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    how to take apart a keyboard (weird question)

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by dudnaito, Jul 31, 2012.

  1. dudnaito

    dudnaito Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'm not particularly fluent in tech-speak so forgive me for any strange descriptions. Here goes, I'm trying to replace my laptop keyboard. I was able to procure said keyboard, but it came with a bunch of holes? Mine doesn't, so can't I remove the "frame" from the original keyboard and attach it to the new replacement one? But I'm not sure how to go about doing this. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
     
    dudnaito, Jul 31, 2012
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  2. tijo

    tijo Sacred Blame

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    You will have to tell us for which notebook you want to do the keyboard swap. Some keyboards are held on by latches others by screws depending on the laptop model.
     
    tijo, Jul 31, 2012
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  3. dudnaito

    dudnaito Notebook Enthusiast

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    oops, sorry. it's a hp dv7t-4100. this is the keyboard that i need: HP DV Series DV7t-4100 Laptop Keyboard Replacement. It looks exactly like this and it works, but it has a bunch of holes on it.

    i'm trying to upload a pic, but photobucket is not being cooperative at the moment.
     
    dudnaito, Jul 31, 2012
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  4. Krane

    Krane Notebook Prophet

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    You need to post that pic or be more descriptive because I have no idea what you mean by "bunch of holes." In my experience with HP changing the keyboard is not a simple task (and it may void the warranty). Though I'm sure there are others here that would disagree.
     
    Krane, Aug 1, 2012
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  5. dudnaito

    dudnaito Notebook Enthusiast

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    working now...

    [​IMG]
     
    dudnaito, Aug 2, 2012
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  6. Kuu

    Kuu That Quiet Person

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    I'm taking a guess here but you'll probably have to get that laptop halfway apart before even getting to the screws that keep it held down, at least the upper part around the keyboard; don't do this unless you find and read the service manual for your laptop though.
     
    Kuu, Aug 2, 2012
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  7. tijo

    tijo Sacred Blame

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    If you find the service manual, you'll have a definitive answer for sure. The only HP notebook i disassembled was a dv6000 (circa 2006) and the keyboard was a pain to remove. On my Asus notebooks, the keyboard is only held by 5 latches that are located "on top" of the keybaord and there are no screws holding it down. You could look to see if there are latches, but even if there are that doesn't meant that there aren't screws holding it down somewhere. If there are latches, you can try removing the keyboard, but if you feel that it's resisting, don't take the risk of breaking something.
     
    tijo, Aug 2, 2012
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  8. dudnaito

    dudnaito Notebook Enthusiast

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    huh? No, no, I've already removed the keyboard... takes me like 3 minutes in fact. My issue is that my replacement keyboard pictured above has so many holes. My original has no such holes, and I thought I could just take off whatever "frame" or whatever it's called out of the broken original and somehow install it over the one pictured above.

    To repeat, taking out or installing the keyboard itself is not the issue. I'm talking about taking apart the keyboard itself.. not the keyboard from the laptop. Surely, the keyboard itself has component parts.
     
    dudnaito, Aug 2, 2012
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  9. tilleroftheearth

    tilleroftheearth Wisdom listens quietly...

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    Are the holes for led lights?

    Won't they simply be covered up by installing the keyboard to the computer?

    Does it really matter if the holes are there? They might even help keep the notebook cooler too...
     
    tilleroftheearth, Aug 2, 2012
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  10. tijo

    tijo Sacred Blame

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    Oh, lol. The holes don't matter, just put the new kb in there and call it a day.
     
    tijo, Aug 2, 2012
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  11. dudnaito

    dudnaito Notebook Enthusiast

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    no, they appear with the holes even upon installation, and it does matter both for aesthetic reasons and because I'm trying to sell my laptop.
     
    dudnaito, Aug 2, 2012
    #11