Ordered replacement Corne PCB, soldered it up. It's a totally different size!
I emailed this as well, but I thought I'd post it here in case the AI can give me a quick answer.
I ordered a replacement Corne PCB because of some dramas that happened with the last one which I ordered in May - the NiceNano died inexplicably mid-session and I tried to desolder it, with catastrophic results to the PCB. (I'd originally ordered the no solder headers, but they were appallingly bad and the board was failing constantly, so I just soldered the Nanos in with the headers that came with them.)
New PCB arrived today, and I’ve soldered it up with the EZ solder hotswap headers. So far so good: but when I went to insert the PCB in the premium case, I realised it’s a completely different size! It's much bigger than the original PCB, and doesn't fit the case. What gives! What now?
9 Replies
That definitely shouldn’t be “a completely different size” relative to a matching premium case, so something is off here.
A few quick checks you can do while you wait on the email reply:
1. Confirm the parts
- Is the new PCB definitely our Corne Wireless (Choc spacing, JST + power switch + nice!view footprints), not a Lily58 or a wired Corne from another vendor?
- Is the case the Corne Wireless premium case from us, not a standard Corne or different vendor case?
2. Check orientation
- PCB should drop in electronics-down, with the USB‑C cutout, power switch, and reset button lining up with the openings in the premium case.
- Don’t force it; if it’s clearly too long/too wide in any direction, that’s a compatibility/part mismatch, not a build mistake.
3. Compare old vs new PCB
- Lay the damaged old PCB on top of the new one:
- Are the outer switch positions in a different place?
- Are mounting holes in different spots?
- If the outlines don’t match, you almost certainly have a different PCB variant than your original.
Since I can’t see your order or photos from here and can’t change orders myself, the right path for resolving a wrong/mismatched part is exactly what you already did: emailing hello@typeractive.xyz. They can look up your May order and the recent replacement and sort out whether you received the wrong PCB or need a different case.
If you’re up for it, reply/tag me here with:
- A pic of the PCB sitting in (or on top of) the premium case
- A pic of old vs new PCB stacked
and I can help confirm what’s mismatched while support handles the order side.
@TyperAI Yeah, it's from you. Same as last time. "Corne Wireless Partially Assembled PCB × 1". Same product. Yes, it's the Corne Wireless premium case, from you. The PCBs are obviously different sizes, when I put them side by side
Got it, thanks for confirming the parts and that the two PCBs are visibly different.
Given that:
- You ordered the same item name
- The old PCB fit the premium case
- The new one is “much bigger” and doesn’t
that strongly points to a mismatched PCB variant or a wrong pull in packing, not anything you did while soldering.
A few things you can check that will help support fix this quickly:
1. Count the keys / columns
- How many columns across on the main alpha block of:
- the old PCB
- the new PCB
If they’re different, you likely have two different Corne variants. 2. Look for any text on the silkscreen - Anything like “5col”, “6col”, or a version number / revision on either PCB. 3. Post photos here if you can - Old vs new PCBs stacked - New PCB sitting on / in the premium case
That will make it pretty obvious whether this is a wrong PCB or the wrong case size. From my side I can’t see your orders or ship replacements; that has to go through hello@typeractive.xyz, but the info above (and photos) will make their job much easier and faster. In the meantime, don’t try to trim or modify the PCB or case—if it’s the wrong part, they’ll want it in original condition. Reply/tag me here with pics and those counts/markings and I can help confirm exactly what’s mismatched while the email is being handled.
If they’re different, you likely have two different Corne variants. 2. Look for any text on the silkscreen - Anything like “5col”, “6col”, or a version number / revision on either PCB. 3. Post photos here if you can - Old vs new PCBs stacked - New PCB sitting on / in the premium case
That will make it pretty obvious whether this is a wrong PCB or the wrong case size. From my side I can’t see your orders or ship replacements; that has to go through hello@typeractive.xyz, but the info above (and photos) will make their job much easier and faster. In the meantime, don’t try to trim or modify the PCB or case—if it’s the wrong part, they’ll want it in original condition. Reply/tag me here with pics and those counts/markings and I can help confirm exactly what’s mismatched while the email is being handled.
@TyperAI
I saw the tag, but I still need a bit more detail to tell what’s going on from here.
Since you confirmed both are “Corne Wireless Partially Assembled PCB” and the same premium case, the two most likely scenarios are:
- You have two different Corne variants (e.g. 5‑column vs 6‑column PCBs), or
- A wrong PCB revision/variant was picked when the replacement was packed. Can you grab a minute to check these and reply with the answers? 1. Column count (per half) - Old PCB: how many switch positions in the top row (ignoring the thumb keys)?
- New PCB: same question.
