Cannot turn on Thinklight --> PgUp & PgDn not working

T400/410/420 and T500/510/520 series specific matters only
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balibone
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Cannot turn on Thinklight --> PgUp & PgDn not working

#1 Post by balibone » Sun Nov 29, 2015 9:52 am

Hi guys, i just bought a second hand t420 yesterday, and i realised that i cant turn on the thinklight, even though it lights up every time i turn the laptop on. Upon closer inspection i realised that both the pgup and pgdown keys do not work. How do i ensure that this is a hardware issue i.e need to get keyboard replaced and not a software issue i.e driver problems or something like that?
Thanks in advance

Brad
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Re: Cannot turn on Thinklight --> PgUp & PgDn not working

#2 Post by Brad » Sun Nov 29, 2015 11:58 am

I would reseat the keyboard to the motherboard.

If that doesn't do it I would try a spare keyboard if you have one to see if the problem disappears.

Happy ThinkPadding!

Brad
Long Island New York
T43p 2669-Q1U, A22p's UTU A21p HXU
Transnote, 770's 8AU, 600, 701CS, 755CD

balibone
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Re: Cannot turn on Thinklight --> PgUp & PgDn not working

#3 Post by balibone » Sun Nov 29, 2015 12:19 pm

Brad wrote:I would reseat the keyboard to the motherboard.

If that doesn't do it I would try a spare keyboard if you have one to see if the problem disappears.

Happy ThinkPadding!

Brad
Yeahp, prior to this conclusion i was actually opening it up to tinker around, having already known that the thinklight cant be turned on. I went as far as to remove the keyboard bezel/palm rest, which requires a removal of the keyboard. I then reassembled everything proper, and thinklight still can't be turned on.
Regarding trying out with a spare keyboard, will it work? I have a few old desktop keyboard lying around and they dont have the fn function key. I'm guessing i need to go to the bios to disable the fn key thing, so i can try to turn on the thinklight just by pressing PgUp

hhhd1
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Re: Cannot turn on Thinklight --> PgUp & PgDn not working

#4 Post by hhhd1 » Sun Nov 29, 2015 12:43 pm

you can turn on thinklight using the software 'tpfancontrol'

when it is installed an running, right click on the icon in the notification area, and click thinklight.
===

Brad
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Re: Cannot turn on Thinklight --> PgUp & PgDn not working

#5 Post by Brad » Sun Nov 29, 2015 2:20 pm

I was only thinking of another ThinkPad keyboard that works with your ThinkPad.

Brad
Long Island New York
T43p 2669-Q1U, A22p's UTU A21p HXU
Transnote, 770's 8AU, 600, 701CS, 755CD

dr_st
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Re: Cannot turn on Thinklight --> PgUp & PgDn not working

#6 Post by dr_st » Sun Nov 29, 2015 4:01 pm

PgUp and PgDn don't work completely, and you are bothered by the Thinklight?

In any case, it is definitely not a SW issue, since Fn+PgUp works on a very low hardware level. But just in case, check if the keys work in the BIOS.
Current: X220 4291-4BG, T410 2537-R46, T60 1952-F76, T60 2007-QPG, T42 2373-F7G
Collectibles: T430s (IPS FHD + Classic Keyboard), X32 (IPS Screen)
Retired: X61 7673-V2V, A31p w/ Ultrabay Numpad
Past: Z61t 9440-A23, T60 2623-D3U, X32 2884-M5U

balibone
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Re: Cannot turn on Thinklight --> PgUp & PgDn not working

#7 Post by balibone » Sun Nov 29, 2015 7:37 pm

hhhd1 wrote:you can turn on thinklight using the software 'tpfancontrol'

when it is installed an running, right click on the icon in the notification area, and click thinklight.
I've tried installing and running this, but it doesn't show up on the notification area, even with admin rights. I'll try again on vista/xp compatibility(I'm running 7)
Brad wrote:I was only thinking of another ThinkPad keyboard that works with your ThinkPad.

Brad
Oh nah I don't have a spare one, this is my first ThinkPad
dr_st wrote:PgUp and PgDn don't work completely, and you are bothered by the Thinklight?

In any case, it is definitely not a SW issue, since Fn+PgUp works on a very low hardware level. But just in case, check if the keys work in the BIOS.
My PgUp PgDn doesn't work anywhere, and I just find the thinklight really cool and I want to be able to use it. Its clearly working cause it flashes everytime I turn the laptop on. Ive tried turning it on the bios but it still wont light up. Do you think its safe to say that I need to get a keyboard replacement?

dr_st
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Re: Cannot turn on Thinklight --> PgUp & PgDn not working

#8 Post by dr_st » Mon Nov 30, 2015 12:44 am

balibone wrote:My PgUp PgDn doesn't work anywhere, and I just find the thinklight really cool and I want to be able to use it. Its clearly working cause it flashes everytime I turn the laptop on. Ive tried turning it on the bios but it still wont light up. Do you think its safe to say that I need to get a keyboard replacement?
Yes.
Current: X220 4291-4BG, T410 2537-R46, T60 1952-F76, T60 2007-QPG, T42 2373-F7G
Collectibles: T430s (IPS FHD + Classic Keyboard), X32 (IPS Screen)
Retired: X61 7673-V2V, A31p w/ Ultrabay Numpad
Past: Z61t 9440-A23, T60 2623-D3U, X32 2884-M5U

balibone
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:14 am
Location: Singapore

Re: Cannot turn on Thinklight --> PgUp & PgDn not working

#9 Post by balibone » Mon Nov 30, 2015 5:13 am

I'm now able to turn on the thinklight through TPFC, and will most probably replace the keyboard. Thanks for the help everyone :banana:

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