Razer Lycosa on Linux: sometimes starts spamming ^@ (ie. Ctrl+2 in `read`) chars continously

I have encountered this today as follows: * started up the PC, * entered simple BIOS password (that doesn't require the letter 's'), * let the computer boot into linux until the console prompt (TERM=linux), * typing the 'user' also generated ^@ with each keypress, eventually it didn't anymore, so I could log in, but at prompt typing the 's' key generated nothing, whilst any other key seems to have worked. * I pressed Ctrl+Alt+Del (which also worked), * entered BIOS password, * booted linux to login prompt, logged in and everything seems to have worked so far until now a few hours later, with no issues. Thus I didn't have to replug the keyboard. Maybe the BIOS emulated the equivalent of a USB keyboard replug. I'm kind of wondering what's the equivalent of the following for BIOS and/or Linux:

My Razer product does not work at startup after a cold start, what should I do? Make sure that USB ports are not in hibernation mode. Please go to your Windows “Device Manager” and click the + sign next to Universal Serial Bus Controllers. Click on any “Root Hub” and select “Properties.” Click the Power Management tab and ensure that “Allow computer to turn off this device to save power” and proceed to do this under each Root Hub. Also, from the Control Panel and Power Options, select the Hibernation Tab and deselect “Enable hibernate support.”

quote from https://support.razer.com/gaming-keyboards/razer-lycosa and by `and ensure that “Allow computer to turn off this device to save power” ` do they mean, that option is to be selected or deselected? It's kind of important! :)

tl;dr: touch-sensive media key(s) got "stuck"(but not because I've pressed any!) which was causing normal keys to not repeat(when held) regularly and/or stop after 2-3 repeats(for 'f' key, though not always) and to not repeat at regular intervals. Also, scrolling up via mousewheel in xfce4-terminal would scroll back down again almost immediately. I've just encountered that issue where keys stop repeating and they don't repeat at the same rate. No keys stopped working though. But this issue was coupled with the fact that in a terminal (xfce4-terminal) I'd scroll up via mousewheel and something would cause it to scroll back down to prompt again in less than 1 second. So I can't scroll up. I immediately ran `sudo powertop` and put keyboard in Good(previously Bad) power mode, which means, it would turn off the keyboard leds(at least) after like 2 seconds of not using the keyboard. But this time it didn't! Which told me that the keyboard was acting as if some keys are still pressed or something. I switched to console(TERM=linux) and ran `showkey` as root. It showed: [CODE] keycode 28 release keycode 165 release [/CODE] and then the leds turned off! I re-checked in xfce4-terminal and I could scroll up now with no issue now! Keycode 28 is Enter key being released after pressing Enter for the `showkey` command; this is normal! What isn't normal is keycode 165 released! Eventually I find out that keycode 165 is the previous-media "key" aka |<< (ie. go to previous track in media player, if any was running) which is just above the Num Lock. This is one of those 4+2+1=7 keys that are touch sensitive, but I don't remember touching it, especially not during `showkey`. So this tells me that somehow this key was being "stuck" somehow! And it got unstuck by itself, when `keycode 165 released` was shown! So next time I get some key(s) not working or anything related like this, I'll double check if it's not because one of these touch-sensitive keys are being "stuck" (eg. pressing them a few times to unstuck them) and only if those won't fix it, consider re-plugging keyboard(or the equivalent of that, eg. rebooting or maybe even this `sudo powertop` trick I mentioned above, or some software way to disconnect and reconnect the USB through software - I'll have to check). but I'll definitely try `sudo showkey` (works from within X too, as long as it's ran as root) first, to see which key gets released. Good find! PS: in xfce4-terminal, if I'm scrolled up and I press |<< key it will scroll back to prompt!

It happened again on startup, at the login prompt, spamming ^@ intermittently. But I was able to log in as root and ran `showkeys`, the keyboard was spamming: [CODE]keycode 165 press keycode 165 release[/CODE] And when I press WinKey key(aka Super) which is keycode 125 it also showed some new keycodes: [CODE]keycode 0 press keycode 1 release keycode 37 release[/CODE] Keycode 0 is like impossible, right? But I know keycode 1 is for the Escape key which I haven't touched during this particular test. Keycode 37 is the K key.(I tried it) Here's an excerpt of the above WinKey press during the keycode 165 spam: [CODE] de 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 165 release keycode 125 press keycode 0 press keycode 1 release keycode 37 release keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 165 release keycode 125 press keycode 165 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 release keycode 165 release keycode 0 press keycode 1 release keycode 37 release keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 125 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 125 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 125 press keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 0 press keycode 1 release keycode 37 release keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 press keycode 125 release keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release keycode 165 press keycode 165 release [/CODE] What else I tried: pressing all the touch-sensitive keys didn't stop the spam, but holding any of those keys stopped the spam at a `keycode 165 release`, this is how I'm able to exit showkeys because it auto-exits 10 seconds after nothing is pressed! At login prompt or sudo password, the ^@ are visible, but not at command prompt(even though they are happening there too, they're just not visible - nothing it output, unless I logout, then I can see them continue at login prompt)! And it doesn't always spam ^@ (which is why I was able to type my user and the password to login), but it can come back after a few seconds. I've even seen the s key stopped working temporarily and it came back to working again! At some point pressed s once and it kept repeating until I press d key once, then that stopped it. Eventually I pressed Ctrl+Alt+Del to safely reboot and no issues in this boot. So, I've no idea why/what triggers that touch-sensitive key into a spam mode, it doesn't seem to be anything physical (since Ctrl+Alt+Del can fix it, or it can cause it; ie. next reboot can trigger this or if it was already triggered it can usually "fix" it)

New issue: key 'o' decided to stop working and instead of rebooting or replugging the keyboard, I've looked for a software-only solution to emulate replugging it. Thanks to `<semeion>` on freenode irc #archlinux channel for this usbreset.c program fixed key 'o' for me: https://web.archive.org/web/20190608212549/http://ix.io/1Lh8 So I'll keep using it whenever I encounter any of the above issues. Seems like a good enough software-only workaround. Any further updates I'll be making in this gist: https://gist.github.com/howaboutsynergy/958d4929030f93416f36749980e33818#gistcomment-2938629 but there's basically not much else to say:)