Using T480 (or other current T series) with 7-row "ThinkPad USB keyboard with TrackPoint"

[MichaelS]

Hello,

I am considering buying a T480 that I would like to place under my desk out of my reach with the lid closed, and use it with an external monitor. Since I don't like the current ThinkPad chicklet keyboards, I have an external English-language "ThinkPad USB keyboard with TrackPoint" 57Y4676, identical to models SK-8855 and 55Y9053, that I hope to use with the T480. It has the old 7-row keys and layout, which I much prefer.

I have read elsewhere that this external keyboard works under Win 10 with the 1.12 keyboard driver providing you force it over Win 10's driver. But I'm unsure if that applies to a current ThinkPad.

My question is thus: Can I use this external keyboard to replicate ALLthe functions of the T480's onboard keyboard, including the scrolling and enlargement functions using the TrackPoint and its buttons?

In particular, and this is crucial, will the Fn + F4 or another combination place the T480 on standby? And will pressing the Fn key (or another combination) wake the T480? If not, I'll have to keep the T480 on a crowded desk and open, rather than conveniently closed and out of the way under my desk.

Also,if there are any T480 keyboard functions that won't work, what might they be? One in particular I use all the time is page forward and page back when browsing the Web using the dedicated keys on 7-row keyboards around the cursor keys. I find that very handy.

As background, I currently use the external keyboard with a Dell desktop, and using the version 1.12 driver under Win 7 Pro, I can put the Dell to sleep using Fn + F4, but I can't wake it up using Fn or any combination. So I wonder if I'll encounter that problem with the T480 under Win 10.

Many thanks for any help, thoughts and solutions!

Michael

[w0qj]

Bonjour!

Hmm...perhaps you should email ThinkPad for such answers...

Looks like there are no users with external ThinkPad USB keyboard with TrackPoint...

Good luck!

[artic_squirrel]

First the new keyboards have newer keys, especially around f9 and they pop up the new software by lenovo to tweak whatever.

What works on the external keyboards is the multimedia keys, and the fn+f4. You can wake up the laptop as long as you do not disable this feature in the device manager of windows.


I think the brightness buttons work too for the sk-8855, but I confirm they do not work for the sk-8845.