Just called Lenovo about T400 keyboard flex

I just got off the phone with Lenovo's support number about my T400 keyboard (product dated 3/24/09 FRU# 42T3937, MFG# 42T3904) which has a bit of flex according to forums and my experience. The first guy was kinda annoyed of me but the 2nd guy i talked to was pretty quick on sending me the T61 keyboard 42T3109. I'll keep you guys updated on the shipping and how the new keyboard feels.

lot of info here
http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board/...thread.id=2959&view=by_date_ascending&page=55

supposedly they were replacing them on the forum up till 4/9/09. Hope the new keyboard is GG

 

mmmmm kimchi.

good ol' kimchi and rice

 

why thank you

mac owner....

 

ill be joining the thinkpad club soon...very soon.

 

for the record, the current keyboard i have right now isn't bad at all. Its just all the people griping about how the t400 keyboard lost the thinkpad's "legendary feel" just made me wonder if another keyboard will really make me more satisfied with the laptop itself. The only reason i found the flex issue is because of forums and videos and I probably would have never had a problem with it.

 

Perhaps my knowledge of this problem is too shallow, but I believe the keyboard flex reported in the T400 was not due to the keyboard itself, but the underlying chassis, which did not adequately support the keyboard on top of it. Since this problem was reported in various reviews when the T400 first came out, the issue has been largely resolved.

Updated T400 Review w/ redesigned chassis:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4946

Old T400 chassis:
http://www.notebookreview.com/shared/picture.asp?f=42196

New T400 chassis
http://www.notebookreview.com/shared/picture.asp?f=42232

 

Well the chassis only comes into play because the more solid backing was removed on the t400/t500 style keyboards.

 

My understanding is that keyboard flex in the T400 was due to the lack of adequate support underneath the keyboard, not the keyboard itself... and here the OP seems to believe that a T61 keyboard will resolve the problem.

 

I believe the backplate of the keyboard itself had perforated holes in it to save weight. This also contributed to the flex in the new T400/500 series, whereas the older keyboards from T61 has a solid backplate with no holes, which is why it is preferable and why the OP is switching it out.

 

that forum in the original had tons of people who supposedly fixed the problem with the t61 keyboard so i'll see what happens.

will probably post videos

 

as you can see my frame is updated



and my keyboard has holes and is gonna be replaced with one without holes


there is still a bit of flex esp on the left side

 

Thanks for the pics junkimchi.

It makes me wonder if that new support brace weighs more than the difference between the old and the new keyboard. It would be funny if that were true since the main reason for the redesign was weight saving. Even if the old board is heavier I still wonder if the difference was worth it...

 

beside the fact that the keyboard has holes, the keyboard when taken out just feels.... kinda flimsy. I really don't care about adding a few ounces if it means a better feel for the keyboard.

 

Bog as CanadianDude furthered, it is a combination of both. The support within the frame was not so much an issue until lenovo revised the keyboard's back plate itself. And then implementing better support in the frame was the "fix". Some users still like the t61 keyboard more even with the new support structure.

 

At that weight I'd say it isn't worth it. Maybe on an ultraportable. The x200 has the same keyboards (or at least style) but they have better support in the chassis. You can still get it to flex, but in generally is is more solid for the majority of the keyboard. At least to the point where I have no need to complain.

 

i just hope having both the t61 keyboard AND the frame update will make things better. It was free so i'm not complaining =D

 

Ya, doesn't hurt to try and see how different or not it is .

 

GREAT comparison shots of the old and new chassis—thanks.

 

You're right, that is a very good comparison. I wonder how it affects the temperature of the new models.

 

i have the "new" frame and idk how the temperature was on the old frame but these t400s are ridiculously well maintained when it comes to heat. I've never heard the fan be too loud or the computer be exceedingly hot even after a night of it being on. The most i've experienced is during gaming i guess.

 

I agree. I would have never even been worried about ordering the T400 if it were not for the forums. I too also found a little flex but nothing that effects my normal typing ability. The most flex that I have found is about the CDROM and it was making a noise for a couple minutes but it seemed to fix itself when I held it together while it was spinning. Other than the flex that I learned about on here I love my T400.

 

I don't believe what just happened. I called Lenovo YESTERDAY at around noon and the second guy I talked to said he'll send me a T61 keyboard (42T3109). It came TODAY. Yeah Lenovo shipped the new keyboard next day air UPS from PA to CA in one day. Enough of the crazy shipment, on to the feel of the new keyboard and pictures of course



the one with less holes is the new keyboard.

now the feel of the keyboard: It is quite a bit more solid than the older one. The left side of the old keyboard was particularly flexy and now it seems like it has been fixed. Installing the new keyboard was quite easy if you are pretty good at unscrewing screws and taking panels off lol. If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.

