remilton Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 With the new logo fiasco and the RGB keyboard disaster Corsair's reputation has without a doubt taken a hit recently. I'm no longer comfortable buying a Corsair product without reading extensive reviews and I won't be recommending their products to anyone anytime soon. I think they have overcome the logo issue. Corsair has one of the most professional looking and solidly built gaming keyboards on the market, RGB or otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proffo Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Corsair has one of the most professional looking and solidly built gaming keyboards on the market, RGB or otherwise. True, but looks can be deceiving. The non RGB models are known to have issues with LED failure. I need not repeat what the RGB ones are known for. It's a real shame, because if the software was a bit better to start with (as far as I can tell, the update to CUE seems to have sorted the major issues) and there was no flicker, there would be no debate as to which is the best RGB keyboard on the market. Maybe it still is the best on the market, but it's not suprising that Corsair have lost trust amongst some people. They kept us waiting quite a long time for "fast and fluid 16.8million colour animation", which hasn't really been delivered. There seemed to be a reluctance to be honest with customers and tell us about the lack of colours in the first place and then why the update was taking so long, and what the outcome was going to be. There were shortcomings in the hardware design, but went into production anyway, and tried to keep the issue as quiet as possible. Offering refunds isn't exactly great customer service, it's what they'd have to do in order to prevent even more widespread damage to their reputation. I hope there is a version 2 of this keyboard, because I'd like to own one. In the meantime, I've just ordered a "pretend" mechanical keyboard, which I'm sure won't be quite a good to type on and hasn't got LED lighting, but at least I can use the refund to buy version 2, if it ever appears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remilton Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 The non RGB models are known to have issues with LED failure. That brings up a very interesting point. Corsair claims the Cherry switches with the top mounted LED are prone to failure due to static discharge. I postulate that the problem is not with the leds, but with Corsair's circuitry design causing the problem. I own a DECK Legend keyboard (toxic green) with black Cherry switches that is several years old and I have never had an led failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proffo Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 That brings up a very interesting point. Corsair claims the Cherry switches with the top mounted LED are prone to failure due to static discharge. I postulate that the problem is not with the leds, but with Corsair's circuitry design causing the problem. I own a DECK Legend keyboard (toxic green) with black Cherry switches that is several years old and I have never had an led failure. I think it would be more to do with the physical arrangement and properties of the switches, LEDs and key caps, rather than the actual circuitry. The LEDs will be effectively earthed through the wiring back to the PC. Any static build up, either in the user or the key cap/switch itself could discharge to earth via the LED (which is the closest electrical conductor to the key cap). This is likely to damage the LED if the static discharge is strong enough. Altering the circuitry that powers the LED is unlikely to solve the issue in my opinion, unless it can be well isolated from earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remilton Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I think it would be more to do with the physical arrangement and properties of the switches, LEDs and key caps, rather than the actual circuitry. The LEDs will be effectively earthed through the wiring back to the PC. Any static build up, either in the user or the key cap/switch itself could discharge to earth via the LED (which is the closest electrical conductor to the key cap). This is likely to damage the LED if the static discharge is strong enough. Altering the circuitry that powers the LED is unlikely to solve the issue in my opinion, unless it can be well isolated from earth. Still, some KB companies apparently don't have this problem even with the same CHERRY MX switches. I describe circuity to include copper traces between switches and any diodes and resisters and ground plane. Not just the chip set. It is a mute point for RGB KB owners though because of the new switch design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proffo Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I describe circuity to include copper traces between switches and any diodes and resisters and ground plane. I still think that the design of the circuitry has little or nothing to do with any LED failure due to static. Several thousand volts of static will simply discharge itself through any components that are connected directly, or indirectly to ground. I dare say that the cathode of the LEDs in a keyboard are directly connected to ground, which is probably connected directly to the PC's ground via the USB cable. If the keyboard user is carrying a static charge, pressing a key may cause the static to discharge through the key cap to the nearest conductor, which could be the LED underneath the key cap. Maybe the LEDs that Corsair have been using are more prone to ESD damage, or it could be to do with the design and materials used in the key caps. It