Looking for a better X220 keyboard (especially the Trackpoint)

[RandomLinuxLearner]

Hello fellow ThinkPad enthusiasts,

I recently ordered a keyboard from AliExpress.

However, I find the trackpoint to be subpar and not up to my standards.

Upon closer inspection (new vs old), I noticed that the system doesn't seem to be the same as my old trackpoint. Additionally, the left click tends to get stuck when pressed too far on the right side.

Do you know of any place where I can find a trackpoint that is more similar to my old one?

Thank you very much!

[booysen]

Hi RanddomLinuxLearner,
your new keyboard (top) appears to be missing the red plastic adapter that fits between the trackpoint stub (white square) and the gummy rubber trackpoint cap.
See: https://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=129011 (same keyboard as X220).
The old keyboard (bottom) does have the adapter installed; guess you could remove it and install it on your new keyboard and then install the rubber cap - should be easy to find online if you don't have one.

Also, if your new keyboard came with a fully assembled trackpoint (rubber cap installed), the plastic adapter might be stuck in there. If so, retrieve it and put it back on the white stub before installing a new rubber cap.

[TPFanatic]

The aliexpress keyboards are likely copycats. Your best bet is to find a secondhand or OEM keyboard in good condition.

The following are FRUs for US layouts:

45N2106 / 45N2141 is Chicony
04W2753 / 45N2071 is ALPS
45N2176 / 45N2211 is NMB

Your old keyboard was a Chicony.

[RandomLinuxLearner]

Hey guys,

Thank you for your helpful answers.

Hi RanddomLinuxLearner,
your new keyboard (top) appears to be missing the red plastic adapter that fits between the trackpoint stub (white square) and the gummy rubber trackpoint cap.
See: https://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=129011 (same keyboard as X220).
The old keyboard (bottom) does have the adapter installed; guess you could remove it and install it on your new keyboard and then install the rubber cap - should be easy to find online if you don't have one.
Also, if your new keyboard came with a fully assembled trackpoint (rubber cap installed), the plastic adapter might be stuck in there. If so, retrieve it and put it back on the white stub before installing a new rubber cap.

I managed to successfully remove the old adapter and install it on the new keyboard, and it's much better now. Thanks for the useful tips!

The aliexpress keyboards are likely copycats. Your best bet is to find a secondhand or OEM keyboard in good condition.
The following are FRUs for US layouts:
45N2106 / 45N2141 is Chicony
04W2753 / 45N2071 is ALPS
45N2176 / 45N2211 is NMB
Your old keyboard was a Chicony.

I will keep the information you provided in mind. It seems like the aliexpress keyboards are copycats as you said, so my best bet would be to find a secondhand or OEM keyboard in good condition.
However, being in Europe, it's not always easy to find second-hand keyboards with a US layout, especially in France.

Thanks again for your help!

[TPFanatic]

What I do is I enter the FRU I know into Lenovo's Parts Lookup tool, put in the FRU of your original keyboard it should give you the substitute FRUs for your localization. https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/partslookup