T500 squishy keyboard

[shanick]

Hi all,

Thanks for the lovely forum I have done a lot of searching but I haven't quite been able to figure out what the latest info on this is.

My beloved Thinkpad G40 finally kicked it after more than five years of constant use. After doing a lot of reading, I picked the T500 as the best replacement for me. It's ticked a lot of boxes - weight, screen, specs. But! The keyboard!

The keyboard is all flexy around the 2345-WERT-SDF region. Having got so used to the rock-solid one on my G40 it's actually really distressing to find myself typing in marshmallow. I opened it up to check and sure enough I have the swiss cheese style keyboard backing that people are complaining about on other threads, but which I thought was no longer being used. Guess I have an older machine

First resort: are lenovo replacing these? How do I go about getting hold of a replacement? I bought it from a US ebay shop, and I live in the UK. It was brand new, sealed, got all the shiny papers etc. Is that going to be a problem? I could use a US friend's address if necessary.

Second resort: *sigh* where do I buy replacements, and which one is the best? I'm not fussed about UK/US layouts, although UK would be ideal.

I am so disappointed. I do a lot of writing. Click-clicking through things is actually a very small part of my laptop use. Knowing this, I originally bought my previous Thinkpad based purely on trying out the keyboards of dozens of laptops in a shop and it won hands down. This squishyness on the left side is just UGH. DO NOT WANT.

[dr_st]

They never moved away from the Swiss cheese keyboards on T400/T500/W500. They just added some extra support which apparently improves the feel a bit, but not entirely.

I don't know if they still offer to replace the keyboard with a proper T60/T61 keyboard for free. You can try give 'em a call or ask on the Lenovo forums.

[shanick]

Thanks for the reply. I guess I must have misread something somewhere.

A T60 you say? Something like this?

If it's actually only in the twenty quid region I will just buy one. Has anyone else around here done it and noticed an improvement?

[dr_st]

Yes, like that. There will definitely be an improvement, at least based on comments of everyone who has ever done it.

[Mick Ruane]

I know how really annoying this is. I purchased a W500 on-line from Lenovo UK and immediately noticed how how 'hollow' and noisy the keyboard was, especially WERTY & SDF. I swapped the keyboard with the ones from my 14" T60 and also my 15" T60p and the difference was amazing. I also fitted the W500 'cheesboard' keyboard into my T60p and I must be honest here, is was not as good as the T60p keyboard, but it was much better than when fitted into the W500 and if the W500 was like this I could have lived with it. I think the main problem is not necessarily the keyboard, but the support under every part of the cheesboard plate. As and exampale, keys N & M are rock solid and quiet with both keyboards.

Lenovo could not change the keyboard but arranged a pickup and immediate full refund for the W500 (because I reported the keyboard 'problem' within my 7 day period under the distance selling regs). Following some research on this site I have since purchased a T61 keyboard, which I shall fit to a W500 I shall order when available with Windows at the end of October. This was not cheap £55 delivered, but I am self employed and was an essential purchase as far as I am concerned.

I shall give details of where to purchase the new keyboard in a separate post

[Mick Ruane]

To anybody else in the position of having an unsatisfactory keyboard on a T500 or W500, I have purchased a T61 keyboard in the UK very easily, and very suprisingly from IBM.

The UK keyboard (with both the euro and dollar symbols on the number 4 key) is part no 42T3167 and is manufactured by NMB. It also has an enlarged blue enter key, which is better than the slimline enter key on the W500.

I paid £55 inc £15 delivery (from Amsterdam) and it took two days from on-line ordering to being delivered. The efficiency of IBM was excellent.

Here are the ordering details from within the uK. Telephone 01475 557601 if you wish to order over the phone but there is a 2% charge for credit cards, however the people at the other end are very helpful. Alternatively, go to http://www.ibm.co.uk - ensure the 'Country' that appears on the IBM screen is United Kingdom or UK, and change it if it shows United States. Select the tab 'Shop For' and an option 'Upgrades, Accessories & Parts'. Enter 42T3167 in the search box and off you go - Good Luck ---LENOVO, WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DO THIS WITH A NEW £1700 THINKPAD---

[skippy]

I too have a T500 with a flexi keyboard. Don't know whether it's related to the sitting of the keyboard, but the right side of the palm rest is distorted too (under the space/Alt Gr keys). Removing the keyboard from the machine fixes the distorted palm rest... Lenovo were doing replacements if you requested one on their forums but that offer ended around March 2009 I think (when they changed the design again to put extra supports on the machine where the flex occurs)

I actually requested a replacement keyboard but the UK fulfilment centre sent me another flexi one Was told I'll get another one to replace it but never turned up. Follow up messages to the Lenovo guy dealing with the keyboard replacements were ignored. Kinda got used to it now but the keyboard on my T43 feels much more solid and faster to type on.

