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    peel off rough trackpad surface on t520?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by forgetcolor, Mar 4, 2012.

  1. forgetcolor

    forgetcolor Notebook Enthusiast

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    new t520. i *hate* the rough surface on the trackpad. much prefer the super smooth glass of my MBP trackpad.

    did a google on solutions and found a person who 'peeled off' the rough surface and replaced it with a touchpad surface cover:

    forum.thinkpads.com • Solution: replacing the gritty touchpad on newer Thinkpads

    had anyone here tried this? and perhaps of more interest for me, what if you just peel it off and don't replace it? does it still work? what's under it?
     
    forgetcolor, Mar 4, 2012
    #1
  2. MidnightSun

    MidnightSun Emodicon

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    MidnightSun, Mar 4, 2012
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  3. forgetcolor

    forgetcolor Notebook Enthusiast

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    nice. has anyone tried this with a working model to make sure the trackpad works just as well after peeling that rough cover off?
     
    forgetcolor, Mar 4, 2012
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  4. MidnightSun

    MidnightSun Emodicon

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    Might want to PM Hearst and see if he can test it out for you (and post the results back!). I would assume it works just as well, seeing as the bumps are just a simple overlay sticker. The biggest issue would probably be that the touchpad is no longer exactly flush with the palmrest panel.
     
    MidnightSun, Mar 4, 2012
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  5. darthdylan

    darthdylan Newbie

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    Finally got around to registering at this forum.

    I know that this thread is VERY old, but I finally got around to trying this on my T510 today (exactly like the T520 aside from a few hardware changes). I just wanted to say that this worked perfectly for me and that I'm very happy with the end result. The touchpad is like a glass surface once you remove the texture sticker. I haven't yet come across any issue with the palmrest panel not being flush with the touchpad. The hardest part was getting rid of the glue once you remove the sticker, but it's nothing a damp cloth can't solve.
     
    darthdylan, Dec 25, 2012
    #5
  6. ParticleX

    ParticleX Notebook Enthusiast

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    will this trick work with the X230?
     
    ParticleX, Dec 26, 2012
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  7. ibmthink

    ibmthink Notebookcheck Deity

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    No, because X220/X230 use a different TouchPad, they use a so called "Clickpad" without buttons. This mod cant be applied to these Clickpads AFAIK.
     
    ibmthink, Dec 26, 2012
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  8. Flickster

    Flickster Notebook Evangelist

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    I originally didn't like the idea of the touchpad dimples but if you give it a chance it may grow on you. I am very used to it now and I actually prefer the dimples to the standard smooth surface.

    I can actually see the reason behind it. I believe the points reduce the surface tension between your finger and the touchpad, this should actually result in the dimple surface being easier to glide across.
     
    Flickster, Dec 26, 2012
    #8