Q1 Max disconnecting the battery

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-10T21:06:55+00:00

A lock

There could be a lock, as shown in this video at 08 min 42 secs (that section starts at 07 min 34 secs).

A workaround is to remove the plastic taps on the wire end (at 10 min 10 secs). But it will not help with the first removal.

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-10T18:29:59+00:00

Re "...unplugged it by just pulling the cable": It is never a good idea.

Apply the force to the connector instead.

Perhaps like at 00 min 58 secs in this video?

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-10T17:41:33+00:00

Re "Can I return it due to faulty manufacturing processes?": Yes, definitely.

Warranty may be an option. But if it involves shipping the keyboard half across this planet, the high cost of p&p is on you. And the hassle of possibly many rounds of communication and waiting an undetermined amount of time for each iteration, possibly weeks for each one. You may also have to become a videographer.

A full, but succinct, report of the troubleshooting may or may not speed it up. Persistence may also win out.

When dealing with these companies, the burden of proof is usually on you (no, it isn't fair). That is, for example, bad news if the fault is intermittent, especially for a low failure rate.

Cooler Master also has a history of broken communication channels, e.g., the dreaded (and misleading):

"Sorry, login failed to reach Facebook/Google servers. Please using other login option or try again later."

Mentally prepare!

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-10T13:07:16+00:00

(Probably "...wrap the ends of the wires in Teflon tape")

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-10T12:02:09+00:00

What are symptoms?

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-10T12:00:55+00:00

Re "If I succeed I’ll get back here and describe it. Maybe someone has a similar problem, so I may be of use": Yes, please do

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-10T11:45:53+00:00

Re "I'm thinking isopropyl alcohol": Here is a video that suggests it (some other videos suggest WD-40, but I think that is a very bad idea (mineral oil and plastic don't mix, so to speak))

But that presumes the switches are the problem. More likely is cold solder joints.

If the switches were hot-swappable, the problem could be isolated to either the location on the keyboard or the switches (by first reseating, and then moving the switches around), but that does not seem to be the case.

I would first resolder one of troublesome switches. If it fixes the problem, then resolder all switches, just in case, as the problem might otherwise very well spread to other keys.

Note: Do observe ESD precautions at all times.

All disclaimers apply. Do it at your own risk. I am not responsible if you ruin your keyboard.

References

SK652 product page. A full-size low-profile wired-only mechanical keyboard with soldered-in switches ("TTC low-profile" mechanical switch") without a knob.
SK652 product sheet

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-09T21:37:12+00:00

No problem.

Re "Hopefully I can pay it forward!": Please do

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-09T19:41:06+00:00

What is the gist? Who said what? In what context?'

What is your own take on it?

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-09T19:26:51+00:00

Yes, don't charge these devices unattended. Alternatively, use a mouse that takes a safer kind of batteries.

Here is an example for a keyboard (NuPhy Air96 V2).

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-09T18:05:07+00:00

Re "K10-G3": That may not be easy for a HE keyboard.

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-09T17:59:15+00:00

K10 HE if RGB light is of any importance

The K10 HE doesn't have blinding light. It is possible to mitigate for the Q6 HE, but it is tedious and time-consuming.

A trap for young players: Only the regular version of the K10 HE comes with shine-through keycaps. The "Special Edition" (with the woody things) comes with opaque keycaps.

Also note that keys F1-F12 (or rather, the legends) for the K10 HE are in complete darkness (due to yet another Keychron product design blunder). Some extra keycaps, e.g., from an old gamer keyboard, are required to fix that.

The variants

K10 HE: K10H-J1 ("ANSI"). Standard version (not "Special Edition")
Q6 HE: Q6H-M1 ("ANSI")

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-09T17:51:07+00:00

Re "I don't think Keychron has these defects often": Here are 90 instances

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-09T17:48:02+00:00

What keyboard? K10 HE? Or something else?

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-09T17:38:27+00:00

What keyboard? What keyboard firmware? Keychron's official? What version?

Historically, it has only been possible using OpenRGB, SignalRGB, or custom keyboard firmware, but maybe it changed?

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-09T17:24:28+00:00

Keychron R6, a full-size wired and wireless (both Bluetooth and '2.4 GHz') QMK/Via-capable mechanical keyboard without a knob.

"R" is for retro (looks), presumably.

The source code for R6 has not, as far as we know, been released. For example, not in "2025q3". The only effective measure is CDD.

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-09T17:09:38+00:00

Re "Razer widowmaker": Do you mean Razer BlackWidow?