As Mick says the one to go for (for UK users) is the 42T3167 FRU. There's a guy on eBay selling them for £16.99 delivered at the moment. Not sure whether I'm allowed to post a link on here but if you search for 42T3167 you'll find it. I've ordered one today - will post an update when it turns up.

[shanick]

Do let me know if it makes a difference! I can't afford any extra cash this month, but I'll gladly get one in November.

[skippy]

The new keyboard arrived today!! FRU model is 42T3167.

Installed it and the flex is gone!

Feels different from the one in my T43 - keys feel slightly stiffer - maybe because it's new... but loads better than the original flexible keyboard. It's a standard UK keyboard with the pound symbol but no Euro symbol.

Oh, just a warning - the guy I purchased from on eBay sends it out in a 'Do not Bend' card backed envelope. He gives the option of receiving it in the box instead for £1 extra - I would go for that option if I were ordering again to guarantee it doesn't get bent by the post office.

[Worzyl]

I take it that 42t3167, also fit in the t60's. Does it have the blue pad springs as shown dr_st analysis?

http://forums.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=44310

[dr_st]

I take it that 42t3167, also fit in the t60's. Does it have the blue pad springs as shown dr_st analysis?

I cannot take credit for something I did not do. That was RonS's analysis.

[Worzyl]

I cannot take credit for something I did not do. That was RonS's analysis.

Whoops!! Sorry for the confusion

...any answers to the blue pad spring question?

[shanick]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I just wanted to report that after months of lurking around ebay waiting for a suitably priced 42T3167, I finally got one. It arrived today and it is PERFECT. No flex/squish/swampiness at all. My typing is much faster and more accurate. I'm so pleased!

Thank you all for the help.

[vtohthree]

Funny, I just logged into the board to complain about the exact same problem, but I see that there is already a thread on it. I received my T500 about 2 and half weeks ago.

First and foremost, not only is the keyboard bowing/flexing in the "qwert" area, but the keyboard feels like crap, the keys have no feedback and literally feels like a consumer market grade keyboard(like a Dell inspiron/hp envy). I was shocked, I came from a Thinkpad T41, and was used to robust, solid, tactile feedback keys, and I thought that the T500 would have at least a comparable keyboard.

From what I gather, I probably cannot get a replacement keyboard anymore, but I'll have to order a T61/T60 keyboard.

Before I do so, can you guys confirm that the newer T500 keyboards are soft and feel like consumer grade keys too?

P.S. will any T60/T61 keyboard fit(US to US version)? Or will only certain certain FRU numbers fit?

[t140568]

Before I do so, can you guys confirm that the newer T500 keyboards are soft and feel like consumer grade keys too?

P.S. will any T60/T61 keyboard fit(US to US version)? Or will only certain certain FRU numbers fit?

As far as I know, any T6x keyboard will fit. I replaced my T500's cheeseboard with a proper keyboard from the T6x series (42T3143) for ~$30 on eBay. Huge difference. Still not quite as nice as my R50's, but much better! vtohthree, it's worth the thirty bucks.

[ThinkRob]

Before I do so, can you guys confirm that the newer T500 keyboards are soft and feel like consumer grade keys too?

Yes. (AFAIK) they never changed the keyboard itself, they just added some additional internal supports which yield a slight improvement. The keyboard's feel is still highly dependent on manufacturing tolerances, which explains why it's generally... erm.... junk.

[vtohthree]

Thanks t140568 and Thinkrob. I guess I'll have to go and order a T61 keyboard.

[ThinkRob]

Thanks t140568 and Thinkrob. I guess I'll have to go and order a T61 keyboard.

No worries.

Tip: The R60, R61, R61i, T60, T60p, T61, T61p, Z60t, Z60m, Z61t, and Z61m all share the same keyboard form factor -- compatible with the T400 and T500. While some sellers will mark up T60/T61 keyboards because of the issues with the T400/T500 keyboards, searching for keyboards for any of the aforementioned models might help you find some without inflated prices. I was able to get a NMB replacement for my T500 for about $25 (shipped!) using this trick.

[vtohthree]

I appreciate the tip thinkrob,

[nxman]

I have a T500 and the Keyboard is hell it self! just throw it away and get a T61 keyboard like i did and you'll be back in business...