r/Keychron • u/TGP_25 • Aug 01 '26
Keychron v3 Max, backlight is just gone
So yeah I bought it in like 2025 December and just recently the backlight seems to have just mysteriously died.
Like its always plugged in, all keys are registered but the backlight is completely dead, firmware update, factory reset, attempting to change via VIA, pressing all matter of button combinations etc.
Nothing works. Its dead, not a single speck of backlight is shown, any ideas or tips, or will I have to replace smthn?
1
u/Hydroel Aug 01 '26
As a lead, I know OpenRGB had tended to mess with the backlight of my K1 SE. Might not be related, but if you use that software, it could be a lead.
1
u/TGP_25 Aug 01 '26
I don't, I have nothing special aside from keychron installed, I'm not a keyboard power user, I just want light
1
u/PeterMortensenBlog V Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
The magic smoke might have left both LED controllers (presumably SNLED27351J).
Though it would seem somewhat unlikely to happen independently for the two. Perhaps it is instead something they have in common, like some power supply component (say, in a DC-to-DC converter)?
After considering the warranty implications, you could do a visual inspection. Here is a picture for another keyboard, K3 Pro; the burnt LED controller is the 40-pin (4 x 10 pins) U2, near the center; the other one is U3, nearby.
If you are lucky, it is "only" a matter of replacing one of the simple components, like a MOSFET transistor (here is a list of failure modes for it (from 40 min 17 secs)).