Yuto Takashi

Posted on Jan 26

My 5-Year-Old Keyboard Died During a Winter Trip - Here's What I Learned

#keyboards

Why You Should Care

If you use a Bluetooth keyboard daily, it will eventually fail. Understanding why it happened and how to choose the next one can save you time and money.

TL;DR:

5.5-year-old Filco Bluetooth keyboard died suddenly
Hypothesis: Winter temperature shock (15-20°C drop) + aging
Chose RealForce RC1 45g over HHKB due to ThinkPad compatibility
Lesson: 5 years is the expected lifespan for most electronics

What Happened

I bought a Filco Majestouch MINILA Air (Bluetooth, Cherry MX Black) in July 2019. It worked perfectly for 5.5 years.

Then, I left home for a week during a winter cold wave (heating off). When I returned, the keyboard was completely dead.

No power
No LED lights
New batteries didn't help

Troubleshooting Steps

I tried everything:

✓ Check power switch → ON
✓ Check battery polarity → Correct
✓ Clean battery contacts → No dirt
✓ Try new batteries (multiple brands) → No change
✓ Reset Bluetooth pairing → No response
✓ Full discharge (remove batteries, press keys) → No change
✓ Try pairing with smartphone → No response

Diagnosis: Power system failure

Possible causes (based on research):

Power IC failure
Solder cracks on power lines
Bluetooth board power management failure
Capacitor damage

Conclusion: Not worth repairing

Out of warranty (5.5 years old)
Filco's repair support ends after 5 years
Repair cost would exceed new keyboard price

Why Did It Fail?

"How can a keyboard die just because I didn't use it for a week?"

This question bothered me. Then I remembered: it was a winter cold wave, and I had the heating off.

Temperature Changes

Before trip (heating on): Room temp ~20-25°C
During trip (cold wave, no heating): Room temp ~5-10°C
After return (heating on): Room temp ~20-25°C

Temperature difference: 15-20°C

Hypothesis: Thermal Shock

After 5.5 years of use, solder joints likely had microscopic cracks. Normal temperature changes (from keyboard heat during use) were fine, but rapid temperature cycling (shrink → expand) may have caused complete fractures.

Research found similar cases:

PC support companies report increased "keyboard not working" calls during cold waves
Many cases involve keyboards 5+ years old
Most are temporary (work after warming up), but mine was permanent

Note: This is just a hypothesis. I have no definitive proof.

Choosing the Next Keyboard

Requirements

Wireless connection (Bluetooth or 2.4GHz)
Quiet typing (I used to like clicky switches, but now prefer silence)
Portable, but also used with ThinkPad

The last point turned out to be critical.

Keyboards Considered

Filco MINILA-R Convertible (~$100)

Cherry MX switches
Compact with arrow keys
Standard layout
Familiar brand

HHKB (Happy Hacking Keyboard) Professional HYBRID Type-S (~$250)

Ultra-compact (60% keyboard)
Lightweight (540g)
Topre switches (electrostatic capacitive)
But: no arrow keys, unique layout

RealForce RC1 (~$230)

70% keyboard
Arrow keys + function keys
Topre switches (electrostatic capacitive)
Standard layout
600g

Why I Rejected HHKB

I was initially attracted to HHKB's compactness and portability.

But the layout is very different:

No arrow keys (use Fn + keys instead)
Control key in unusual position
No function keys (F1-F12)

Problem: ThinkPad has a standard layout. If I use ThinkPad for work outside, switching between two different layouts would be confusing.

I prioritized "ThinkPad compatibility" over "portability".

Why I Chose RealForce RC1

Decision factors:

Standard layout (same as ThinkPad)
70% size (compact but has arrow/function keys)
Topre switches (quiet + durable)
600g (desk-focused but portable)

Key Weight: 30g vs 45g

RealForce RC1 comes in two versions: 30g and 45g.

30g:

Lighter feel
Quieter
Easier to mistype
Big difference from ThinkPad

45g:

Standard weight (similar to ThinkPad)
Less confusion when switching
Fewer mistypes

I chose 45g for ThinkPad compatibility.

Final decision: RealForce RC1 45g, Japanese layout

Price: ~$230. I'll wait for a sale. Until then, I'll use my old Filco wired keyboard.

Expected Lifespan of Filco Keyboards

I researched user experiences:

Usage period (based on user reports):

4-5 years: Most common
5-7 years: Above average
10+ years: Very rare (mostly wired models)

Manufacturer's support:

Filco repair support: 5 years
After 5 years, spare parts are no longer guaranteed

Bluetooth vs Wired:
Bluetooth models have more components (power IC, Bluetooth board), so more failure points.

Estimated lifespan: 4-6 years

My 5.5 years was actually pretty good for a Bluetooth model.

Lessons Learned

1. 5 Years is the Cutoff

Manufacturer warranties and support typically end around 5 years, matching real-world failure rates.

2. Aging Electronics + Temperature Shock = Risk

While I can't prove it, aged products may be more vulnerable to rapid temperature changes.

3. Prevention is Limited

Realistic options during long trips:

Store in temperature-stable location
Use cardboard + towels for insulation

But for 5+-year-old products, there may be no preventing eventual failure.

4. Timing, Not Duration

The root cause was 5.5 years of aging.

Winter cold wave + week-long temperature cycling likely triggered the final failure.

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