Can I use my T40 keyboard for T42 15" model ?

Message

ILHAN YOO · #1 Post by **ILHAN YOO** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 5:21 pm

I have one extra T40 keyboard which is made in Thai, and want to keep it for T42.

It looks like same, but different part number on IBM website.

Is there anyone who tried this already?

geobel · #2 Post by **geobel** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 6:28 pm

Most probably T40 keyboard does not fit 15 inch T42. 15 inch T42 keyboard has wider trackpoint buttons.
Gosha

Conmee · #3 Post by **Conmee** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 6:47 pm

The 15" T42 models have 3-screw keyboards, while the 14" T42 models use the same keyboards as the T40/T41 models.

Daniel

Conmee · #4 Post by **Conmee** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 6:54 pm

geobel wrote:Most probably T40 keyboard does not fit 15 inch T42. 15 inch T42 keyboard has wider trackpoint buttons.
Gosha

Gosha,

I just measured the the Trackpoint buttons on my 14" T42 and a 15" T42 and the keyboards have identical button sizes and W x L dimensions.

Daniel.

ILHAN YOO · #5 Post by **ILHAN YOO** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 9:45 pm

Message has been edited by Moderator

Here is the answer:

Front
Back

bluedoc · #6 Post by **bluedoc** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 11:29 pm

I can almost see that the aluminum back cover on the one with fewer holes back is of a higher quality and thicker aluminum.

I am sure you can just leave 1 screw out. It is easier to put a 3-hole panel into an original 4-hole than the other way around - I think.

Let me know if it works out for out. I think IBM should switch back to the original vendor if only they can get enough honest feedbacks from current customers as to how the newer model is not on par and even worst than many other companies's cheap keyboards.

Kenn · #7 Post by **Kenn** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 3:10 am

From the picture it looks like the screws are in different positions.

Strangely, on the "back" picture - the left keyboard is clearly the 15" one (3 screws), but my 15" keyboard looks exactly like the right one (with more holes, thinner baseplate, but with the 3 15" screws).

IBM confirmed that there were multiple FRUs for the 14" keyboard, but claimed that there was only one (mine: 93P-4840 JN-US) for the 15".

What's the FRU for the left keyboard?

JaimitoBond · #8 Post by **JaimitoBond** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 8:06 am

ILHAN YOO wrote:Message has been edited by Moderator

Here is the answer:

Front
Back

Which one is the good one? You said T40 has the good one, so it must be the one on the right.

geobel · #9 Post by **geobel** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 11:07 am

Conmee wrote:
geobel wrote:Most probably T40 keyboard does not fit 15 inch T42. 15 inch T42 keyboard has wider trackpoint buttons.
Gosha
Gosha,

I just measured the the Trackpoint buttons on my 14" T42 and a 15" T42 and the keyboards have identical button sizes and W x L dimensions.

Daniel.

Daniel,
What is the overal trackpoint button size on your keyboards?
Trackpoint buttons are 6 cm (2.36 inch) wide (all together) in my T40 keyboard and 7 cm (2.76 inch) wide in my external IBM keyboard with ultranav (that I suspect is the same as T42 keyboard)
Gosha

Conmee · #10 Post by **Conmee** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 11:38 am

Gosha,

I just measured the buttons again and took note of the exact measurement. The buttons are indeed 6 cm all together on BOTH the 14" and 15" models. I've got both keyboards out now, and both are made in Thailand, and look like the keyboard with fewer air holes in them, whereas my Made in China keyboard is the clackety keyboard with many more air holes. In fact, take a close look at the labels on the "back" pictures and you'll notice the one on the left is "Made in Thailand" and the one on the right is "Made in China." The one on the left, in both 14" and 15" varieties is the PREFERRED keyboard as the keys are a bit stiffer/quieter/more responsive v. the keyboard on the right (China keyboard) which offers much less resistance when keys are pressed, makes more noise, and tends to flex more on the right hand side.

Also, the 15" keyboard with 3 screw posts seems to align with the 14" system with 4 screw posts... however, for the purposes of this thread, the idea was to take a 14" model keyboard from a T40 and put it into a 15" T42 model, and this will not work.

Daniel.

admsteiner · #11 Post by **admsteiner** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 11:45 am

Does anyone have the FRU's for the various keyboards? I love the keyboard on my T42 2378-FVU, though I haven't opened it up to check the FRU number. If there's an even better keyboard out there though...

--adam

G-Man · #12 Post by **G-Man** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 11:56 am

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-46503

Regards,
G-Man

admsteiner · #13 Post by **admsteiner** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 12:02 pm

Thanks G-Man. I had been under the impression from a previous post that there was more than one FRU number for the English (American not International) 14.1 keyboards.

--Adam

Kenn · #14 Post by **Kenn** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 12:38 pm

Conmee wrote: Also, the 15" keyboard with 3 screw posts seems to align with the 14" system with 4 screw posts... however, for the purposes of this thread, the idea was to take a 14" model keyboard from a T40 and put it into a 15" T42 model, and this will not work.

Daniel.

Hi Daniel,

If the holes line up, why can't you use a 14" keyboard in a 15" body? What if you manually remove the screw post that doesn't align? Also, from the looks of the picture the screw posts do not seem to line up (the lower one on the 15" appears closer to the middle of the ultranav buttons than the 14" one).

Can you confirm that the 3 and 4 screwpost points align?

JaimitoBond · #15 Post by **JaimitoBond** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 11:22 pm

admsteiner wrote:Does anyone have the FRU's for the various keyboards? I love the keyboard on my T42 2378-FVU, though I haven't opened it up to check the FRU number. If there's an even better keyboard out there though...

--adam

If you love your KB, why bother changing a good thing? Try taking it off and post the FRU here if you can. Perhaps it is an more subjective thing than anything.

admsteiner · #16 Post by **admsteiner** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 6:18 pm

Could be, I'll be doing it in the next couple of days. I may be changing mine for a foreign language keyboard anyway, so if mine is one of the "good" ones and the foreign language one is one of the bad ones, that would be a mark in the negative column.

Can I use my T40 keyboard for T42 15" model ?

Can I use my T40 keyboard for T42 15" model ?

I really like the 3-screw keyboard

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