Modding - dv6t/dv7t Quad Edition (2011)

I'm wondering if it's even necessary to have a zif connector. Wouldn't it work to just tape the ribbon cable to the Motherboard? Are the contacts spaced the same on the cable and on the MB?

 

Nice question... but, how do you manage to tape a ribbon cable tight enough to make good electrical contact, considering that you need to remove the EMI shield to gain access to the underlying board?

 

Electrical Tape?

 

What about a metal clip, that would act like a small clamp. It would just be bent to wrap around the edge of the mainboard, but would exert pressure on the cable to the board. I would draw a picture, but I can't figure out how to post an image without having it on another site.

 

Mmm... I think that using the metal clip you'll short some vias on the opposite side of the board... And, considering that's a notebook and so it'll be carried on here and there, if the clip disengages due to shock/vibrations, it will be "travelling" all inside the laptop, possibly making short circuits and maybe FIRES!! No no... better using some adhesive and some paper insert to press on the board, but it isn't a clear solution..

Per the pictures, when you're answering (using the advanced view, not the quick reply on the bottom) there's a "Manage Attachments" button below the text field

 

Looking back to the picture, it looks like the first two tabs (from left to right f course) delivers +V power, and the third and fourth ones (plus the two securing places for the structure of the connector) goes to the ground path... let's see on the envy keyboard which side of the cable is the positive supply and which the ground...

 

What are you basing that off of? The arrow?

 

Do you think we can post a satellite thread in the HP ENVY forum and ask some people who have torn down their units already?

 

Nope, the arrow only indicates the pin #1... the bigger pads in SMD connectors are used to keep them attached to the board, not for electrical contact, and it usually goes to ground; also the mounting screws are grounded... If you look at the vias, you'll se that there is one that goes near the FingerPrint connector (and makes contact with the first two pin of the connector), the other two pins are connected to the left mounting area and in turn connected to the copper area surrounding the mounting screw hole
See the attachment, I've colored the vias, sorry for the quality - I've only Paint at the moment

It will be a good idea to ask to the Envy owners +1 from me

 

Digi-Key - WM19240-ND (Manufacturer - 90584-1304)

Something like this would work. Digi-Key has a million parts, and this was just after a quick glance. Need to know the pin spacing. I'm not too worried about soldering in board. I would do this to get the backlit keyboard. Have to wait 'till I get mine (if ever), then open her up.

 

Just got the Shipment notification for my DV6qe!
Just signed up for this awesome forum!

I've actually been following many of the forums on notebookreview.com and they have helped a lot.
I am very interested in modding for a Back-lit Keyboard. I had to resolder the DC Jack on my 6 year old Dell cause of rust and in order to do so, had to remove every single thing in the laptop.

By the way I'm moving up from:

1.7 Ghz (upgraded from 1.5) Celeron M
1 GB Ram DDR (upgraded from 256 MB)
40 GB HDD
Intergrated Intel Graphics
(Had to add Wireless card)

to:

(2.0-2.9) i7-2630qm
8 GB Ram DDR3
640 GB HDD 7200RPM
Radeon 6770m
with all the other goodies like Bluetooth.

Now I can do all the HD video editing and 3D modeling and Gaming I crave!

 

Congratualtions on the shipment. Took me a while to realize what "shipment" actually meant.

 

Sorry for the double post. Is there I way I can delete my comments?
Or is that an Admin job/privilege?

So once the mechanical job is over (getting and putting in a backlit KB)
do we have to install drivers, and will all the FN and hotkey functionality still work?

 

We'll probably need some drivers. The ones made for the Envy should work in theory.

 

Ah yes, I could see that being a slight problem. I can see it now; 'Here, look at this picture on my laptop. ZZZT ZGHGT!!! Oh, it appears my laptop shorted out.!"

 

Guys great update from the owner's lounge... FN+SPACE actually toggles the mouse backlit border... Now it makes more sense to attach the backlit keyboard to the white light power socket... better that soldering to the motherboard, isn't it?
EDIT: Maybe also the power socket on the motherboard gets switched... someone willing to try?