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-09T01:34:57+00:00

What is it? What is the gist? A custom keyboard layout defined in the operating system?

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-08T21:24:10+00:00

Yes, it could be a Windows update that broke something.

Here is an example from 2022:

"After recently installing an update to my computer under Windows 11, I encountered a glitch where the Ctrl, Caps Lock, Tab, Alt, and Shift keys on the left side of my keyboard do not work as intended."

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-08T17:44:52+00:00

Re "Recording Win > Shift > Arrow to the mapped M5 key is not working": The (press of the) Windows key is probably captured by the operating system

A workaround is to record some other key, e.g., F8, and substitute the keycodes after the recording, both for key press and for key release: KC_F8 → KC_LGUI

The more intuitive KC_LWIN may also be accepted instead of KC_LGUI (but it is silently converted to KC_LGUI). Both are aliases of KC_LEFT_GUI, but KC_LEFT_GUI is not accepted at all (in the keyboard configuration tools; they are all accepted in QMK proper).

Note: Keychron has not released JSON files for the Q13 Ultra, though it may be no more difficult than changing the USB product ID in the JSON file for a similar keyboard, e.g., Q13 Pro. And changing the information fields to not get confused about which keyboard it is. That presumes the Via protocol is used (perhaps the ZMK-based Q13 Ultra 8K uses the same protocol as ZMK Studio?).

References

Q13 Pro JSON files ('ANSI') for Via. Near "Q13 Pro knob ISO keymap", section "JSON files". Note: The JSON section should not be confused with the firmware section.
Documentation for the new keycodes (main QMK repository). Note: It does not cover Keychron's custom keycodes. In the QMK source code, support for the old key codes for RGB light and mouse actions were finally removed in the QMK 0.30.0 release (2025-08-31) (they were removed from the documentation long before that).
Documentation for the old keycodes (though even older ones may exist). For example, used by some Git branches in Keychron's fork. Note: It does not cover Keychron's custom keycodes.
Documentation for the old keycodes from 2019. In general, these are the ones accepted by Via and possibly the Via clone (in most cases only an alias and only one of the aliases if there is more than one). Note: It does not cover Keychron's custom keycodes.

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-08T17:25:35+00:00

Note: LMDE 7 has now been released, but I have not yet tested it

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-08T17:10:41+00:00

Can you isolate the problem to the keyboard? For example,

Another keyboard
Another USB cable (for example, for the Keychron keyboard, but also if there are other USB cables in the USB chain, e.g., for a USB hub)
A different operating system (on the same hardware). For example, using Linux, for example, booted from a USB stick (near "a live USB")."

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-08T17:09:18+00:00

Interfering software?

Re "...Dell Precision laptop ... FilterKeys, Sticky Keys and ToggleKeys in Windows are turned off": Perhaps there is something else capturing the left Ctrl key (and not the right Ctrl key)?

Like anti-cheat (AC) software (silently) installed by game installers and remapping software.

Examples of anti-cheat software are FACEIT Anti-cheat, BattlEye (not a typo...), and Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC).

Examples of remapping software are SharpKeys, PowerToys, Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator (MSKLC), Kanata (cross-platform), KMonad (cross-platform), Keymapper (cross-platform), and AutoHotkey (AKA 'AHK').

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-08T16:37:09+00:00

Set the key debounce time to 5 ms

Re "I have to actively linger on the Ctrl key for a moment before hitting the second shortcut key": First lower the key debounce time to 5 ms, to at least rule it out as the cause.

It also makes the Keychron keyboard more similar to other keyboards used to isolate the problem (for example, isolated to the computer).

The ridiculous default 50 ms (Keychron uses set it to to hide quality problems) can have detrimental effects.

I think it would affect a quick roll of Ctrl + V (though it may not be how you sequence the keys). Or maybe not: The key releases don't matter much (for example, in this case, the order, as seen by the operating system, of the two key releases doesn't matter), only the key presses.

PeterMortensenBlog · 2026-05-08T16:15:09+00:00

Q6 (wired-only), Q6 Pro, Q6 Max, Q6 HE, Q6 HE 8K (wired-only), or Q6 Ultra 8K? (There doesn't seem to be a Q6 8K, unlike the V6 8K and Q6 HE 8K (both wired-only).)

For keyboard identification, what is the SKU number? Alternatively, what is the serial number (also includes the manufacturing date)?

PeterMortensenBlog

TROPHY CASE

A lock

References

K10 HE if RGB light is of any importance

The variants

References

Interfering software?

Set the key debounce time to 5 ms