Rubber, Illuminated KB, CF-29

I replaced the chiclet type KB in my CF-29 with an illuminated rubber KB. I bought a CF-29 KB from ToughbookGear on ebay. Expensive, but top notch all of the way.

I'm a TB user, not a tech. The install went pretty smooth; by following the 29 service manual. However, some things were not covered by my manual. The 29 lighted KB has three (3) cables and the manual only shows two (2).

The third, narrower cable attaches to CN934 which is directly to the right of CN933. It goes into the connector from the left to the right, and should be the FIRST cable attached.

The other two cables plug in from the right to the left. (All views are looking at the machine as you would be while operating it) These two (2) larger cables plug in where your took the old cables off.

Observations: The KB is always lighted, and has three(3) levels of adjustment via the Fn/F12 keys.

Yep, it seems harder for me to type on; but maybe that will change as I get used to it.

I'm happy with the change. The only question that I have is why the F11 key is red when all of the other keys are white? The printing on the key itself that is.

 

F-11 seems to have been an emergency hot key for police use.

 

No, dont press i.... *hears sirens in the distance* DAMMIT PAPPY.. Can't you leave well enough alone....

 

yes the rubberized and emissive kbs have 3 cables. make sure contacts are facing up when you connect the 3rd cable.

 

You mean I press F11 and I'll get 911 for the beating of my life? LOL

 

Uh.... I think the F11 key requires special software for he sirens to activate...

By the way.... I know the rubber keyboards "look" indestructible... But they aren't. If you spill something sticky on them... Or even water... and you wipe hard with a paper towel you CAN tear the thin rubber membrane that surrounds the keys.

By the way... If ANYONE has a special secret on how to glue the rubber on the keyboard PLEASE share it with me/us. I have a few rubber keyboards with small tears on the key membrane. The keyboards still work and would probably fend off water pretty well... But they aren't 100% waterproof now so I can't sell them on my UTBs. Anyone??? Anyone???

 

TB -

The membrane on those is made of Silicone rubber... once it is cured, nothing much sticks to it (EVEN silicone RTV) and stays. People have been trying to find cure for torn keypads (made the same way) on remote controls for over 20 years now; I've seen a dozen products that CLAIM to fix, but nothing that holds up longer than a week or two.

Sorry to bear bad news; hope you can find some OTHER use for those keyboards...

mnem
Yes, No, Maybe, I DON'T KNOW... life is unfair...

 

I bought my Keyboard from the same place, and I have 5 settings for brightness? maybe that is keyboard dependant? I have 4 brightness settings and the 5 is off.

Also my Keyboard is MUCH better built than the old one I have on my CF-28, There is MORE rubber on the keys and I noticed the Keys are raised HIGHER than on the CF-28 one.

I would say they made some NICE improvements to the CF-29 keyboards. The raised keys you can feel more and dont get the missing key problem. And the Extra thick rubber seems to say they fixed the torn Rubber issue which MUST have been a problem if what you say happens.

Also I was wondering COULD is be AGE is the reason why they tear so easily? I mean I know of some materials that get hardened or weaker with age making them more prone to fail? Just curious on that theory some of the older keyboards have been around for many years.

 

there is an issue with the rubberized kbs, almost everyone i see is torn and needs replaced

 

Are the newer cf-29 ones any better?

Because I have one, and i agree that it seems much better than the cf-28 one I had breifly. I feel like it was worth the extra dollars.

I got in 5 emissive keyboards and while I was cleaning them up one just lept losing keys. I think it was in the sun a bunch because it looks a little faded and the others don't. So maybe there is somthing to uv damage.

 

I can only state on the one I have compared to the CF-28 one. The CF-29 rubber keyboard is an improvement over the older one, The keys push down better, and have More rubber around them, Over all it looks like they improved it by looking at the keyboard muchless using it. I noticed it right away when it came in. And while $155 is a little high its worth it since the model is newer and has the improvements. Though $100 would be a better price. lol

 

LT,
I don't have an older rubber KB to compare to; but this new one that I have seems pretty substantial compared to some high dollar stuff that I have used.

 

no they are not. this is one of the most common reasons i see these units. and alot of the people request a emissive keyboard because they are ALOT better, not as hard to push either.

 

The 29 rubberized is better than the 28 one but I agree, the non-chiklet emissive is still far better.