 

I'm curious, was ur estimated built-date about right or did they finish sooner, my DV7tqe said May 9th it should be completed, anyone think there might be a possiblity it might be completed nd shipped sooner? Because I've been keeping up with the backlit keyboard mod and would love to get involved. Any help would be great thanks!

 

Okay. Deep breath.

So I ordered March 23rd. With 30% off coupon = $396 off
Estimated was the April 11th, which was delayed to April 19th. So I called them up and asked for compensation, as well as to use a 33% instead, which gave me $50, and $56 dollars respectively.

Then it was delayed again to May 3rd and I was offered a 10% off coupon which saved me another $92.

^ Those were all build-dates above and they would usually ship the same day.

Today I received the notice for ship confirmation, and estimated arrival is May 2nd.
And thanks to the delays I saved about $600

And I would not mind soldering the ZIF connector and having both a touchpad light, I'm just worried about when I should do it. And just waiting to see what you guys are doing as well.

 

Well thats great information, i appreciate it, im just so amped to receive this laptop and hopefully by time i get it, i can replace the keyboard and maybe the wireless too, if we can figure it all out. I love seeing everyone involved with this, and i hope i can be an asset when the time comes. Believe me, I have no problem opening it up and doing work inside, im all for ripping things apart and putting them back together, modding,tweaking, ect. I ordered my dv7tqe with the spec's listed.

HP Pavilion dv7t Quad Edition
---------------------------------
Intel Quad Core i7-2820QM
1GB GDDR5 Radeon HD 6770M Graphics
8GB DDR3 System Memory
640GB 7200RPM Hard Drive - It was a free upgrade to 700GB, but @ 5400RPM
High Capacity 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
FREE Upgrade to Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth with Wireless

Total price w/o coupon: $1,723.99
Total price w/ coupon: $1,206.79
Total savings: $517.20
Estimated build date: May 9, 2011
---------------------------------
I think that HP really lured me in with this one, i saw the bait (coupon) and bit so hard, i couldn't pass it by! On a side note tho, im kind of disappointed with HP for not giving us the option not to have a pre-installed OS, but hey, all in all, it's still probably the best deal out there currently for the price vs. performance! Cheers.

 

What's wrong with the current wireless that it needs to be replaced? just asking.. i tried looking around but not really any info that i can find..

 

Some of the cards are not fast enough to work with the higher-end routers that some of the people own. They need to manually upgrade their cards because HP doesn't offer them stock. It's no biggie. (well it is, but not many people have the problem.)

 

ah, makes sense, thanks for the info!

 

I know it's not modding in the strict sense (well it might be if you don't live in the US) but can someone just tell me if the power brick mains lead has a 2 pin or 3 pin plug on the end. I want to be prepared

 

The US model has 3 pins (2 pins + ground)

 

Re: Plug. Thanks for that info.

 

That would eliminate the need to try and install envy drivers for the fn+F5 toggle. If someone could determine what each pin in the touchpad light port is for, we would be in business. however, would this require an extension to the ribbon cable?

 

It might reach, but that a matter of buying one and trying it. Can you simply use a multimeter to to test the voltages of the pins?

 

Yes, theoretically. The best approach would be to disassemble it, attach a wire to each pin on the connector. Like shove a wire (not braided) in the zif connector at each contact. Than run the wires out of the laptop and re-assemble it. Power it on and test each set of wires until you get voltage. I would do this, but unfortunately I do not have the laptop yet.

 

Personally, I would much rather prefer to solder a ZIF connector and just replace keyboard, as opposed to try to find a cable to fit the trackpad connector because of any voltage issues. The KBL area is meant for the Keyboard light so it save a lot of issues.

Also, this way we have both a trackpad light and keyboard light!

 

Does any body plan on buying the Envy17 keyboard in the near future. I would do this, but I don't have the money to waste [on an untested theory] after buying a new laptop.

 

I know how you feel. I will do this eventually, and having some people test the water beforehand will be a great thing. As of right now, I know I will be happy with every single aspect of the laptop (unless mine is defective - hopefully not). But I feel that the safest route is the socket marked KBL (obviously for the Keyboard Light) and even if we break the ENVY 17's keyboard tabs, the screws will keep it steady, and the only thing left is drivers.

