Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
I got my T500 the other day and was immediately upset at the amount of flex the keyboard had. The review warned us about flex. Interestingly, the review mentions the flex is on the right side, but for me it was on the left.
This post is about the T500. I believe the keyboards are the same between T400s and T500s. This issue for the most part isn't the keyboards themselves, asides from the fact that Lenovo removed their stronger backing. Lenovo is now relying on the notebook chassis to add support to the keyboards.
I started this thread about that issue and I also posted a YouTube Video showing just how bad the flex was on the left side of the keyboard.
So I opened her up today to see if I could determine the problem. It's very easy to gain access to the keyboard. The bottom of the notebook has nicely labeled indicators for which screws are needed to access the keyboard. Once I lifted the keyboard up, the problem was obvious.
Basically the keyboard backing plate really is thin now like the review says and the keyboards themselves are just completely flimsy. I mean this thing really bends, flexes, like thick paper. There is only ONE, I repeat ONE screw that actually attaches to the keyboard and pulls it down tight. The rest of the keyboard everywhere is just resting there. And the one screw is offset to the right of the center of the keyboard.
The problem? The left side of the keyboard basically has no support. Here's a pic from the review. The right side of the keyboard is able to lie mostly flat on that metal and the ONE screw adds support to that side. The left side has NO support. They keyboard is just resting there however it might want to. It's free to sag and flex when you type. This design could lead to a great variance in just what users individual experiences are. It all depends on just how your keyboard with that flimsy backing wants to rest. There's a few metal braces etc that it could rest on but there's NO screw over there to add support. So it flexes. If your's doesn't flex, then maybe you're just lucky and your keyboard backing is just naturally sagging and already resting against some of those braces.
Solution: I took two small pieces of adhesive foam (like used for sealing doors/windows) and placed them on the left side. Now the keyboard has something to rest on directly. It still flexes 'some' and is still not as solid as the right side. But that extra hollow like clicking sound is now gone (probably from it hitting against some of those braces when it flexed?). That's what was driving me nuts. The keyboard is much better now.
Lenovo in their response called this good engineering. Their response talks about how they engineered the chassis to be more rigid. Maybe the chassis is stiffer. Problem? There's no actual chassis beneath the left side of the keyboard! And only one screw holds the keyboard down!
T500 Keyboard Flex - Mostly Solved
Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by happyfirst, Sep 26, 2008.
