Spent 4 hours chasing a ghost in VIA layout

I was trying to get a custom split spacebar working on my new build and kept getting random key presses. Turns out I had a bad solder joint on the right side that only showed up when the board flexed a tiny bit. Has anyone else spent way too long debugging something that was just a cold joint?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_wesley4h ago

Man that hurts to read because I just did the same thing with a Corne build last week. I spent like 6 hours swapping switches and flashing firmware thinking my layout file was corrupted. Turns out one of the diode legs on the left thumb cluster was barely touching the pad. I even reflowed every joint twice before I noticed the one stupid diode that looked fine but was just sitting there like a lazy friend. The worst part is that I kept blaming the PCB software like QMK or VIA was out to get me. Always the hardware man, always the simple dumb hardware mistake.

angela1911h ago

Lazy friend diode is the perfect way to put it. I swear hardware gremlins wait until you've tried every software fix first before they reveal themselves. The diode that "looks fine" is always the one that reminds you soldering is basically witchcraft.