Thumbs keys from left half stopped working AGAIN.
Around a month ago I've created a post related to an issue that started to happen in my Bluetooth Corne: The thumbs from the left half suddenly stopped working: https://discord.com/channels/924164891990978570/1411162433963294811
At the time I removed the micro controller to investigate the issue and noticed that for some reason the pin 011 was not getting current.
As I was used to charge it with a magsafe style magnetic charger I accepted the fact that perhaps that could have caused a damage to this pin on the chip or something like that and ordered a new nine!nano.
When the new nice!nano arrived I just had to flash reset my right half and then flash the firmware again so both half could properly communicate with each other.
Everything started to work again, but that only lasted 1 month.
Yesterday the battery of the left half was getting close to 20% and I decided to plug the usb-c cable (I haven't been using magnetic charger anymore), and coincidentally or not the left half on the thumb keys stopped working again. So the magnetic charger not necessarily was the culprit the first time the issue happened.
I am quite disappointed to be honest to face the same issue. I have another wired Corne that I built myself years ago which to this date never failed while this Bluetooth one failed once again in such a short period.
Would like to know if anyone else ever faced the same issue. I am not sure if trying to re-flash the firmware could fix this as my assumption is that the charging should not affect whatever is stored in the flash memory.
Will attach 2 short videos showing the issues. The 2 main symptoms I can notice are:
- Left half thumb keys doesn't work at all.
- When I turn on the left half, sometimes it turns on with the Base layer activated, and sometimes it turns on with the Lower layer activated
Appreciate any help on this!
2 Replies
Sorry you’re dealing with this again — that’s super frustrating.
Two left-thumb keys failing together plus sometimes booting straight into the Lower layer almost always points to a single matrix line (one row or one column) issue on the left half. That’s hardware, not firmware, so re-flashing likely won’t fix it.
Quick checks to isolate:
- Pull both left thumb switches out and power on.
- If it still boots into Lower, that matrix line is being “held” by a short/bridge.
- If it stops doing that, swap in known-good switches; could be bent pins or socket contact.
- Identify which matrix line those two keys share, then inspect that exact line:
- Use the pin map on our Corne page to find the nice!nano pin for that row/column: https://docs.typeractive.xyz/build-guides/corne-wireless/troubleshooting
- Follow this guide: Rows/Columns Not Working: https://docs.typeractive.xyz/troubleshooting/rows-columns-not-working
- Reflow that nice!nano pin (both on the nano and the PCB header) at ~270–300°C.
- Check for solder bridges to neighboring pins.
- With power off, continuity-test from that nano pin to the affected socket pads; also check for shorts to GND or adjacent pins.
- For each affected key, also run through Single Key Not Working: https://docs.typeractive.xyz/troubleshooting/single-key-not-working
- Inspect/replace the switch, reflow hotswap socket pads, gently lift the gold spring contacts if flattened, and reflow/verify the nearby diode orientation.
Why the “Lower on boot” symptom? That layer key lives in the thumb cluster: if its matrix line is shorted or the switch/socket is registering as held at power-up, ZMK will start on that layer.
If you can tell me exactly which two thumb positions are failing (and whether removing those switches changes the boot-layer behavior), I can point you to the exact pin to check on the nice!nano. Feel free to reply here or tag me. If you need order help, email hello@typeractive.xyz.
Troubleshooting & Pinouts | Typeractive.xyz Documentation
If you're running into issues with your keyboard, check out our Troubleshooting page for common issues and solutions. If you're still having trouble, please reach out to use on Discord!
Row(s) or Column(s) Not Working | Typeractive.xyz Documentation
Fix row(s) or column(s) not working on your keyboard.
Single Key Not Working | Typeractive.xyz Documentation
Fix a single key not working on your keyboard.
None of the 3 thumb keys from pin 011 works. One of these keys are responsible to activate the Lower layer.
Sometimes it turns on with the Base Layer set, sometimes it starts with the Lower layer on. Not sure how this intermittency can be related to a shorted pin...