 

One flaw with the Non rubber model is Dirt and Grime. You cannot clean it as easy in the field and that could cost you if you dont have a spare.

 

a bottle of windex and a paper towel has cleaned anything ive seen on the kbs.

 

I was speaking of in the field. I noticed on the one I bought there was Dirt or something similar to that in between the keys and hard to reach. I could only imagine in Serious field conditions what would happen. Not everyone is in the desert and these laptops have to survive in th Jungle and Temperate areas.

I know I learned the hard way in Wet/Mud climate exactly where and how mud can effect your equipment. For those in the desert it shouldnt be an issue but the Emissive board I seen I wouldnt want in a very WET/MUD theater of operation. Though I did like the Cross between the regular and the Rubber model.

But what I read from TF in Japan they said the ONLY fully Waterproof model was the Rubber model, not that the others cant handle water, but they are not promised to keep working during serious use in tropical storms. lol

 

Im not so sure about the non rubber kb in the desert. Every session in the field Im cleaning sand and silt off my CF-29...the crap even works its way into the seals of the port covers. When the monsoons come and it rains out there that wind blown silt turns to mud. I dont know much about the emissive non rubber kb but I cant imagine it will keep out fine wind blown silt.

Anyone?

 

Can you use the 29 keyboard on the Pre-CF-29 computers? Anyone got pictures t compare the two?

 

Yes you can but it depends on the Type TF, the CF-28 1ghz seems to work on the backlit part, but if it doesnt have the 3rd connector then it will work but doesnt light up.

Kusa, I dont use mine in the sand so I was just guessing with the private contractors over there, My line of work and AO is different.

 

The only thing that sucks about using the older keyboard (rubber, backlit) is I have only three levels of adjustment, none "off" and my power usage has gone way up, I've lost over an hour on my run time after doing a refresh to recalibrate batteries (new batteries) I've even gone so far as to start tracing where the power is fed to the LEDs and I'm starting to think about some kind of modification to disable them.

 

I think that would be a worth while mod. I'd rather see us channel our efforts toward that goal instead jawing back and forth about which KB is the best

 

There is not BEST keyboard anyway only whats BEST for ones application. If Rubber Keyboards were not needed Panasonic would not make them. They are usually for Military/Contractor use. Most TF's seem to ship with the emmissive Keyboard which is MORE friendly when Using as a regular keyboard. I had both and did like the Emmisive for ease of use and IF I was in a normal situation with just Rain as my only issue I would go with it, but because I CANT say what would happen to my laptop or where it will be, I chose to fork over the money and get a rubber which I dont regret. BAsically it all depends on HOW much is it worth to you and would your life or Job depend on it functioning?

Simple really its a matter of risk and balance.

 

Well put Lt. I opted for the rubber KB, based on My situation and TB usage. To each his own.

 

When I was talking to Panasonic's tech support in regards to some questions I had when I was configuring mine he told me off the record that the rubber KB has a pretty high failure rate. I am very happy with the non emmissive KB on my TB-30. Mine also has 5 buttons for the lights.

 

If you don't have an illuminated keyboard.... How can you have the 5 buttons for the lights?

The regular keyboards work on the CF-28, CF-29 and CF-30.. Though the CF-30 has a slide mount attached to the back. If tape is used in the specified locations then it will work fine. The illuminated keyboards, however, are a different story. You need a 3 conductor keyboard for the CF-30. The 29s & 30s are swappable though.

 

Rick, Who are you referring too? If me, then maybe I have the names wrong. I wanted the rubberized KB. Then I was told about the high failure rate, which changed my mind. I get my KB very dirty with greasy fingers during the day. So, I ened up getting I guess the chicklet type. Its the one with the single raised buttons, red F-11, and F-12 is the light for it. It has a total of 5 pushes, the 5th turns it off.
Disregard this if you are not referring to me. I am new to this so I dont know all the correct lingo. Remember us virgins take a little time to catch on, but onc we do, you never know how good we will be.

 

Mine came with the base keyboard. I took the rubber one out of my MK1 and put it in the MK2. Works great but my spacebar has a tear on the bottom side

 

Sounds like just a mixup in terminology. When you said "non emissive KB", it sounded like you were saying you had a regular chicklet keyboard and not a backlit one.

 

What kind of emissions are we talking about here?

mnem<~~~ Emits radio waves most of the time*

 

NOCTURNAL?

