Emissive keyboard fix

I upgraded my first CF-28 a few months back to a emissive keyboard (black chicklet type) a few months back. Two days ago while in the car I let my 6 year old son play with the pc since he had left his cf-28 at home. (his pc has the rubber keyboard) Well he wound up popping off one of the arrow keys breaking the white plastic clip underneath. I am looking at getting another cheap white keyboard off of ebay for parts if the clips are the same. Does anyone know if the clips used on the white keyboards are the same as the ones used on the black emissive type? Thanks.

 

Had a similar problem with my son's laptop and ran across laptopkey.com. They only list replacement keys for 18, 19 and 51's. Every model laptop seems to have used 3 or 4 different key mount types over its manufacturing life -- so I really doubt if a key from the very early white keyboard would fit a current emissive keyboard - but you can contact them and ask.

If they can't help, PM me and I'm pretty sure I have an emissive with a missing key I could canablize to help you out.
Brian

 

When my emissive keyboard began losing key caps I merely reattached them with a miniscule amount of silicon adhesive.

Still working great.

 

that does work...Driller

 

Keep in mind that the CF-28 emissive keyboard is completely different from the later, CF-29 up, emissives (it uses an inverter). I may have one around, Rick used to have a lot of them. I'll look tomorrow.
CAP

 

I had read that they took a inverter but never found any pictures of it. I picked up two of the rugged keyboards that are used for the remote screen for about 15 bucks each. I took one apart just to get the keyboard. I have slowly been trying to max out my first cf-28.

 

If your CF-28 emissive keyboard lit up, and it was original or from the VKBL01, it should have been powered by the infamous "Texas" inverter which can be found under the cable cover on the bottom of the computer.
Here lies some info: http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/370512-unfamiliar-components-cf-28-a.html
I have never tried to put an emissive keyboard into a CF-28, just rubber ones. If you have put an emissive keyboard from a PDRC into the CF-28, which model PDRC and did it ever work?
CAP

 

Thanks for that link. It cleared it up some. Maybe I can find that inverter in my parts bin for that keyboard I took apart. I threw part of it away unknowingly. I have some of the working rubber keyboards. I don't think they need the inverter?

 

That's right the rubber keyboards don't need an inverter. The green emissive CF-28 keyboards do. If you scavenged a green emissive keyboard from the external CF-VKBL01 it is basically the same. But the inverter is different. For the external unit the inverter is built into the keyboard controller board and will not fit into a CF-28. If your CF-28 did not come with emissive from the factory you will need the Texas board. Send me a PM and I'll get you some pictures of what it looks like. Might even have an extra one around here somewhere ....

 

Well good new and bad new. Good news is the small white plastic parts that hold the keys on are the same on the white factory keyboard. The bad. When my son broke it he did it good. He broke the clips on the back on the emissive key board for the arrow right key and the white parts that hold it on. So I can't just use the white clips to hold it all on, I had to use the key too.

I don't do a lot of typing on it. It mostly has movie duty in the truck on long trips. I may look into the rubber keyboard. They have them on all three of my sons CF-28's right now and they have held up so far. I still have two CF-28's that have factory emissive keyboards but have never opened them up. Just MK2's. One is my daughters, the other is one I kept that has a broken screen. It looks like it was shot (ex police units) but still works. Can even see everything on the screen. I was going to paint it up as a UNSC laptop to go with the Warthog project. I will give you a PM.