How i fixed my DV5's touchpad

I said in a thread that my DV5's touchpad died entirely although it was just 3 weeks old, well it was dead until now.

The cause: Manufacturing error. Basically the touchpad ribbon cable was too long and they had to bend it. No problem. However they bent it so hard that the aluminum wires on the connector snapped when the laptop heated up due to the CPU.

How i did it: The cable was long enough to allow being cut, so i cut the connector using a pair of scissors. I saved the plastic tab of the connector as i knew i would need a way to hold the ribbon inside the connector. Then i set the cable on something thin, flat and large enough to not scratch the laptop when working (i used the back of my ID card). I took a piece of 180 grit sandpaper and slowly grinded the plastic off the cable. I went up and down across the length i wished to grind, never left and right because that would potentially bend the wires inside, something i really didn't want to happen. Here's the ribbon after the first grinding job.



Slowly, the copper wires were exposed. However, i happened to be grinding directly above one of the bends and two wires snapped off... Again. I took an X-Acto knife and cut the ribbon cable again, as i figured out the scissors might've had some role in it breaking. I measured the length - it was precisely enough to go inside the connector fully. Now or never.

Slowly and carefully i grinded off the plastic insulation again. When enough length of copper was exposed, i slowly slid the ribbon inside the connector and secured it with the original plastic tab. As you can see in the picture i didn't even bother to remove the broken pins from the plastic tab, i just put it the other way round. I booted the thing up. Success. However it would stop working if i pressed on the plastic tab, i guess it was so bent that it was bending upwards inside if i pressed on it, and no longer applied enough force to secure the wires inside the connector. I was all out of super glue, but i had a better idea. Using a brush i applied some clear lacquer to the connector, by my previous experiences it can get just about everywhere and it gets hard when it dries. Then some sticky tape over everything to wrap it up. What do you know... "IT'S F***ING UNBELIEVABLE!!!" It worked.



Tools used:
HP service manual (available for free download from their site, for every model)
Small cross-tip screwdriver
180 grit sandpaper (finer will work but take longer, coarser may break the thin layer of copper before it is fully exposed)
And a whole lotta patience.

I hope it'll keep working forever.

 

Update. My friend brought me my DV5 back - the touchpad had failed again. I had enough of that crap so i decided to take the whole thing apart and replace the ribbon cable. I took a ribbon from an old DVD drive and cut it to width. I plugged it in, put the thing back together and voila, touchpad working.

Score so far: Th3_uN1Qu3 3, HP 0. Conclusion: HP, I PWN YOU. I'm gonna sig that.

Out with the old and in with the new.


How to properly bend a ribbon cable. Not like those losers at the factory did.


Beautiful sight, isn't it?