 

*Pauses to consider what his nocturnal emissions might be*

Ewww. Just... eww.

mnem
*Makes mental note to curb his chili cravings before bedtime*

 

As I bow! Sorry guys........ I have an Emmisive Backlit Keyboard.

The full rubber ones are the type that are having a high failure rate. I am quite positive Panny will come out with a new material to correct this. There is alot of different type materials they could chose from which would keep them functionable, backlit, durable etc.

 

A lot of people like the rubber because they are way easy to clean spills, oil, and various other stuff. They may change the kind of rubber used in it but the rubberized keyboards aren't going anywhere. The newest ones, for the 30s, aren't having any problems yet. It's been almost 2 years since they started using them and its still pretty rare for they to come in with problems. The emissive ones are having much more trouble than the rubber ones right now.

 

Well that sucks! The Panny guy said just the oppisite. I would have or was going to get the rubber one. Currently I blow my KB with low psi air, then wipe with a damp cloth. The only thing I see is the oil from my fingers/skin on the popular keys. What can you get a new KB on the open market for?

 

The Motorola MW520 and 800 workstations that I install in the cruisers at work have red keys on the keyboard as well.

I followed these instructions and my keyboard didn't light up. Keys functioned properly, but no illumination.

Does a BIOS or Jumper modification need to be made or should this swap be plug 'n' play?

 

You might check to see that the cable pointing to the right has the contacts on the correct side. Depending on which keyboard you used, you may have to flip it over so the contacts are on the other side.

 

That's a good call Zero. Apparently, there are lighted screens for 28s,29s, and 30s. Therefore, the routine that I followed may not be accurate depending on which KB one has.

Also, I seem to recall, that one of the cables has a fold in it that could be misleading.

When I first installed my KB; it didn't light properly due to the issue that Zero mentions.

If my instructions caused anyone any grief; then my bad.

 

When someone says their keys work but the backlight on it doesn't, that's usually the problem. On a 28, it's usually that or the inverter board.

 

Well that was counter intuitive. Sho' nuff, the cable had to be fliped over... It curves AWAY from me, toward the screen and then makes a U-turn back.

I guess that's why it's much longer than the other two.

Typing on this thing is weird...

EDIT - After two hours.
After using it for a while typing on it is still weird.

I also miss the Fn-Combo key pictures. I accidentially put the machine to sleep instead of turning up the volume.

BTW, Horizon electronics has two more for sale.

 

Is there anyway to shut off the backlights on the kb ? Either the rubber one or emmissive one?

Also for the people that upgraded to a backlit keyboard how much more battery does it eat?

I really want to upgrade to a backlit keyboard but I would love to be able to shut it off to save power etc.

I have a cf-29ctpgzkm.


Thanks Guys,
James

 

Fn and like F10 or F12 adjusts brightness of the keyboard... There's four steps of brightness and OFF entirely.

 

I'm looking for the emissive keyboard... the lit-but-not-rubber one. It doesn't seem to popular on the used market? Is there a reason why? Because it's so good people who have it don't sell it.. or... it sucks so no one orders it!

 

This might be the new keyboard, but I can't find which CF it works with. Except both are $599 MSRP.

CF-VKBL02M Backlit keyboard(LED silicone 2nd generation rubber) with glide pad
CF-VKBL03M Emissive Backlit keyboard w/ glide pad

 

Those are the PDRC keyboards. It is a complete standalone keyboard with a glidepad.

 

Hi guys,
Slightly off topic but are the keyboards, both regular 'chicklet' and backlit rubberized, compatible between 27, 28 and 29?
Ron in SG

 

A local police department recently acquired some CF-29s. The model number is CF-29h3lgzbm

One of the officers called and asked me if it was possible to add backlit keyboards to these. Since the configurator shows they didn't come with them I'm unsure what to tell him.

Any help would be appreciated. This is big step up for them as their previous Chief wouldn't even allow them to have laptops or GPS's in their patrol cars.

My guess is they would have to have the sensor and power control board setup that we have on the 28's.

Thanks, Scott

 

Scott,
Nope, the CF-28 emissive keyboard is the only one which needs the inverter. The CF-29 and the CF-30 will take appropriate rubber or emissive keyboards. Find the keyboard thread where the techs ran down all of the options. I don't remember off hand if the 27-28 rubber keyboard will fit in the 29, but I'm sure someone will tell us.
CAP

 

Thanks. That's the info I was looking for.