it needs an external sorce of light

What material is what covers the sensor? Do yo think if I se something really hot I can "remove" the scratches?

[haughty token]

no flash and rgb off

[haughty token]

no youd most likely just make it worse

the only real surefire solution id know would be replacing the components via soldering on new ones

[wary pumice]

How hard wold that be? And where cold I get a few of those sensors? I was thinking of bying either the 60HE or 80HE if I coldn't fix this

[haughty token]

idk where to actually get compatible sensors/diodes

and well it requires micro soldering skills

[wary pumice]

Never did that. Which discord chanel shold I se to ask qestions related to those two keboards?

[spring stag]

Also because you asked about the keycaps, the Flaretech switches also were Cherry MX, so they would work with new Wooting keyboards

[haughty token]

if you just want general info for 60he or 80he you can ask in #🌟│wooting80he

people there can give you experience they had and i guess basically reviews

[wary pumice]

Tried to see with the phone and 0 light (kb connected) if there was any IR light. I saw two dots near where the left sensor chip should be, but I can't say if one is brighter than the other. If I don't have light in the room and the Y and U switches off, it registers both. Anyways, thanks for the help, gonna try to get as mch info of both keyboards as I can and try to place an order soon