Basic Troubleshooting

Are you experiencing an issue with your keyboard and are unsure of the cause? This article provides a step-by-step process to troubleshoot a Wooting keyboard.

Spill response

It is essential to disassemble and clean the keyboard immediately. If the liquid was sticky, use isopropyl alcohol and Q-tips to carefully and methodically clean the PCBA.

Make sure to clean the PCBA to avoid permanent damage from corrosion. Focus on areas that are not protected by the "anti-spill" coating, such as the USB-C connector and spacebar pinholes.

Clean both the top and the bottom of the PCBA.

Once the visible liquid has been removed and the residue cleaned, allow the keyboard to dry out and air for at least several hours before plugging it back in.

If you've successfully saved your keyboard from liquid damage, you may still need to relube your switches.

Basic Hardware Troubleshooting

Recalibration and Power Cycling

Tried and true basic troubleshooting for all electronics: When in doubt, turn it off and back on again.

• Unplug the keyboard
• Wait 5 seconds
• Plug the keyboard back in
  • Don't touch any keys for 10 seconds

Cable and USB Connection Check

To diagnose a problem with power delivery, check the following:

• Use the provided USB cable or the Wooting brand Detachable Cable to ensure consistent power delivery.
  • Low quality or especially long cables may provide an inconsistent voltage to the keyboard.
• Ensure that the keyboard side of the USB cable is firmly plugged into the keyboard and does not wiggle.
• Ensure that the computer side of the USB cable is plugged directly into the motherboard.
  • Avoid using a USB Hub.
    • Powered USB hubs are typically fine, but for troubleshooting avoid them also.
  • Try several USB ports on the back of the computer.
  • If using a laptop, ensure that the laptop is plugged in and not running on battery.

Try a Different Computer

If the issue with not related to the keyboard, it could be an issue with the particular computer it is plugged into.

• The most common culprit is the computer running some kind of 3rd party software that is interfering with the keyboard's function.

If a different computer in a different location doesn't experience an issue, the problem could be related to the physical environment.

• Check that there are no magnets or magnetic surfaces near to the keyboard.
• Take note if there are high-powered electronic appliances in the direct vicinity of the keyboard, such as a refrigerator or air conditioner. These may cause electromagnetic interference.

Basic Software and Firmware Troubleshooting

Factory Reset and Keyboard Restore

Reset your keyboard to factory settings via the following guide:

https://help.wooting.io/article/90-how-to-restore-reset-my-wooting-one-or-wooting-two-flaretech

Software and Firmware Conflicts

Ensure that there is no other software that may be interrupting the keyboard's functionality, by fully closing and disabling software such as:

• RGB controlling software
  • SignalRGB
  • Artemis
  • Razer Chroma
• Case fan software
  • Corsair iQue
  • Lian-li software
  • Logitech Ghub
• Software that overrides hotkeys or specific key combinations
  • Nvidia Shadowplay
  • Games that disable the windows key

Try the Wootility Beta

The Beta Wootility has the most up to date hotfixes and improvements. These have been tested and are generally recognized as safe, but since it is beta software, you may experience quirks.

You can find the Wootility Beta software via this link:

https://beta.wootility.io

Software Issues may required Hardware Solution

Stable power delivery to the keyboard is critical for its function. When unstable voltage is received, the keyboard can show odd behavior. If you experience a weird quirk that you expect to be related to software or firmware, it is often worth going through the troubleshooting steps related to USB ports, cables, and power delivery just to rule that out.

Physical and Mechanical Adjustments

Bent Case or Slanted PCBA

If the keyboard case appears bent or misaligned, you can use a Philips head PH1 screwdriver to adjust the case screws.

Occasionally, the PCBA will be screwed in too tightly into the plastic case at the manufacturer, and may cause the plastic to warp and therefore not sit flat on a desk.

• Check to see if simply unscrewing and then rescrewing the PCBA into the case resolves the issue.

Please consult the Case Swap Tutorial for assistance.

Single Key or Single Switch Issues

If a single key is not behaving as expected, first power cycle the keyboard to force a recalibration

• Unplug the keyboard
• Wait 5 seconds
• Plug the keyboard back in
  • Don't touch any keys for 10 seconds

If that doesn't resolve the issue, check that no software is blocking the key functionality.

• A common example is Nvidia Shadowplay taking over a hotkey combination.
• Check that the function is correctly bound to the key in Wootility. Often people will reverse CTRL and FN buttons, but not update Wootility to reflect that change.

The next step is to swap out the affected key's switch for a replacement.

• All keyboards come with either 2 or 4 replacement switches, in case any ever get damaged.

If you need additional replacement switches beyond the provided ones, please reach out to our support.

LEDs and Accessories

The LEDs for Wooting keyboards are covered by warranty for 2 years, even if the keyboard itself has a 4 year warranty.

• If you receive a keyboard with a defective LED on arrival (within the first 30 days) then you are eligible for a complete unit replacement.
• If your keyboard develops an issue with the LEDs within 2 years of receiving it, then you are eligible for a replacement PCBA to swap it out.

It is also possible to address a valid LED warranty claim in a different way if it doesn't bother you. This may be preferable to you if for example a blue LED dies but your setup is red themed and isn't impacted. Alternative compensation options include:

• Free wrist rest of choice, LED warranty expires.
• $20/€20 in store credit, LED warranty expires.
• $10/€10 in direct cash refund, LED warranty expires.

Similar compensation schemes can be applied to other kinds of warranty cases, especially for accessories. Wooting is conscientious of our impact on the environment when shipping units with minor defects back to our RMA portal and then shipping replacement units back. If this is something that you're willing to consider, we encourage your to discuss this with our customer service team.

Getting Warranty Support

Our customer service team is there to assist you in troubleshooting any potential issue you may have, and can provide warranty support where appropriate.

To make this process seamless and as rapid as possible, please use the email address that is associated with the order and provide the following information in your request:

1. Keyboard serial number
2. Order number
3. Picture or video of the problem.
   1. consider uploading the video as unlisted on Youtube since most email providers have file size limitations.
4. Mention any modifications or customization that you've done with your keyboard.

If you have completed all of the above steps and still require additional help, please don't hesitate to reach out to our customer support team.