I recently became the owner of a Kinesis Advantage360, and thought it would be fun to replace the awful Cherry MX Browns in my old Advantage2 keyboard with some decent switches. I had read online that you could purchase replacement empty PCBs from Kinesis, but when I contacted them I was told that they stopped selling them years ago :-(
Well then, guess I'll have to do it myself!
- Phillips-head screwdriver
- Soldering iron (I used the Pinecil, but any decent iron will do)
- Soldering iron holder and tip cleaner
- Desoldering pump (I highly recommend one with a silicone tip, like the Engineer SS-02)
- Solder wire (I used MG Chemicals 63/37 RA solder)
- Flush cutters
- Precision tweezers
- Multimeter (for testing, optional but highly recommended)
- Hot glue gun
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Switch opener (depending on switch choice, see "choosing a switch" below)
- 68x Cherry-compatible key switches (see "choosing a switch" below)
- 68x 1N4148 through-hole diodes
The Advantage2 has 68 keys. Of those, 12 are thumb cluster keys which are PCB mounted, so you will need to use 5-pin (also known as "PCB-mount") switches for those. The rest sit on a plastic frame and can be either 3- ("plate mount") or 5-pin switches.
Another factor to take into consideration when choosing a switch is the diode cutout. The Advantage2 uses diodes that are integrated into the key switches themselves. When replacing the switches, you will need to install new diodes. Some key switches have small pinholes at the bottom like the original switches, and you will need to open the switches to add new diodes. Other key switches have a wide cutout at the bottom, so you can solder the diodes directly onto the board and then install the switch on top.
All else equal, I would recommend getting switches with the wide diode cutout, as it makes soldering the keywell PCBs easier (half the pins that you need to align into the holes); plus it saves you the time of having to open the switches. The latter part might be less of a concern if you plan to open the switches anyways in order to lube them, however.
Finally, if you are replacing the switches with linears and you like to bottom out, consider the key travel distance when deciding on a switch. The switches I used (Gateron CJs) have a 4mm travel distance, and I found that some of the keys on the edges were a bit difficult to bottom out on with my pinkie finger. If I could go back in time, I would probably use Gateron Box CJs instead, as they have a shorter 3.4mm travel and actuate higher in the keystroke.
If your switches do not have the wide diode cutout at the bottom, you'll need to open them up and install the diodes inside. With the diode cutout facing down, install the diode such that the black marker is on the right.
Now is also the time to lube your switches, if you so desire. I won't get into the process for that here, as there are plenty of tutorials on the internet.
Start by removing all the keycaps and opening up the keyboard. Unscrew the thumb cluster and keywell PCBs, then carefully remove the ribbon cables (pull up on the white connectors to release the cables) before taking out the boards.
Take a look at the solder joints on your boards. See the bent diode legs that sit parallel to the PCB? Those will need to be bent upwards to be perpendicular to the PCB, as otherwise solder easily gets trapped beneath them. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP, as it significantly reduces the odds of accidentally ripping off a solder pad (I learned this the hard way). Simply use your soldering iron to heat up the solder, and while it's melted use your tweezers to bend the pins until they are facing straight up. Repeat this for all of the keys.
Now you're ready to desolder the keys. I recommend starting with the thumb clusters; they're fairly straightforward to remove - heat up the solder, use the pump to suck out the solder, and repeat for all 4 pins on each switch. Check that the pins move freely by gently poking at them; if you feel any resistance, DO NOT USE FORCE! Even if the hole looks clean, there may be solder keeping the pin attached underneath the board. Simply add more solder to the pad, which will ensure that all the solder is evenly melted, then come back in with the solder pump. Repeat until the switch is loose and simply pull it out.
If you are having trouble getting all of the solder out, try cleaning and lubricating your desoldering pump. For the Engineer SS-02 pump I used you're supposed to use silicone grease, but I personally just applied some WD-40 I had to a cotton swab and it worked fine.
Now we can move on to the keywells. This part can be somewhat tricky due to the flexible PCB, but fundamentally it's the same idea as the thumb clusters. I recommend doing one column at a time, gently prying the PCB away from the keys as you desolder. Remember: DO NOT USE FORCE! If the PCB is stuck, figure out which pin is keeping it in place and repeat the desoldering process.
Once you're done, you should be left with 4 empty PCBs and two plastic keywells with the switches hot glued in.
Apply some isopropyl alcohol to the areas with hot glue, and let it sit for about a minute. You can then simply pry off the hot glue (I used the flush cutters as heavy duty tweezers for this). Once that's done, pop out the old key switches and install the new ones.
Heat up your hot glue gun, and glue the switches into the plastic frame. If your switches have wide diode cutouts, take care to not get glue into the cutouts.
At this point, I strongly recommend using a multimeter in continuity mode to check that you haven't ripped off any of the pads. Simply probe all of the traces you see on the PCB (both sides) and ensure that they are still working. Take note of how the keys are connected - you'll quickly notice the "row" and "column" patterns. If you discover any pads that are broken, mark the pad and the adjacent pad that it's connected to; we'll fix it later.
If you installed the diodes within the switches (see "preparing the switches"), skip to the next section. Otherwise, now is the time to solder them to the PCBs. Ensure that the board is oriented correctly (when the side of the board with the switches, the OPPOSITE side that you just finished desoldering, is facing up, the black line should be on the right), and solder on the diodes. Make sure to pull them tightly against the board, or else they will interfere with the switches. The technique I used was to solder one leg in place, grab the diode by both legs, re-melt the solder joint, pull the diode such that it sits flush against the board, and let the solder solidify. Then simply solder the other leg in place. Cut off the excess leg length once you're done.
Compared to desoldering, resoldering the switches is a piece of cake. The most difficult part is getting the pins aligned into the holes in the keywells; use your tweezers to get them aligned. Unless you have 3 hands, it will probably be difficult to hold the PCB tight against the switches as you try to solder them in - I like to apply some solder directly to the iron, then use one hand to hold the PCB down and the other to hold the soldering iron. Note that when you do this, the joint will be poor due to the flux evaporating on the iron - once you've soldered in the neighboring pins, come back with some more solder and rework the solder joint.
If you discovered any pads earlier that were damaged during the desoldering process, now's the time to fix them. Just solder a wire between the pins on the damaged pad and the pad that it connects to (you DID note that down earlier, right..?)
Reinstall the PCBs into the keyboard, connect the ribbon cables, and connect it up to a computer! Make sure that all of the keys work (if not, see "fixing damaged pads") and you're done!
I also decided to dampen the keyboard's hollow sound by... adding a kitchen towel (cleaned, of course) into the keyboard. I don't know how it compares to some proper sound insulating material (I've seen Dynamat recommended), but I think it sounds pretty good, and the price is unbeatable ;-)
Finally, I replaced the keycaps with the Kinesis PBT keycap set. They sound way better, but more importantly, the key legends don't get caught on my fingernails while typing!
