Is my T60 keyboard dying? (Temporary) solution inside :)
Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 5:19 am
My keyboard key "T" was not responding as well as the other keys, and I needed to apply centered perpendicular force in order to make it respond.
My initial thought was "the keyboard is filthy", so I removed all the keys and cleaned the keyboard surface to my best know how. However, this did not solve anything, except from making the keyboard looking fresh and clean.
Then I decided to remove the faulty "T" key, and place a folded ~5x5x2mm square of paper between the key and the "rubber tentacle" aka copper connector. This adds tension between the copper connector and the circuit board, thus less pressure is needed from the finger to make a connection. The key is now working well, and you don't really feel that there is a little piece of paper below the key.
The T60 is ~3.5 years and well looked after. However, the keyboard "rubber tentacles" are susceptible to oxidation, and my theory is that the "rubber tentacle" below the "T" key is loosing it's initial tension properties causing misalignment of the copper connector - without the "hack" above, it only works when centered perpendicular force is applied, the other keys works with pressure applied from +- 15 degrees.
What do you think? Is my keyboard dying, or is it filthy "subsurface"? What is causing this faulty connection?
My initial thought was "the keyboard is filthy", so I removed all the keys and cleaned the keyboard surface to my best know how. However, this did not solve anything, except from making the keyboard looking fresh and clean.
Then I decided to remove the faulty "T" key, and place a folded ~5x5x2mm square of paper between the key and the "rubber tentacle" aka copper connector. This adds tension between the copper connector and the circuit board, thus less pressure is needed from the finger to make a connection. The key is now working well, and you don't really feel that there is a little piece of paper below the key.
The T60 is ~3.5 years and well looked after. However, the keyboard "rubber tentacles" are susceptible to oxidation, and my theory is that the "rubber tentacle" below the "T" key is loosing it's initial tension properties causing misalignment of the copper connector - without the "hack" above, it only works when centered perpendicular force is applied, the other keys works with pressure applied from +- 15 degrees.
What do you think? Is my keyboard dying, or is it filthy "subsurface"? What is causing this faulty connection?
