How I got my SteelSeries 6GV2 mechanical keyboard

Few months ago, on a beautiful Sunday morning, I visited a local flea market. I was not looking for something in particular, but what I found that day was beyond my expectation: a SteelSeries 6GV2 mechanical keyboard.

The vendor was an old man, and the items he was selling were pretty much useless junk. I noticed the keyboard by pure luck. It was thicker than usual, and the keys were high. I pressed down the keys, thinking it was one of those fake membrane gamer keyboards, and to my surprise it was not. I asked for the price. The man wanted 5 TND for it (around $2).

Given the price, I suspected that it was not functional. I bought it anyway, at least for the switches (Cherry MX Black).

During the first test, the keyboard was detected, but was not working properly. Many keys were typing doubles when pressed, and the escape key was not working at all. I knew it was the time to bring my tools.

Once opened, I noticed some dirt, corrosion, and even water damage. Not very promising. The "double keystroke" was caused by a short circuit. A deep cleaning with a toothbrush and alcohol fixed the issue.

For the escape key, the connection needed some soldering. My trusty Chinese 25W soldering iron was up to the task.

I washed all the key caps, and the plastic case with soap and water.  I also painted the rusty metallic chassis with black paint. It was like new!

Since then, I have used it as my primary keyboard. It has worked flawlessly for 7 months now.