If one is 5 across and the other is 6, that alone explains the size difference. 2. Any text on the new PCB - Look for silkscreen like “5 col”, “6 col”, “6_col_corne”, a revision code, etc. - Same for the old PCB if it’s still readable. 3. Mounting / outline difference - When you stack the old PCB on top of the new one: - Is it just longer, or also wider? - Are mounting holes obviously in different spots? From my side I can’t see your photos unless they’re attached in Discord, and I also can’t change orders. Once we know if it’s a 5‑col/6‑col (or other) mismatch, the next step is still through hello@typeractive.xyz, but this info will help them get you the right combo (PCB vs premium case) instead of going back‑and‑forth. Reply/tag me with those details and I’ll help you interpret exactly what’s mismatched.
- A wrong PCB revision/variant was picked when the replacement was packed. Can you grab a minute to check these and reply with the answers? 1. Column count (per half) - Old PCB: how many switch positions in the top row (ignoring the thumb keys)?
- New PCB: same question.
If one is 5 across and the other is 6, that alone explains the size difference. 2. Any text on the new PCB - Look for silkscreen like “5 col”, “6 col”, “6_col_corne”, a revision code, etc. - Same for the old PCB if it’s still readable. 3. Mounting / outline difference - When you stack the old PCB on top of the new one: - Is it just longer, or also wider? - Are mounting holes obviously in different spots? From my side I can’t see your photos unless they’re attached in Discord, and I also can’t change orders. Once we know if it’s a 5‑col/6‑col (or other) mismatch, the next step is still through hello@typeractive.xyz, but this info will help them get you the right combo (PCB vs premium case) instead of going back‑and‑forth. Reply/tag me with those details and I’ll help you interpret exactly what’s mismatched.
@TyperAI both 6 col. The original one has a perforation where one can snap off the final column but the new one doesn’t. New one also says Corne Cherry v3.0.1. Old one says just Corne. New one is larger in both dimensions.
Thanks, that detail helps a lot.
If the new board is marked “Corne Cherry v3.0.1”, is physically larger in both dimensions, and your old one just said “Corne” with a snap‑off outer column, then you’re dealing with two different PCB designs. Your premium Corne Wireless case is cut for the smaller wireless PCB outline, so a larger “Corne Cherry v3.0.1”‑style board simply won’t fit mechanically.
Nothing you do in assembly will fix that mismatch – it’s not an orientation or standoff issue, it’s the PCB shape/size.
Next steps so support can fix this cleanly:
1. Reply to hello@typeractive.xyz (or your existing email thread) with:
- A photo of the old PCB stacked on the new one (showing the size difference).
- A photo of the new PCB sitting on/in the premium case.
- A close‑up showing the “Corne Cherry v3.0.1” marking.
2. Mention that:
- Both were ordered as “Corne Wireless Partially Assembled PCB”,
- Old PCB fit the premium case, new Corne Cherry v3.0.1 does not.
That gives them everything they need to verify and get you a PCB/case combo that match.
If you want, you can also compare visually with the PCB photos in the Corne Wireless guide:
https://docs.typeractive.xyz/build-guides/corne-wireless If you post or tag me with those photos here too, I can help double‑check the mismatch while support sorts out the order side.
https://docs.typeractive.xyz/build-guides/corne-wireless If you post or tag me with those photos here too, I can help double‑check the mismatch while support sorts out the order side.
Corne Wireless | Typeractive.xyz Documentation
Get introduced to the Corne Wireless and learn how to build one step by step.
@TyperAI Damn. I figured it out. I went back to the store, and spotted a "MX" vs "Choc" selector which I'd missed while was ordering. I just figured it only came in Choc, for various reasons including that's how it's marketed, with the premium case, etc.
So, I guess that's user error, although I'd argue it's a pretty easy error to make, that selector's pretty damn small on the page.
So much pain.
Yeah, that explains it perfectly.
- Your original board + premium case were for the Choc Corne Wireless.
- The new “Corne Cherry v3.0.1” PCB you ordered is the MX/Cherry version.
- MX PCBs are physically larger and laid out differently, so they cannot fit the Choc‑sized premium wireless case you already have. That’s why it’s bigger in both dimensions.
There’s nothing wrong with your soldering or the PCB; it’s just a mismatch of MX vs Choc ecosystem (PCB, plate, case all have to match the switch type).
Best path now:
1. Decide what you actually want to end up with:
- Choc build (reuse your existing premium case, plate, switches) → you need the Choc Corne Wireless PCB again.
- MX build → you’ll need MX‑compatible case/plate instead of your current Choc premium case.
2. Email hello@typeractive.xyz with:
- Both order numbers
- That you accidentally ordered the MX “Corne Cherry v3.0.1” PCB for a Choc premium Corne Wireless case
- Whether you want to stick with Choc or move to MX
They can tell you what swap/return options are possible; I can’t change orders myself.
If you’d like, reply/tag me before your next order and I can sanity‑check MX vs Choc and PCB/case compatibility with you.