Positive Thinkpad Keyboard Replacement Experience

I just thought I'd share my positive experience with Lenovo's customer service.

I received my T400 in December, and it came with a Chicony keyboard of the alternate 'weight-saving' design that was responsible for the much-maligned 'keyboard flex' in the latest Thinkpads.

I wasn't particularly unhappy with my T400's keyboard. I never noticed any flex under normal use, although I could make the keyboard flex by pushing down on it abnormally.

However, I decided to take advantage of Lenovo's policy of sending free replacement keyboards to people who received the alternate design, mostly because I didn't want to find out in two years that there was some flaw with this design. I was also irked that people who received their Thinkpads a few weeks later than me would be getting what is supposed to be a superior design for the same price. So I contacted Tim_Lenovo on Lenovo's forums and ordered my replacement.

The new keyboard arrived about a week ago, an NMB this time, and I installed it earlier this week. I must say, it makes a much bigger difference than I anticipated. Having never owned a Thinkpad before, I really didn't know what I was missing!

It is much more solid and, while my other one didn't flex visibly while I was typing, the new one feels noticeably better even under normal use. Part of the improvement doubtlessly has to do with switching from Chicony to NMB: I like the NMB's key travel and the general sound, but I liked the Chicony space bar better. However, having used my girlfriend's W500 with a weight-saving version of an NMB, there is a noticeable difference. She has also received a replacement NMB keyboard, so it will be interesting to see how much of a difference she notices once we install it.

My experience is that, when the keys are pressed all the way down, it feels far more solid. I notice this particularly when I am pressing keys with emphasis: I don't notice it as much when typing in a word document, but it is really evident when pressing backspace or escape repeatedly, turning the brightness up or down with [Fn Home/End], zooming in or out with [Ctrl +/-], or using the arrow keys. It feels like exactly what it is: the surface underneath the keys just feels much more solid.

Anyways, this has become really long-winded. Basically, I'm really pleased with Lenovo's policy and surprised by how much nicer my new keyboard is. People generally don't post when things go well, so I just thought I'd share my experience.

 

Had the same experience—Lenovo, finally, responded correctly (initially they told us the new keyboard was better and the flex and related was our imagination). The “new” old keyboard made my ThinkPad feel like a ThinkPad again—and not some discount Circuit City notebook.

 

Hello,

I too requested for a replacement on the Lenovo Forums T400/T500 keyboard replacement thread. I sent a PM to Tim_Lenovo just over three weeks ago, and the replacement keyboard arrived last week.

I concur with your experience of the replacement keyboard. The keys feel less resistive on the new NMB keyboard; the keys on the original/old keyboard felt harder to press, and made more noise.

 

I had the exact same positive experience. The keyboard that came with my T500 wasn't poor, but I could see and feel how it wasn't close to the quality of past ThinkPad keyboards. The NMB replacement's keys have a much better tactile feel and a deeper range of travel. The space bar seems to be slightly raised compared to the other keys, but I don't have a problem with that.

One small issue that I had with the new keyboard that eventually resolved itself was that the new left mouse button for the TrackPoint made a mildly annoying clicking sound when pressed, sounding similar to tapping on cellophane wrap. It turns out that I just needed to break in the mouse button.

 

Please note that the keyboard exchange process will end on March 31.

http://forum.lenovo.com/lnv/board/message?board.id=Special_Interest_General&view=by_date_ascending&message.id=3978#M3978

 

mine took over a month to arrive, they are out of keyboards it seems

 

Same here, I had a problem with "Stuck Key" error on my T400 and requested a replacement, the guy asked is that it? I asked him is it possible to ship NMB keyboard? and he said he'll try. I got NMB

 

Any idea why they're ending it? Is it because they're out of keyboards? I don't see how that could be, seeing as they're shipping them by default in new T and W series laptops.

Perhaps they don't want to be indefinitely replacing keyboards if they can feasibly argue that they are adequate?

Lenovo isn't doing so well right now so maybe it's a cost-saving measure - they figure that anyone who was upset enough about it would have already requested a replacement.

 

Just ask EZServ for a new one. They'll give you one.

 

Tim explained it in the message I linked to. The new manufacturing process has kicked in, so there should be no need.

 

I placed the order on 6 Mar, how do I know whether my keyboard is the new model or not. This is my first thinkpad.

 

Right, I didn't read that before I posted, haha. Thanks!

I believe that, for the past few months, Thinkpads had been coming with T61 keyboards. You might also get one of the machines with the new 'manufacturing change,' although you placed your order three days before Tim_Lenovo made his post. Either way, I'd be surprised if you ended up with an unsatisfactory keyboard, although I could be wrong.

However, I'm confused by what Tim_Lenovo said about the manufacturing change.

Here's the quote:

He's pretty vague about what the 'manufacturing change' actually entails.

It doesn't sound like they are changing the keyboards, it sounds like they are changing the support underneath the keyboard, or something else, to make 'flexy' keyboards sturdier. If 'keyboard types no longer have any significance' as far as flex is concerned, then the change must be somewhere else, right?

Lenovo probably has a pile of 'weight-reduced' keyboards on their hands that they'd love to get rid of, so this theory makes sense to me.

Does anyone have more info about what this 'manufacturing change' means?

 

It probably just means that they replaced the new keyboard with the old one. I doubt that they still have a surplus of the new keyboards, as people have been complaining about them for months. The reason why they waited so long to switch back to the old keyboards is probably so they could use up their entire supply first.

 

Maybe. It could be that he was just vague in his description, but I don't see how 'manufacturing change' could just mean a switch in keyboard. That's not any change in their manufacturing - they're already equipped to manufacture T61 keyboards.

Also, why would he say 'keyboard types will no longer have any significance' as far as flex is concerned? To me, that says that they're changing some other factor in the 'flex' equation besides the keyboard itself.

Then again, I might just be reading too much into what he said.

 

I recall reading somewhere else—probably earlier in that thread—that they were planning to roll out structural changes to the chassis beneath the keyboard. The main reason for the keyboard flex is that there is no chassis support underneath the left side of the keyboard and the new keyboard backplate is not stiff enough to compensate for the lack of chassis support.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=303825

Or if you want to address the issue yourself, you could do what camueller did.

http://www.avanux.de/space/Linux/ThinkpadW500

 

My new T400 has a nice keyboard, as far as I am concerned. It is not *quite* as nice as the old IBM ThinkPad my parents have, but the difference is not great. I had both laptops, side by side, comparing and contrasting. If I didn't have that luxury, I may never have known the difference.

Either way, there would certainly be no reason for me to request a different keyboard. The one I have is fine.

 

When did you receive your T400? If it was in the last few months, you probably got one of the T61 keyboards that don't have the flex issue.

 

Of course it requires a change in their manufacturing process. They have to make changes to their inventory and then modify the manufacturing process for the old keyboard. It's not as simple as swapping them in. You have to take things such as the added weight into consideration for transportation costs.

He probably means that all the keyboards will be the same.

However, we'll just have to wait and see what happens :/

 

Hmm, good points: that makes sense I guess. When I hear 'manufacturing process,' I think 'manufacturing' and not 'inventory,' but that could just be because I don't really know very much about manufacturing, haha. We'll just have to wait and see, like you said.