[WTB] Matias Mini Quiet Pro Controller Card/PCB

[T’Downit Strider]

Long story short, the controller card on my Mini Quiet Pro crapped out on me. Rather than wastefully replacing the whole board, I'd like to get a new controller card, as the ones in this board are replaceable and swappable between the same model. However, if anyone has advice of where I could buy more/hack together a new one myself, I'll gladly take that. Thanks!

[Muirium]

The controller's on a card? What's it look like? You might be able to use a Teensy for a controller instead. Easily available, and you gain a lot of programmability options too.

[T’Downit Strider]

The controller's on a card? What's it look like? You might be able to use a Teensy for a controller instead. Easily available, and you gain a lot of programmability options too.

The controller for the usb hub and the actual microusb is on this:

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I’d looked it up before, and someone(viewtopic.php?t=12704) had previously had the idea to wire it to a Teensy instead. The only issue I have is that Matias boards have usb ports on either side of the keyboard’s top, and I don’t know how I’d get those to work with a Teensy. Also, I don’t know how I’d line up the existing port hole with the port on the Teensy.

[Muirium]

Aye. It’s a bit of work, all right. To do it right would likely involve:

1. Making sure there’s physical space for a Teensy to sit on the controller with the case closed
2. Removing the (presumed busted?) chip from the controller
3. Hooking up the Teensy to the matrix and the USB output on that controller board

Step 3 is extra fiddly as Teensy (and every little other project board I’ve ever used) doesn’t pinout its USB input so you have to get all hacky with a cable. Gross! I’ve complained about this for years but apparently no one else cares about making conversions so much easier.

Retaining hub support would be an extra layer of work again. Hopefully the other chip on the controller is an integrated USB hub so you can just ride on that. If not, then you’d need to gut some other USB hub and use its innards in some crafty, hacky way.

[T’Downit Strider]

All that mess is why I’m trying to source a new card, though Matias doesn’t stock parts, and I’ve had no luck with finding someone getting rid of one-though I accept that would be a small number of people.

[Muirium]

Then you may need to buy a whole donor keyboard. Preferably wrecked some way, besides the controller.

[T’Downit Strider]

That’s the idea. Thing is, I haven’t found a single one someone is selling that doesn’t work fully. I have a few offers for completely working ones, but I want THIS one to work.

[Hapi]

Hi, i have one Matias Quiet Pro Keyboard for Mac. the controller should be compatible. my discord Hapi#7250

[Maledicted]

I know this is old, but there's useful information to add for anyone curious. Unless something's changed very recently, Matias will sell you parts/returned boards for $15 plus shipping if you ask their customer service nicely and they have any lying around. The one I picked up this way was literally just missing some caps and stabs and had some scuffs on the case. It was 100% functional.

The controllers are the same between all of the mini boards, and the Mac variant is the easiest to convert to other mappings via soldering 100 ohm resistors to the pads helpfully listed in a table printed directly on the controllers. Changing it from Mac to a standard PC mapping requires the addition of just two resistors to unpopulated pads on the PCB.

They're meant for SMD resistors, but I made through-hole ones work. I have a detailed thread about this on Geekhack that should be easy enough to find. Not sure if I should link it directly.

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What's wrong with the original controller? Was it one of the ones that didn't have the strap for the micro USB port? They're pretty fragile without it. I have been able to replace one that was damaged entirely with a female aviator connector, but it is a major pain to tap into the existing pins and/or traces.

[Muirium]

I have a detailed thread about this on Geekhack that should be easy enough to find. Not sure if I should link it directly.

Definitely link it. We have no uppity linking policy here.

15 bucks doesn't sound too bad, if OP's still searching. Nice tip.

[Maledicted]

Here it is then.

The $15 price was a few years ago now I believe, and that was before shipping into the U.S. from Canada, but I still made out pretty well.

I have been curious about replacing the controllers on these boards as well but I like the default PC mapping so much already that I really haven't had any motivation to try it.