How to Test a Mechanical Keyboard for Ghosting and N-Key Rollover (Without Buying Software)

If you've ever been mid-sprint in a game, holding W, A, and Shift, only for your character to stop dead because the keyboard "ate" your sprint key — congratulations, you've met keyboard ghosting in person. It feels like a software bug. It isn't. It's a 40-year-old electrical compromise baked into the hardware, and the only fix is either a better keyboard or knowing exactly which combos your current keyboard can't handle. This post explains what's actually happening inside the keyboard, how to te