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My volume wheel was completely and totally unusable whatsoever right from the start when I bought my Razer Huntsman Elite in 2021 and not a single one of the suggestions that turned up on an internet search made an iota of difference. Tonight/this morning I finally had enough and decided to tear the keyboard down and see if I could fix the wheel encoder.
This guide will explain how to access the volume control knob, disassemble it, repair it, and put it all back together.
WARNING: This procedure involves extremely delicate work with extremely small and fragile electrical and mechanical components.
NOTE: I didn't start taking pictures until after I had everything fully dis-assembled and realized it might be helpful to others if I shared the process if the fix worked, which it did.
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There are 18 JIS-1 screws in-between key switches. Remove all screws (see red circles). Be extremely careful if using a Phillips-1 instead of a JIS-1 as Phillips screwdrivers can destroy JIS screws.
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Under the six rubber pads are eight JIS-1 screws that need to be removed. The edges of the pads can be lifted to access the screws without having to remove the entire pad. Using a small flat-blade screw driver can help with lifting the corner(s).
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Gently pry the black cover up away from the main body. Be careful not to damage the wires.
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I apparently forgot to take pictures of this step.
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Nine JIS-1 screws secure the back LED logic board. Remove all of them.
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The back LED logic board is connected to the main PCB by a cable. Carefully disconnect the cable.
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The transparent plastic gasket is tightly locked to the main frame via small plastic tabs all around the outside edge. Use the jimmy tool to carefully remove the panel.
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There are three tiny JIS-000 screws that keep the main frame and the printed circuit board together. Remove the red circled screws before you separate them.
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There are two cables connected to the PCB. Carefully separate the main frame and the PCB, then disconnect the lower cable first.
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With the lower cable disconnected, the PCB can be flipped upright so as to easily remove the upper cable.
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Disconnect the FFC from the volume knob assembly by retracting the black retaining clip from the white connector body and then pull the FFC out of the connector.
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Be very gentle when handling the FFC!
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There are two JIS-000 screws here but only the left one needs to be removed.
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Note: The pictures beyond this point will show that I have removed both screws and the daughter board. I didn't realize at the time that it is unnecessary to remove the daughter board.
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After confirming the FFC is disconnected and safely nudged out of the way, gently apply a completely vertical lifting force on the volume knob carrier assembly. Be very careful not to damage the two smaller plastic guide pins on the left side.
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Note the orientation of the mute button icon in relation to the large guide pin holes on the left side. This will be important to remember during re-assembly.
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There are two JIS-000 screws holding the knob assembly to the knob carrier. Remove them both.
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Note: The mute button will now be loose and will fall out of the knob assembly. Store it safely off to the side for later re-assembly.
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CAUTION: This is where things get dicey so be extra careful from here on out.
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There are two obscured JIS-000 screws holding the PCB assembly to the knurled outer ring. Notice on the PCB on one side near the FFC connector there is a small notch in the PCB substrate. This is to allow you access to the two screws. Rotate the PCB assembly so that this notch lines up with each screw and remove them.
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NOTE: You do not need to fully remove the screws yet. Just make sure they're no longer holding the PCB into the outer ring.
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Carefully remove the two JIS-000 screws from the encoder assembly. I recommend needle nose pliers to assist with this. Aligning the PCB notch with the screws will help with removing the screws.
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CAUTION: When rotating the PCB with the screws loose, make sure the screw heads are flush against the plastic encoder assembly and not touching the PCB. If the screw heads are touching the PCB while rotating, they can bind up and risk damaging the PCB.
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WARNING: This is where the most delicate parts are. Be extremely careful here!
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If you look in the middle of the assembly, you'll notice there are four little metal tabs holding the top and bottom together. Use the slotted precision screwdriver to gently unclip each tab. You will need to apply a gentle separation force to prevent the tabs from re-engaging when you move on to the next tab.
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NOTE: The picture here showing three of the metal tabs was taken after the two encoder halves were separated.
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On the half that doesn't have the PCB, you should see three wiper arms that make contact with the encoder traces on the other half of the encoder assembly. Using the precision slotted screwdriver, gently bend these outward so they protrude further into the air.
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Don't over-do it when bending the wiper arms. The amount of bending I'm displaying in the picture is a little on the excessive side. Do not exceed the bending angle I'm showing here.
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NOTE: I didn't think to do this until after I started writing this guide so I didn't do this on my keyboard. Despite that, my volume knob is usable again. It will still get a little confused about which direction it's rotating once in a while but it's negligible and not causing problems. I can't help but wonder if it would be 100% if I had.
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Using a Q-Tip and some rubbing alcohol, gently clean out the encoder traces (the area in between the two red circles in the image). The goal is to remove the existing dielectric grease.
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Once clean, apply new dielectric grease to the encoder traces. Apply about the same amount as what you removed during the cleaning process. Adding a little extra shouldn't be a problem as long as you don't go overboard with it.
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CAUTION: Be extremely careful not to dislodge the small spring on the outer edge.
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The non-PCB side of the encoder has a larger metal area on one side, that I didn't take a picture of, that lines up with the square area on the PCB side where the spring is located. Carefully align the two sides of the encoder, ensuring the wiper arms make contact with the encoder traces.
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Gently press the two sides together so that the four metal tabs engage and hold the assembly together.
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Ensure the PCB can swivel around normally like it did before disassembly and that all four metal tabs are properly engaged.
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Insert the two JIS-000 screws into the encoder assembly using the PCB notch for better access.
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Rotate the PCB so that the notch is aligned with one of the screws.
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Insert the encoder assembly into the knurled outer ring. Take care to ensure the screws line up with the threaded holes in the underside of the knurled outer ring.
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Tighten the screw that is currently aligned with the PCB notch.
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CAUTION: Be extremely careful when rotating the PCB to align the second screw. The screw tends to bind on the PCB and can cause damage.
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Insert the mute button into the knob assembly. It can only go in two ways. Ensure the speaker portion of the mute icon is on the same side of the assembly as the FFC connector on the PCB.
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While ensuring the mute button doesn't fall back out, insert the knob assembly into the knob assembly carrier. It will only fit one way due to the FFC connector.
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While ensuring the mute button doesn't fall out, insert and tighten the two JIS-000 screws.
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Carefully align the knob carrier assembly over the four guide pins and gently press the knob carrier into place. Be especially careful with the two smaller guide pins.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order, including the prerequisite guide.
When tightening screws during re-assembly, keep in mind that all the screws are driving into plastic. Be very careful not to torque them down.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order, including the prerequisite guide.
When tightening screws during re-assembly, keep in mind that all the screws are driving into plastic. Be very careful not to torque them down.
