New T43 - fan and keyboard questions

Message

Trip · #1 Post by **Trip** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 6:58 pm

So I finally got my laptop - not quite what I expected (I ordered a T42...) but so far I like it more than the T42 that I sent back, with a few major exceptions.

My old laptop had the Thai keyboard, which felt great but was too unresponsive to use. The keyboard in this laptop is made by Alps, and although it's very responsive, it's clattery, feels kinda loose, and flexes like crazy over the drive bay, and there's also a little bit of flex on other areas of the keyboard. I don't seem to remember my old laptop doing this - is the Alps keyboard really that much flimsier? The touchpad also flexes a lot - is that keyboard related as well?

And the fan... oh, the fan. I've kept up with the T43 fan issues, to a degree, so I know there's no sure fix for it, but there has to be something I can do to shut the thing up for more than 15 minutes, right? I've already got it undervolted, and PowerPlay is on, but the fan just keeps buzzing!

Well, thanks for reading. If anybody has an suggestions or whatever, I'd really appreciate it - I don't want to send this one back too.

davidspalding · #2 Post by **davidspalding** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 10:37 am

I can't imagine how you get your keyboard to flex. But. My own benchmark is that if I don't feel that the quality in a product meets up with the cost of it, it's a likely return. Fan buzzes when it's on? Ick. Can't get it to quiet down even using the Power Manager schemes (you've used that, right?) ... double-ick. I suppose if you remove the keyboard as per the FRU replacement manual, you might see why it's buzzing. I wouldn't try flexing the keyboard then ... I don't think the warranty covers flexing keyboards after removal. ;)

Trip · #3 Post by **Trip** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 7:17 pm

Thanks for the reply.

The keyboard flexes just by pushing fairly hard on the keys on the left side, and I can see a bit of flex on the right side by just typing on it! I've read that the Alps keyboards are typically flimsier than the NMB, but this is rather disappointing. The touchpad flex is alarming, too - it actually seperates from the palmrest!

As for the fan... I found the Power Manager thing shortly after posting, but it really hasn't helped. I haven't updated the BIOS/Embedded Controller yet, though. I'll see if that helps, once I remember how.

EDIT: The BIOS and the Embedded Controller are already up to date. No hope there.

davidspalding · #4 Post by **davidspalding** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 10:05 pm

Frankly, if I had a Thinkpad T4x and the keyboard flexed and the Touchpad acted like you describe, I'd return it. Return it ... with extreme prejudice. S***, if I want a notebook PC that's as flimsy as that, I can get a HP or Toshiba for about $1000 at SAMS/Costco, or a Dell for < $600.

Trip · #5 Post by **Trip** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 10:21 pm

Ah, I know, but other than that (and the fan, of course) I really, really like it.

I think I'll have a chat with tech support on the weekend about it and see if there's anything they can do for me.

christopher_wolf · #6 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 10:33 pm

You can see if they will send you a new keyboard (hopefully, an NMB or Chicony) and Fan. Glad you really like your new Thinkpad

davidspalding · #7 Post by **davidspalding** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 1:27 am

There's another thread here about warranties and parts. Hit your blue Access IBM key, click SYSTEM INFORMATION, click Warranty and Parts, and you'll see what part number keyboard you have. Compare with the others discussed in that keyboard thread, and you may be able to get TS to send you a Chicony keyboard or equivalent. I think you'd be pleased with a better keyboard.

kenr · #8 Post by **kenr** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 11:59 pm

davidspalding wrote:There's another thread here about warranties and parts. Hit your blue Access IBM key, click SYSTEM INFORMATION, click Warranty and Parts, and you'll see what part number keyboard you have. Compare with the others discussed in that keyboard thread, and you may be able to get TS to send you a Chicony keyboard or equivalent. I think you'd be pleased with a better keyboard.

I have a T43P with an Alps keyboard, 39T0704 and I experience none of the keyboard flexing the original poster describes. I'd be interested in hearing what his part number is.

Trip · #9 Post by **Trip** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 12:14 am

The FRU # for my keyboard is 13N9957.

Trip · #10 Post by **Trip** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 8:08 pm

I've got another fan question now - at lower speeds (level 1, 2? I'm not sure how to tell), my fan makes a very distinct pulsing noise. From the research I've done, it seems the pulsing problem should have been fixed with the lastest Embedded Controller (which I have), and on ThinkWiki.org, this isn't listed as an issue that happens under Windows XP. So have I misintepreted what I've read, or is this not actually a normal occurence?

Thanks!

#11 Post by **Shimodax** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 4:49 pm

Trip,

I have the pulsing here too on a brand new T43 with Embedded Controller Program 1.03. But I'm currently working on a solution to the "fan always on" problem, see here: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=17715

Markus

New T43 - fan and keyboard questions

New T43 - fan and keyboard questions

Who is online