 

just wondering
will replacing the keyboard void your warranty?

 

NO. It is a CRU (Customer Replaceable Unit).

 

was it free of charge? When I buy my t400 can I just request for the t61 keyboard?

 

yeah it was free

i'm not sure if you can or can't but it definately feels better for sure

 

How was the t400 keyboard's typing feel vs your new t61 replacement keyboard?

I just got this t400(for someone else) and I've been trying out the keyboard vs my t61p's. I don't particularly like the t400's keyboard as it feels quite mushy, but very quiet at least, though it for some reason requires quite the bit of force on each keys(kinda like i need to make sure i drive that key down to the bottom before it registers and has quite the resistive force throughout the entire
"press") especially with shift keys. Also, the spacebar makes this kind of loud, though muffled clack, which is really the only sound that comes out of this keyboard. I'd be typing it'd sound kind of like "mmmmm CLACK mmm CLACK mmm CLACK mmmmm CLACK" I don't know if the reason why I don't like it is that i'm unaccustomed to it yet or not.
It also does flex, and if it'll start making squeaky noises if I press a bit too much

How would I get this replaced?

 

I thought they stopped replacing keyboards for people.

Do you know if I can get a new keyboard for a T500 free?

 

Call and inquire.

 

Like with any other tech support, It all depends on who you get on the other end. Dealing with other companies I've had some very helpful people who would do anything to satisfy you, or some totally unhelpful techs who treated me like i was stupid. I bet if you call and get lucky, they will send you one with no issues.

 

I had the new keyboards with the flex.. my laptop was put together 4/15/09 and had the bracing as well. It still flexed a lot compared to the older T61s I've used.

Replaced the keyboard and now I'm a happy camper. To tell you the truth, I didn't notice the flex until I ran across it on this forum

 

How did you conclude that it flexed more than the T61s you've used if you didn't notice until you read the forum <.<.

 

Well, when I first used the computer it never occurred to me to check for keyboard flex...... hell, I didn't even fully use the laptop until now. I heard about the flex and all I had to do was press down normally on the left side of the keyboard and sure enough it fell through about 2mm. I KNOW this shouldn't happen because even on my HP laptop the keyboards just don't fall through like that. Thinkpads are supposed to have top notch quality and the keyboards failed at that.

I work with thinkpads on a daily basis so it was pretty easy to test if the T61 flexed and it didn't. IMO most people will be happy with either keyboards and it isn't something worth changing if you gotta pay for it. In my case, it only took a phone call to the right service rep and that was it.

 

Can you tell me what you said to the person? I called and he had no idea what I was talking about and told me that there was only one kind of keyboard available.

 

I think you just need to call and try again. Some service reps are really clueless. Just like any job, there are some dead beats and there are some outstanding people and most are middle of the road. Just luck of the draw really.

 

Holy crap yes.

I called again, and he didn't know what the hell I was talking about, but I just gave him the FRU # and he said he'll send it to me. Thank god I had the number!

 

whats the difference between P/NO and FRU NO, and which one should we provide? (42T3109 vs 42T3143)

 

The keyboards are the same regardless of whether or not you have a 14'' or a 15.4'' thinkpad right? If I order a replacement with this FRU number from the T61, it'll fit my W500, right?

Keltix, not sure what the difference is between the Part no. and the FRU but you might as well go with the FRU since that's what OP says he used as well as HeyTony.

 

The OP seems to have provided the 42T3109, or PART NO.

 

Ah in that case, I think the correct Part no. is T61 Keyboard 42T3109 and the FRU is 42T3143, and you might as well give them both over the phone.

 

talked to 'supervisor' and said they are no longer sending out older keyboards to replace the ones in the t400.

 

anyone know where i could buy a t61 keyboard, cheap?

 

Glad I got a replacement T61 NMB when they offered it…

 

Wow that sucks, I was about to order one also, especially since the keyboard I got in the first place had one somewhat sticky key. I'll probably still try anyway though and see if maybe talking to different people might help.

Depends on how cheap we're talking, however they are available on ebay and a few aftermarket vendors online, but I think the lowest cost available that I could find was something like 60 to 70 dollars. I'd probably pay about that much if it turns out to be my only option, but some are listed for over 150, and that's overkill.

 

i have heard from someone that the ibm parts sell keyboards @ 200 $USD and more

 

Well we all know how much our neighbor's dog walker's friend's aunt's sister's high school teacher loves to make stuff up. Fortunately for us, there's ebay.

LINK

And that price is just $36.99