T420 keyboard won't stay in place

T400/410/420 and T500/510/520 series specific matters only
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excal32
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T420 keyboard won't stay in place

#1 Post by excal32 » Mon May 23, 2016 1:50 am

Hi all, not a big problem, just an annoyance. Beginning yesterday my keyboard would pop up only from the clip under the arrow keys. When it started it would stay in place for ~30 minutes, now it comes back up immediately.

I did not miss any screws when re-assembling the laptop. Just not sure what I could check here to do to keep it in place. The keyboard screws are very secure.
1x R500 (P8600), R61e [T9300], X61 (T7300) - RIP T420 (replaced by HP Z420 workstation)

theterminator93
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Re: T420 keyboard won't stay in place

#2 Post by theterminator93 » Mon May 23, 2016 5:57 am

Is it "pulled back" all the way? There should be a small 'tab' that sticks out at the front of the keyboard under the down arrow key which should go under the palm rest there to keep it in place.
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brchan
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Re: T420 keyboard won't stay in place

#3 Post by brchan » Mon May 23, 2016 7:06 am

Yes, the keyboard tabs must all be under the palmrest by pushing in and pulling down at the bottom of the keyboard. Afterwards, then it should be screwed into place.
Current Thinkpads: W530 (functional classic keyboard mod), X301, T61, T60, T43, T23, 600X, 770
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excal32
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Re: T420 keyboard won't stay in place

#4 Post by excal32 » Mon May 23, 2016 12:30 pm

Yup, i did that a few times over, i've replaced TP keyboards before so i definitely remembered to pull it back down. all the other tabs on the bottom of the keyboard except for that one under the arrow keys stays locked perfectly. the left side of the keyboard doesn't come up even if i push it hard.

I guess I should double check a screw isn't missing somewhere, because I've re-checked to make sure the keyboard screws are secure (they are ) so it's a mystery for now.
1x R500 (P8600), R61e [T9300], X61 (T7300) - RIP T420 (replaced by HP Z420 workstation)

brchan
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Re: T420 keyboard won't stay in place

#5 Post by brchan » Mon May 23, 2016 6:25 pm

Is there anything under the palmrest that is blocking the nub? I'd reseat the palmrest and look for any abnormalities.
Current Thinkpads: W530 (functional classic keyboard mod), X301, T61, T60, T43, T23, 600X, 770
Other: mk5 Toughbook cf-19, mk1 Toughbook cf-53

Tasurinchi
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Re: T420 keyboard won't stay in place

#6 Post by Tasurinchi » Tue May 24, 2016 1:17 am

You can also remove the keyboard and check if it's flat, if not you can carefully bend the right side a little to make it fit in place.
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