Do you have any options to save this keyboard?
Do you have any options to save this keyboard?
I really enjoy my CM devastator keyboard, but recently, without warning, the first three keys on all three rows would type together—like typing "w" would produce "qwe," or "z" would type "zxc." I removed the keys and cleaned everything as much as possible, but the problem persisted. I thought it was likely damaged, so I tried pouring a bit of alcohol into the holes for all nine keys to see if that helped. It didn’t completely solve the issue. After letting it dry, I plugged it back in and everything worked fine, so I cleaned each key individually and reinstalled it. The keyboard looked nearly new, but after reinserting it, certain keys stopped working, backspace had no effect, 'q' opened the search bar, and random keys behaved erratically. I was puzzled since all nine keys had worked after cleaning them with alcohol beforehand, and they were completely dry before being put back. These problems even affected my backup keyboard—Q would open the search bar, backspace didn’t help, and 'q' caused issues. Eventually, I found a workaround by pressing alt+win together while plugged in. It partially fixed it; now backspace works again, the 'q' key stops opening the search bar, but 'q' itself still doesn’t function properly. The newer CM Devastator 3 costs $45, and I only have the option of a used RII rk108 board for $16 on Amazon. I’d really like to keep my current keyboard if anyone has suggestions for fixing it.
There are actions you can take:
1) Test the keyboards on another functioning computer. Explore different known working keyboards on your own machine. Check if the issues persist or shift to specific keyboards.
(It seems you've already tried this with the backup keyboard, which suggests the problem lies with the computer itself.)
2) Download the keyboard drivers from the manufacturer's site. Reinstall and adjust settings. This might be necessary for both the primary and backup keyboards. Avoid third-party tools.
3) Use the built-in Windows troubleshooters to investigate and resolve the issue.
There are several options you can consider:
1) Test the keyboards on another functioning computer. Explore alternative working keyboards on your own machine. Check whether the issues persist or shift to different devices.
(It seems you have already tried this with the backup keyboard, which suggests the problem lies with the original device.)
2) Download the drivers from the manufacturer’s site and reinstall them. This should apply to both the primary and backup keyboards. Avoid third-party tools.
3) Utilize the built-in Windows troubleshooters. They might identify and resolve the issue.
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Thanks for your response! I only attempted the alcohol bath after thinking it was hopeless. I thoroughly cleaned the rubber buttons under the keys, and so on, but the issue kept happening. I thought the bath would simply ruin it, but it wasn’t usable anyway, so it felt like a last resort. Lol, just a final attempt.
Once it worked, I was quite pleased until I spent over eight hours scrubbing every key to restore it to its original condition, then plugged it back in and got an unexpected outcome.
From what I understand, there aren’t any drivers for the board—it’s a plug-and-play device. I did check some sources online, including Google, but found no driver issues. However, since it’s plug-and-play, my guess is that the driver software remains active on the keyboard somehow, so it doesn’t need to be installed. Maybe that’s not accurate, and I’ll verify by visiting the Cooler Master website and see what I find. I’ll report back if I discover any drivers.
I tried pouring alcohol into it, thinking it might have broken the device or chip, but that didn’t help. The keyboard still worked, but all the keys were in caps unless I enabled caps lock. It felt like a shift key was stuck, even though I removed them completely. Turning caps lock on made it type in caps again, and number keys produced symbols instead of numbers. That strongly suggests a shift-related problem.
I updated the PC, and it functioned correctly there too—though the keys still typed in caps without any changes.
If I haven’t replied in about ten minutes, the troubleshooter still didn’t detect any keyboard issues.
I also tried it on another computer; it worked there but not on mine. The keys were responsive, but they always displayed in caps unless I activated caps lock. They also produced symbols instead of numbers when using number keys. It seems like a shift issue.
Update: I brought it back to my PC and it’s behaving the same now. No longer launching apps or needing to press alt+Win before using it, but it still types in caps and can’t be fixed by adjusting the rubber underneath the keys.
Update2: Pressing either the shift key makes it type normally. So it looks like a stuck shift key, even though it seems to work otherwise?
It’s definitely past warranty time, though. They don’t make this model anymore. It’s the original Cooler Master Storm Devastator. The only one currently in production is the Devastator 3. I’ve owned this PC since I built it in 2018—actually, I think it came from the PC I built before that one, around 2014. I’m not entirely sure, but it’s old. It’s time for a replacement. I really like this keyboard, though—I’m broke and can’t afford the $45 Devastator 3. I’m just hoping to salvage it, but honestly, it probably has already reached the end of its lifespan.
I don’t have much experience with keyboards. I can assemble computers and handle hardware troubleshooting if needed, but beyond that, I’m pretty basic. Just go for it!
I'll just call it done. I hate this backup keyboard, it's not even imitation mech, it's just like a 5 dollar keyboard from walmart. But I'll just use this and save up for a couple weeks instead of buying a cheaper keyboard I don't like as much.
I guess I'm a cheap ass.... It's not only that I don't have the extra money now, it's that it literally makes me sick to my stomach to spend that much on a keyboard. I paid $20 for my devastator. Devastator 3 is exactly the same, but with RGB color is and more than double the price, I'm only ever gonna have it set to red to match my case, so RGB is pointless. In my head, that tells me it's only worth $20, but I'm gonna sit here and pay $45 for it and that just makes my stomach turn lol.
I'll go ahead and pick your answer, it didn't really solve it, but it made me realize I need to quit wasting all my time trying to get this to work, I spent all day friday and all day yesterday trying to get it to work and cleaning it up real nice, and as old as it is, I just figure there's nothing left to do but buy something at double it's worth lol.
I checked ebay, used original Devastator's like mine are going for $18. So, if they were being made/sold today, I imagine the price would be up to 40+ for a new one of those as well. The prices of everything these days just makes me sick.... I could justify in my head buying a $16 rii keyboard. I'll justify the dev3 by telling myself I was willing to pay 16 for a keyboard that'd break in a year so it'd be silly not to spend 45 on a keyboard that'll last at least 4+ years, possibly 8+ if I'm correct that I bought it in 2014 instead of 18.
I want a mechanical keyboard with a cool shape & wrist rest like the devastator. Devastator DOES make a real mech keyboard.... But it's $198. lol. I've got a $200 Ryzen 5 3600 cpu cuz I'm poor..... I'm not gonna pay the same amount for a keyboard, that'd be insane. lol. Maybe I'll get a $200 keyboard when I have a $2000 cpu. lol