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Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - Some keyboard keys (b, n, space) and Power button are not working

T400/T410/T420 and T500/T510/T520 Series
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saltySoso
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Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - Some keyboard keys (b, n, space) and Power button are not working

#1 Post by saltySoso » Tue Feb 27, 2018 4:04 am

So a few months ago I moved out and I forgot my laptop in sleep mode for a few days. When I tried to open it, I couldn't succeed. I put the charger in, kept pressing the Power button, nothing happened.

Eventually, I managed to boot it by removing the battery and the charger, remove the CMOS battery, leave it for 20 seconds, put it back in and when I would put the charger in, it would boot automatically without me pressing any button. But another issue occurred: some keys weren't working. To be more specific: b, n, space, ?, 3/4 arrow keys and a few other. Also the touchpad is malfunctioning.

What I later realized was that the Power button is not working either. So any troubleshoot steps regarding my broken keyboard in which I had to press the power button a few times or hold it pressed in order to discharge would not work.

The things I tried so far:

- remove keyboard, reattach it;
- remove the CMOS battery, put it back and boot;
- remove the CMOS battery and boot without it;
- try to boot without battery;
- try to boot without charger;
- reset BIOS settings;

Right now I'm using an USB keyboard. The keyboard is not a big issue, I can keep using the USB keyboard, but the Power button is not working. So every time my laptop gets shut down, or maybe its power gets cut off, I have to remove the CMOS battery in order to reboot it.

I know the worst (most expensive) scenario here would be to replace the keyboard entirely. But until then, I want to know if anyone had similar issues and if any of you had a different solution to this problem/a similar problem.

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Re: Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - Some keyboard keys (b, n, space) and Power button are not working

#2 Post by BillMorrow » Tue Feb 27, 2018 4:12 am

hello and welcome to the forum..

just guessing here (my X1 carbon gen3 is the newest thinkpad i have) but sleep mode should not cause any issue..
did the battery go flat..?
did your thinkpad suffer any other trauma during your 'move'..?
otherwise, a new keyboard is not expensive.. even in romania i think.. :)
is there any warranty remaining..?

good luck..
Bill Morrow, kept by parrots :parrot: & cockatoos
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She was not what you would call refined,
She was not what you would call unrefined,
She was the type of person who kept a parrot.
~~~Mark Twain~~~

saltySoso
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Location: Iasi, Romania

Re: Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - Some keyboard keys (b, n, space) and Power button are not working

#3 Post by saltySoso » Tue Feb 27, 2018 4:23 am

BillMorrow wrote:
Tue Feb 27, 2018 4:12 am
hello and welcome to the forum..

just guessing here (my X1 carbon gen3 is the newest thinkpad i have) but sleep mode should not cause any issue..
did the battery go flat..?
did your thinkpad suffer any other trauma during your 'move'..?
otherwise, a new keyboard is not expensive.. even in romania i think.. :)
is there any warranty remaining..?

good luck..
Hey there and thanks a lot for the reply :D

The battery works fine.
I never thought about that because I'm pretty sure I had it in a strong protective backpack if I remember correctly.
It's around 60-70 bucks. It's quite a lot here, but I'm trying to use that as a last resort :D
No, it doesn't have warranty.

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Re: Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - Some keyboard keys (b, n, space) and Power button are not working

#4 Post by Thinkpad4by3 » Tue Feb 27, 2018 6:46 am

See if you can test any of the keys on the bottom row of this chart:

Image

Pins 17 & 19 on the Thinkpad keyboard are for driver 7, and the power button respectively. Check they keyboard connector for any dust or other stuff that shouldn't be there and make sure the connector on the board isn't damaged.
Thinkpad4by3's Law of the Universe.

The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.

saltySoso
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Location: Iasi, Romania

Re: Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - Some keyboard keys (b, n, space) and Power button are not working

#5 Post by saltySoso » Tue Feb 27, 2018 7:06 am

The 7th row are exactly the buttons don't work!! Where did you get the chart?

Edit: I found it on other websites. I will take a look at the connector when I get home.

saltySoso
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Re: Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - Some keyboard keys (b, n, space) and Power button are not working

#6 Post by saltySoso » Thu Mar 01, 2018 6:14 am

bump

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Re: Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - Some keyboard keys (b, n, space) and Power button are not working

#7 Post by Thinkpad4by3 » Thu Mar 01, 2018 6:30 am

Do you have the picture yet?
Thinkpad4by3's Law of the Universe.

The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.

saltySoso
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Re: Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - Some keyboard keys (b, n, space) and Power button are not working

#8 Post by saltySoso » Thu Mar 01, 2018 7:07 am

Thinkpad4by3 wrote:
Thu Mar 01, 2018 6:30 am
Do you have the picture yet?
I tried cleaning the little ribbon with no success. What else can I try? Someone said to try blow some air in the keyboard and also clean the motherboard slot where the ribbon goes in.

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Re: Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - Some keyboard keys (b, n, space) and Power button are not working

#9 Post by Thinkpad4by3 » Thu Mar 01, 2018 7:27 am

Check for bent pins or corrosion. Otherwise, inspect the ribbon cables for pinches or tears.
Thinkpad4by3's Law of the Universe.

The efficiency of two screens equally sized with equal numbers if pixels are equal. The time spent by a 4:3 user complaining about 16:9 is proportional to the inefficiency working with a 16:9 display, therefore the amount of useful work extracted is equal.

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Re: Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - Some keyboard keys (b, n, space) and Power button are not working

#10 Post by TPFanatic » Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:51 am

Best buy a new keyboard.

I don't know what type yours is, but I've found the Chicony keyboards for T520 and other models are prone to malfunctioning with wear/age.

saltySoso
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Location: Iasi, Romania

Re: Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - Some keyboard keys (b, n, space) and Power button are not working

#11 Post by saltySoso » Fri Mar 02, 2018 1:31 am

Thinkpad4by3 wrote:
Thu Mar 01, 2018 7:27 am
Check for bent pins or corrosion. Otherwise, inspect the ribbon cables for pinches or tears.
Already did that. Checked, brushed slowly with a toothbrush. I'm going to buy a canned air thingy and see if I can blow the keyboard a lil bit and the slot.


TPFanatic wrote:
Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:51 am
Best buy a new keyboard.

I don't know what type yours is, but I've found the Chicony keyboards for T520 and other models are prone to malfunctioning with wear/age.
As I wrote above, I was looking to cover all possibilities that I might not have tried, before buying a keyboard.

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Re: Lenovo Thinkpad T520 - Some keyboard keys (b, n, space) and Power button are not working

#12 Post by TPFanatic » Fri Mar 02, 2018 1:43 am

I've played with fixing keyboards too, once they start breaking there's no saving them.

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