is hard to know for sure what is causing the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 The leds are probably working themselves loose when striking the keys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remilton Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 The leds are probably working themselves loose when striking the keys Absolutely not. The leds are soldered thru hole. I have repaired my K90 twice and no loose components or bad connections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proffo Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 The leds are probably working themselves loose when striking the keys If that was the case, total LED failure would almost certainly be preceded by intermittent loss of lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 these are not regular leds, they are very sensitive. thats why banging the keys puts the colour back to normal thats a soldering or led fault not a software one, which is something you shouldnt have to do for a premium piece of hardware, so for this reason ive decided to send mine back to corsair for a refund, i dont want another as i know it will have the same problems, just gonna have to bite my tongue and buy the logitech rgb keyboard. Its a shame i have always used corsair ssds memory and cases with zero issues but this keyboard has more problems than its worth. the razer uses 3mm tried and tested leds used since the 80s that are much brighter and dont suffer from any static damage either, if they did they wouldnt fit them to tvs remote controls etc that get in full contact with the fingers all the time, none of the led problems the corsair keyboards have are related to static, its all down to the leds themselves and there tolerance. I will continue to buy corsair ssds cases and memory but i will never buy another keyboard again, certainly not an led one anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remilton Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 these are not regular leds, they are very sensitive. thats why banging the keys puts the colour back to normal thats a soldering or led fault not a software one, which is something you shouldnt have to do for a premium piece of hardware, so for this reason ive decided to send mine back to corsair for a refund, i dont want another as i know it will have the same problems, just gonna have to bite my tongue and buy the logitech rgb keyboard. Its a shame i have always used corsair ssds memory and cases with zero issues but this keyboard has more problems than its worth. This discussion was not about the RGB leds. Besides I have had no problem with the RGB leds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 This discussion was not about the RGB leds. Besides I have had no problem with the RGB leds. you will do trust me, your keyboard is no different than anyone elses, the white levels are all over the place for starters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remilton Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 you will do trust me, your keyboard is no different than anyone elses, the white levels are all over the place for starters I think you are expecting too much from the technology. White is absolutely the hardest color to produce. Being as the three colors RGB do not come from a singular point but are offset a considerable distance from one another. I agree the white is a bit pink, but red leds are naturally the brightest leds. I am sure this could be adjusted in firmware, but again since it is not a single point source a different color may dominate. All colors have this problem, it is just more obvious with white. It may just be a limitation of the technology. Look over the top of your keys and down onto the leds and you will see the individual led colors well separated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 No, the problem is the leds themselves, razer uses standard 3mm leds which are much brighter and have better diffusion, the leds razer use are diffused, meaning the colour gets mixed accurately. Only thing that bums me about it is the fact the space bar doesnt light up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proffo Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 these are not regular leds, they are very sensitive. thats why banging the keys puts the colour back to normal thats a soldering or led fault not a software one, which is something you shouldnt have to do for a premium piece of hardware, so for this reason ive decided to send mine back to corsair for a refund, i dont want another as i know it will have the same problems, just gonna have to bite my tongue and buy the logitech rgb keyboard. A few things to point out. I don't know what you mean by "very sensitive". Are you suggesting that is the LEDs are exposed to fairly low levels of mechanical force, they'll change colour ? I doubt that's the case, but I might be wrong. I think it's much more likely to be a soldering or PCB connection problem. I`ve also sent mine back due to faulty LEDs and the flickering in 16.8m colour mode. However, I'm not sure how you know that you'd have the same problem if you got a replacement keyboard. Yes it's more likely to have the same problem again if it's happened more than once with a product, but I don't think that this is yet a widespread issue, so at the moment it appears that just a few of us have been unlucky with faulty LEDs. Hopefully Corsair have learned a few lessons, and are planning "v2" of the product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 After seeing a few posts i dont know what to do now, send back for refund or replacement, seems a very strong case of hardware failure to me