[solved] totem right half lost some columns | ZMK | Page 1

verbal jungle Oct 16, 2025, 11:06 AM

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I have had a working Totem for around a year. I keep the Xiaos plugged in to USB (power only, connecto voer BT) because I didn't get round to adding the battery. Excellent experience so far.

Today, I lost all of the right half of the right hand split half. Col 0 and 1 seem to have completely gone but Col2 is intermittent. I have checked continuity of keyswitch holders back to the xiao. Rows must be fine because all keys on C3 and C4 work fine.

I have inspected the board for damage or shorts from dust and can't see anything. I have reset firmware on both halves. I have removed the affected keyswitches and tested each socket with a known-good switch. None are working.

Please could the collective suggest some proportional next-steps? Photos to follow.

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USB cables are power-only, no data.

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Hmm. C0 and C1 pins shorted to GND somehow....

sturdy edge Oct 16, 2025, 11:34 AM

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the short of it is that using this keyboard while plugged into USB makes electrostatic discharge events much more likely to damage it
there is basically one clear path to ground: through the Xiao

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(your next step, IMO, would be a Xiao replacement)
some prior ESD discussion: #hardware message

verbal jungle Oct 16, 2025, 3:18 PM

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The fix was a replacement Xiao, flash firmware with CONFIG_ZMK_SETTINGS_RESET_ON_START=y and then normal firmware, re-pair with PC. Thanks for homing me in @sturdy edge - I would have procrastinated about the effort of a board-swap if you hadn't chimed in, so that saved me time in the long run. Now to order a replacement for the Xiao so I have another on-hand and maybe get round to that battery fit.

#[solved] totem right half lost some columns