HP EliteBook 6930p volume slider fix (how to...)

Dear all,
following my display lock repair mini-tut which I've recently also seen copied to an eBay auction , I decided to fix the ailing volume slider on my HP EliteBook 6930p - once and for all, before this machine goes into retirement and before I freak out over the missing haptic feedback provided by the terrible HP clavilux.

The volume "switch" is an inductive slider panel and I guess a lot of users in the past mistook the slider-design for an actual slider-bar (as found on the iPhone or so). But it isn't.
The trick is to place the fingertip somewhere in the middle between the [-] .... and .... [+] and then move it slightly into the desired direction:



It's a **** design and sometimes doesn't work. I blame this on two reasons:
a) attenuation of the incoming signal
b) software reasons, maybe because of the OS or because the input level on the controller chip is set too high - who knows...

For reason a), I've found the following fix which works just fine for me (and besides it seems to be the only thing we can do about it anyways):



==> remove a few screws from the bottom, remove the keyboard, remove the "switch cover assembly" and turn it around. Now gently remove the yellow/silver insulation (keep it safe) and try to work your way with a knife or sharp tweezers in between the cover and the green pcb. There's an excessive amount of glue found between the cover and the pcb which probably attenuates the incoming signal (~ your finger) - and after removing all the glue right under the volume slide panel, it now works like it's supposed to do.

It may not be the best fix, but it works and I know that "haptic volume control" (= actually buttons or a wheel) now made it onto my list of requirements for the next laptop.

 

I am sorry to hear that! I think the best will be to have no glue at all between the plastic cover and the pcb, and then to really fix the pcb to the plastic using a strong adhesive tape (gaffa tape, etc.). Maybe cleaning the pcb with some soft cloth and Isopropyl alcohol also helps.

 

The slow responsiveness is also due to HP Quick Launch Button software. I've now deinstalled that piece of sw and suddenly, all my volume control issues are gone. I did that after realizing that the on-screen display also doesn't call up while using the buttons on the external keyboard, so it had to be software related.