Thinkpads Forum

Hi, does anybody else have a T6x keyboard with a slightly raised spacebar? I noticed this on my T60 and T61 (both NMB), and when I had my T61 original lid, the spacebar rubbed against the screen and caused marks. Just wondering if the spacebar is by design, supposed to be elevated more.

Thanks,
Brian

The space bar is no higher than the other keyboard keys on my T60 and T61 machines. I don't think it's supposed to be that way. Maybe the space key cap has come partially loose from the hinges, or the hinges from the keyboard base.

Ok, thanks. I will probably get a new keyboard, since the spacebar is rubbing against my screen.

The spacebar is definitely a little raised compare to the Alt keys on both sides of it, on all Thinkpad keyboards I witnessed. It should not rub against the screen and leave marks, though. If it does, you either have a different problem, or you are squishing your laptop too much.

Thanks for the replies. Even when I leave the laptop on my desk and close/open it 5 or 6 times, the mark will begin to reappear, so it is not like I am applying too much pressure to the top of the lid. This has happened when I had the old T61 lid, and when I swapped it out for a T60 lid. Swapping out keyboards into a different T60 that did not have this issue, still created a mark on the screen, so I think the issue is with the frame or base.

When I took out my SSD to examine the base frame directly below the keyboard's spacebar, I found this:
Pic: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=A ... oto%2c.jpg

You can see that there is a little bump circled in red where the frame is raised, and the frame also slopes past this point (marked in yellow). Is this bump and slope normal? I tried re-seating the base and frame, but it did nothing to help.

Thanks.

The HD/SSD sits completely under the palmrest, NOWHERE obstructing the keyboard!
You need to check out that the keyboard fits flush under the keyboard-bezel (along the screen's bottom), and that the CMOS battery is not hindering the mouse-buttons from the keyboard.
Finally, make sure that the black modem cable (along the left-bottom of the keyboard) is properly 'seated'.

Thanks RBS, I think the problem is now mostly solved. To any body else having issues of the spacebar rubbing against the screen, try these steps in addition to what RBS and others wrote:

1. Remove the keyboard and palmrest
2. Right below the right alt key, there is a clear, yellowish rubber pad. Remove it.
3. Right below the trackpoint left/right/middle buttons, there is a grey cloth pad, and underneath it, a black strip of tape. Remove both.
4. When reassembling, put the keyboard in and make sure that the keyboard is not on top of the raised notch on the magnesium frame near the front of the right arrow key. Screw in the keyboard screw BUT not the palmrest and recheck that the keyboard has not shifted.
5. Put the palmrest and screws back in.

These steps has virtually eliminated the spacebar from rubbing against the screen and casuing a mark. Hope this helps.