![Image](http://i.imgur.com/SqKLVIa.png)
Since the board is relatively cheap in the US, I figured I would take a shot at moddding the board to swap the position of the Right Shift and Menu keys. Initially, I had three ideas to try to achieve this:
1. Reprogram the keyboard controller's firwmare to remap the keys
2. Modify the PCB traces that connect to the pads for the two keys
3. Modify the keyswitches to connect to the correct pads without modifying the PCB itself
As it turns out, 1. is either impossible or too difficult for me to do because the chips on the board are all Rapoo branded, so no documentation is available, and no firwmare update program is known to exist for this keyboard or any other Rapoo keyboard that uses the chip. I attempted to do 2., but found out the hard way that the pads for the two keys are not end nodes, but rather intermediaries with other PCB traces probably hidden in the middle layers of the board. I gambled (without mapping the whole matrix) and lost, so I had to undo my work and rebuild 4 PCB traces that were cut.
That left me with option 3., which was succesfully implemented as shown:
After the switches were desoldered, I wrapped the leads with about 2.5mm x 3mm of generic polyimide (Kapton) tape to insulate the leads from the surrounding pads. The generic Kaptop tape withstood the 750°F temperature of my soldering iron with no problems - a pleasant surprise!
![Image](http://i.imgur.com/HaZJgAE.png)
![Image](http://i.imgur.com/UoQZhde.png)
Then, I inserted the switches into the PCB and soldered 26 gauge solid core copper wire from the exposed tips of the switch leads to the pads of the opposing keys.
![Image](http://i.imgur.com/7hxCvDU.png)
Finally, dabs of Loctite GO2 Glue were used to provide reinforcement between the switches and the PCB, and some more polyimide tape was used to cover the whole area. The combination of the LEDs and the glue are able to keep the switches securely in place.
![Image](http://i.imgur.com/wiNhlOW.png)
With the whole thing reassembled, I find the revised layout much more usable for someone who uses both Shift keys when typing. Overall, the KX isn't a perfect travel keyboard, but it's a better fit than almost any other wireless mechanical keyboard on the market for this purpose, and it's certainly a very impressive bang for your buck at under $40.
![Image](http://i.imgur.com/XPYx7Fb.png)
![Image](http://i.imgur.com/GE8YEzQ.png)
Mini review notes:
+Board looks great in all colors
+Backlight is really bright
+Keyswitches (Rapoo linear version, NOT Kaihl) feel great
+Nice function key bar (haptic touch, alternate backlight when Fn depressed, glass, etc)
+Keycap and bezel help prevent dust ingress, keeps caps safe during transport in a bag
-Backlight is really bright even on the lowest setting
-Only comes with linear switches (for now)
-Key chatter / debounce problem? (I get double letters ocassionally, it's acutally driving me nuts right now)
-One-unit Right Shift is a bit small (I miss ocassionally even with the layout change)
-Keycap profile not the best for touch typing