though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proffo Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 After seeing a few posts i dont know what to do now, send back for refund or replacement, seems a very strong case of hardware failure to me though It is hardware failure. I think it's safe to assume (at the moment), that you and I have been unlucky with the hardware. Maybe LED failure will become a common issue, but only time will tell. I was a bit undecided what to do, but went for the refund in the end. I liked the K70 RGB, and I would have been happy to "take a chance" on a replacement. However, I did not like the wait for Corsair to get the software/firmware sorted, and more so that when we did get 16.8m colours, we also got flicker. I didn't spend £140 on a keyboard expecting to have to wait over six months for a feature to become available that still didn't work as expected. The faulty LEDs didn't help, but I'd would have just got the keyboard repaired or replaced if it wasn't for the lack of colour episode. I've got the refund, and I'm waiting to see if any manufacturer can come up with a product that deserves the expense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Fair point, was yours the original corsair logo one like mine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proffo Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Fair point, was yours the original corsair logo one like mine? Mine had the new logo, but I doubt that makes any difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Fair enough, just wondered if the hardware was slightly different, ill give it one more go and get it replaced, corsair are good though they didnt hesitate to offer me my money back. If it happens again ill get a refund and buy the Razer RGB Ill put in for a replacement from overclockers.co.uk on monday, as i say build wise no other keyboard comes close. and i do like the media & rotary volume controls which the razer doesnt have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proffo Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Fair enough, just wondered if the hardware was slightly different, ill give it one more go and get it replaced, corsair are good though they didnt hesitate to offer me my money back. If it happens again ill get a refund and buy the Razer RGB Ill put in for a replacement from overclockers.co.uk on monday, as i say build wise no other keyboard comes close. and i do like the media & rotary volume controls which the razer doesnt have I considered getting the razer, but there are reports of key switch quality issues. I might be asking a bit much, but when spending >£100 on a keyboard, all I expect it to do is to work as stated, and be reliable. Yes, there will be the odd fault here and there, but I'd still expect few reports of problems and a good lifespan. If Corsair come up with a new RGB keyboard with good lighting and reliability, I'll pay the asking price. I'm now using a very nice "budget" keyboard. No LEDs to go wrong, and it has "pretend" mechanical keys. It isn't quite so nice to type on as the K70 with Brown switches, but it's much better than any other membrane keyboard I`ve used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
istrasci Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 You don't have to be in the UK to get a refund. This is open to everyone who has our keyboard that purchased it from an authorized retailer and is in effect until the warranty period ends. Just so I don't have to dig through my closet to find the documentation, how long is the warranty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexxor Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Just so I don't have to dig through my closet to find the documentation, how long is the warranty? 2 years is written on the back of my K70 RGB's box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nintenrax Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 I must admit that I'm quite dissapointed about this. The flickering bothers me too much to use the 16.8m mode in any of my dynamic profiles. I hope further optimisation will be brought to the mode, but I fear the worst. What I would at least like to see is being able to link the 16.8m mode to a certain lighting mode. This way I could make my static modes automatically use the 16.8m mode, while my dynamic modes do not. This would save me the hassle of having to switch the color mode each time I switch my lighting mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azreil24 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Hi. It seems that I don't have the flicker problems but instead the colors seem faded, even compared to my M65 RGB. At first I said OK, leave it as it is, but now I just bought the M65 RGB and this one has a real Blue color. I usually use the Blue color to match the theme of my PC, and comparing the K70 to the mouse or the Blue LEDs from my PC, the keyboard's blue seems less vivid, tends to be a little wither. Sorry for my bad explanation. And this is not the only color with problems, but using Blue as a general theme is easily to notice the difference. After paying allot of money for this KB I'm kind of disappointed. Unfortunately I don't have a good camera that would capture the color difference. I previously owned the first K70 KB, the silver one, with blue LEDs, and those were truly the right kind of Blue, apart for being allot brighter than the ones from the RGB version. If the M65 had the same Blue tint, I could have said that it was a general thing, but the difference is easily noticeable. I'm even thinking of returning it, but here in Romania, the store will not help with "small" problems like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.