Thinkpads Forum

I just realized I forgot to add backlit keyboard to my order.. I realized when I received it and noticed there is no light icon.
Is it possible to swap the keyboard for a backlit one, and does anyone have the part number?

Yes, they are directly swappable. The complete list of fru units can be found here: https://download.lenovo.com/parts/Think ... u_list.pdf.

People report that the liteon backlit keyboard develops less greasy keys and shine than the chicony one. Nevertheless, all the backlit keyboards lack the matte finish of the non-backlit versions, and will get dirtier faster.

Thank you very much brchan,
That's a huge list of parts, I will make sure I save that list for future use.
In the meantime, I also read about the difference in keys among 4 different manufacturers, just noticed it on another forum recently, but the list has only two, maybe they were referring to earlier models.

NB_KYB,CS13T,US,CHY,Backlit (04X0101)
NB_KYB,CS13T,US,LTN,Backlit (04X0139)

Thanks again for your help, I am so happy I can swap the KB.
I can't believe Lenovo did not just bump the base price by $20 and make backlit KB standard. Are there people who actually prefer not to have that option?

No problem . As far as whether some people prefer backlit vs non-backlit, the backlit keyboards are more costly and get more greasy. Some also argue that the tactile feedback of the backlit keyboards is not as good, but I can't comment on that, since I have only used the backlit version in my W530. Responsiveness is virtually the same as my T60 NMB keyboard, but with maybe a tiny bit less key travel.

I guess the one I have is a CHY model, maybe I can run the tool to check but from the looks of it, the Esc key and Shift keys are rattly, compared to rest of the keyboard which is extremely quiet.

T450s is not listed, but I am hoping this one will be fine: http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-for-IBM-Thi ... ea0dc0a69b I can't seem to find any USA based seller with price less than $60.

Just check feebay for "lenovo 04X0139" to find many under $30.

RealBlackStuff wrote:Just check feebay for "lenovo 04X0139" to find many under $30.

Most of those are "seller refurbished" or "pull off", are those safe to buy?

Thanks.


Sent from Z30 on Tapatalk

If the seller has a good rating and specifies that the keyboard is genuine and has no problems, then I would not worry about it. Most of the time they are very good with returns. I have never seen a counterfeit thinkpad keyboard before, so that should not be a problem.

brchan wrote:If the seller has a good rating and specifies that the keyboard is genuine and has no problems, then I would not worry about it. Most of the time they are very good with returns. I have never seen a counterfeit thinkpad keyboard before, so that should not be a problem.

Thanks, it's just unclear these items are used or not so it's difficult.
I agree on returns, hopefully they are good, it's just a hassle to replace it and find out buttons don't work, or rattle, etc. and then remove and put the old one back. I feel like my thinkpad is violated every time I open the case or swap things. It looks like they changed the way KB is mounted on 450s.