Hello all,
I'm facing a very complex and persistent issue with my ASUS ROG Strix G G531GW and I'm hoping someone in the community might have a definitive answer. I have read other threads, including the one by kris-ark for the G513IC, and my symptoms are identical.
https://rog-forum.asus.com/t5/gaming-notebooks/asus-g513ic-keyboard-stopped-working/td-p/991359
The Current Problem:
The internal keyboard is detected correctly in Device Manager (as Standard PS/2 Keyboard), but it does not register any key presses and the Per-Key RGB backlight is completely off. The only thing that works is the Power Button. The trackpad also works fine (Num Lk function in trackpad not working). Additionally, all other Aura Sync RGB lighting (bottom case light bars, ROG logo on the lid) is also dead. An external USB keyboard works perfectly.
The Bizarre History:
1. Original Motherboard (#1): The laptop worked perfectly for 5 years. Then, it suffered a severe short circuit when 16V was accidentally sent through a USB-A port. The motherboard died.
2. New Motherboard (#2): I bought a replacement motherboard from China. After installation, the laptop worked, but my original keyboard (which is a unique 20-pin version): detected, typing randomly but no RGB backlight.
3. The Magical Fix: I bought a used 20-pin keyboard online to test. With this new keyboard, typing worked, but the RGB did not. I returned it. Then, when my previous technician re-installed my original keyboard, it magically started working perfectly, including all RGBs. The laptop was fully functional for months.
4. Second Failure: Recently, Motherboard #2 died (the PCH chip exploded & generate a lot of heat).
5. Current Situation: I sent my Original Motherboard (#1) to a very skilled micro-soldering specialist. He successfully repaired the complex damage from the 16V short circuit. The laptop now boots and the GPU is detected correctly. However, the keyboard is once again exhibiting the simillar problem: detected, no input, no RGB.
Troubleshooting Steps Already Taken:
- Keyboard Swapping: We buy another used keyboard (some key that didn't work), and it showed the same symptoms (only power button works). This proves that the issue is likely not the keyboard itself.
- Driver Reinstall: The keyboard drivers and the ACPI drivers in Device Manager have been uninstalled and reinstalled.
- BIOS/EC Reflash: The technician has tried flashing the main BIOS and several different versions of the EC firmware. This did not solve the problem. He claims the flash was successful, but the keyboard/RGB functions remain dead.
My Main Questions:
Given that all keyboard and Aura RGB functions failed simultaneously, and this problem has occurred on two different motherboards, does this definitively point to a hardware failure of the EC/S-IO chip?
My technician claims the EC chip must be healthy because it can be flashed successfully. However, another user (kris-ark) reported a "communication error" when trying to flash his faulty EC. Is it possible for an EC chip to accept a flash but still have a faulty functional circuit for the keyboard/RGB?
Is there any other known software or firmware "trick" to reset this state, or is a full replacement of the S-IO/EC chip the only remaining logical solution?
Thank you so much for reading this long post. I am completely stuck and would greatly appreciate any expert insight.