And although I feel really ready to do this MOD, I will probably chicken-out last minute when it comes to opening it.

 

Opening it is not that bad. You just have to be forceful without being destructive. (I realize that that sounds extremely cryptic) All you have to do is follow the guide. It's pretty clearly laid out.

 

I understand what you mean. And I am quite confident in my ability to be careful (I have seen every inch of the inside on my current laptop) but I really have to set time for it. Currently I have Finals for these next two weeks and even after that (with ordering, delivery) it might be a month before I get started on this project physically. But I do love all of you for coming together as Notebook enthusiasts to help each other and everything.

Hopefully someone can do it before I start, if not I would not mind being everyone's hero.
I am not going to pretend however that I won't be scared, the thought of messing up a powerful brand new, expensive notebook makes me :cry:

 

I got the ENVY 17 keyboard already, but still waiting for my DV7

I am hoping there will be connector in the DV7...

 

I just wanted to ask for a couple of things:

1). Speedking...do you think we would be able to replace the "shell" of the keyboard?
2). Where can we get a ZIF connector and when we do, will we need to worry about voltages? If we solder the connector, and use the corresponding cable, is that not "standardized"? I mean we're not connecting random wires.
If anyone can find where to get the connector, it would be very helpful.
I know there was a link before, but that's out of country and also not specific. What would this 4pin ZIF connector be called?

 

It might also be called an FFC (flexible flat cable) connector. After looking at several types of these, I have come to the conclusion that when they say it has x positions, that means x pins. Is this right? We also want one with a side entry, as a top entry would hit the keyboard.

 

What is your ETA on the DV7? Good to know that someone has the keyboard to test out.

No I don't think so. The shell does not appear to be a be to be replaced.
I think our best bet to getting the keyboard in is cutting off the tabs and using double sided tape. Also, I think that the first and last tabs are correctly placed.

 

A $1000 computer held together by duct* tape ?!? ... what is wrong with you people??

* yeah, I know duct tape is NOT double stick tape, but you do understand the lunacy, don't you??
If a backlit keyboard is meant to be, I sure hope there is a better solution!

 

I understand the "lunacy" - the idea that we would use double sided tabe to hold the keyboard together. But double-sided tabe is wonderful, I feel that it is possible to do a clean professional job, and there will be screws holding the keyboard in place (at least one).
I know that it's really not that big a deal to have the backlit. But they would be awesome. And it always leaves room for a reversal

 

You also have to understand that the tape would not be visible. Assuming everything fits, it would look no different that it does not. Granted I hope that is a better solution, but I'm not against the double sided tape idea.

 

If you cant figure out how to cut a hole for the tabs that don't line up you could buy the top cover from the envy.

 

Would looove to have the keyboard on my dv6, any speculation on possible size differences, thought I read some where that the dv7 & 6 shared the same keyboard. So far ....8 GB Hyper X 1600 Ram, Intel 510 Series 250 GB HD, and a 6300 card in the works. Clean Install with no issues on the ssd and unbelieveably fast

 

Noice!
What are the prices for those things your adding?

 

Very nice but I thought 6300 cards were locked out by the bios whitelist. Did I miss something?

 

He must of modified his bios, or modified the 6300 firmware to look like a 6230 but runs as a 6300.

The 2nd method is the easiest method without bricking the laptop.

 

O really???? care to elaborate???? I tried to modify the bios and had no luck

 

look up this guy at mdl and make a request he does bios modding and is super good at it, ttav134
Insyde bios mod requests. - Page 640

 

Jerohm, your posts are always on point, but if I read correctly it would also have one screw near middle center right. I replaced my keyboard from my current laptop DV7-1261wm and it had one screw in the middle center, slightly to the right and the on the middle center left it had double sided adhesive/tape. I would feel comfortable with the "proper" adhesive, however I would be careful about the type of tape/adhesive used, particularly the thickness.

 

Reason you went with the 510 vs M4? Expected reliability/Large file usage? If so anything else?

 

does anyone have any links to high res images of the dv6t quad other than the stock photos and youtube videos?