NP5796 keyboard

Hi, I recently purchased a 5796 and I have a small question/problem. On my keyboard on the 5796 the right half (around the keys IJMKLPO) in the area the keys sink down more than the left side. It is a problem because when I am typing fast I miss a few keys on the right side which is annoying. Does anyone have this problem on their 5796 or 5793?

Purchased through Xoticpc

 

Yeah... that's keyboard flex I think. I have that too

 

Mines is pretty solid, the only way I am getting flex is if i press down with abnormal pressure. Just reseat the keyboard and you should be fine.

 

My friend's 5793 seems to have a non-flex keyboard unlike mine...

How do I go about doing that ?

 

If I'm not mistaken, there are four very small tabs that have to be unlocked along the top of the keyboard. Then it just pulls right out. I don't have one here unfortunately

 

I can't find anything

 

I just requested instructions from Sager. I will post it in just a few minutes.

 

1. Turn off the computer, and remove the battery.
2. Press the five keyboard latches at the top of the keyboard to elevate the keyboard from its normal position
3. Carefully lift the keyboard up, being careful not to bend the keyboard ribbon cable

 

Ok cool thanks! Then what do I do after that ? Just place it back ? Would that really remove the flex ?

 

Yes, just put it back. I'm not entirely sure if it will remove the flex, but it is worth a shot.

 

Sure I'll do it in some time.

pending +rep for you... I'm out

 

I just reseated the keyboard... didn't solve the problem, but was fun!

 

I heard of some guy (was it Nirvana? don't know, it was when I had just registered) who placed a small iron plate or stick underneath the keyboard. That seemed to fix it with him.

 

Wow... I was thinking of the same thing. In the upper right corner it feels like my keyboard dips down more. When I removed the keyboard, it was as clear as ever when I saw that it was more empty in that region.... sort of a lower ground (if you know what I mean ) and that could be the cause of that.
But my flex problem is still in the middle region near the 'j' and 'k' keys... so I dunno how to solve that!

 

I'm sure it must be rare, just like dead pixels.
My friend's 5793 has one dead pixel - top right corner, perfect keyboard. I have no dead pixels, but I have a keyboard that has slight flex near the 'j', 'k' and 'l' keys, but it hasn't bothered me so far, because I barely notice it (well... I DON'T notice it).

EDIT: The wait is the best part... enjoy it. You'll be crying once you receive it.

^^ lol j/k... Just freaking you out!!
Crying as in tears of joy ofcourse!

 

Trust me, once you receive it, you'll feel like the luckiest and happiest man in the world (considering you ARE a man). And, no, it won't be 2 years old The 5793 was quite a new revision to the 5792 before the 5796. If we're talking about the Clevo M570RU chassis in general all the way from 5790, then yeah, it's pretty old, but then so are the new 5796s.
And the backpack pics are on the first page, first post.

 

Thanks! You're a soon-to-be lucky dude yourself!

 

I'm not f'ing with it until somone posts something about how to "modify" it step by step. It doesn't really **** me off that much unless im typing really fast for some reason... Hey at least its not awsd =D

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=279024&page=2 , post #18 and down.

 

I have the same problem on my brand new M570TU. I've posted a pic of where the main affect is...I've circled where it flexes and the circle in the middle is where it goes down the most.

The keyboard flexes quite a lot and rattles when I type. I don't like it. I am going to see if I can fix it. Not sure how. I've seen the instructions for removing the keyboard but if there is just nothing below the keyboard on that right hand side then I don't think removing and replacing the keyboard is going to help. I think I might need to put a thin piece of felt or cloth under there or something - just a millimeter or three - enough to support the keyboard from flexing/rattling.

 

Wow, is this very common on 5796s? I just ordered mine through xotic pc, and I'm a bit worried about the keyboard flex. One of the reasons I went with this particular laptop was because numerous reviews mentioned it's high quality keyboard.

 

I have the flex too. I will punch in those rattling/sinking keys...

90-=op[]

However, it has not bothered me until reminded by this post. What are we gonna do???

 

I think it's a keyboard issue rather than what's underneath the keyboard. I had that with my D810. The keyboard had flex, and I used what looked like to be the same keyboard from a D610 and the keyboard is solid as a rock. If it's not the keyboard, it would be interesting to see what's underneath the keyboard of the ones who have flex, and the ones that don't. Mine is solid, just for the record. You guys might have to start ordering with a note posted about your unit "Don't send me a unit with keyboard flex!". After all, they do test these units before they ship them out.

 

It's a common issue. Both the M57xu and the m15x have it.
My XPS 1730 is however not suffering from this issue, thank God..

 

WOW Eleron you have a lot of posts! Do u realize you avg. 750 a month and 25 a day ??

 

I fixed mine - here is what I did.

Opened it up - basically all you have is bare metal below the keyboard so essentially you need some sort of "riser" to support the keyboard.

I could have used anything - cloth would be nice or a small bit of rubber/felt like what you can buy to stop doors slamming/cupboards slamming might be good too. Something that doesn't obstruct airflow either would be good too. I think these rubber bands provide the best mix of support and airflow...

It only needs to be 1 or 2 mm at most with some give in it.

I used rubber bands.

I started with 3 but that produced slightly too much support and just ended up with the 2 as pictured. I crossed out the one I removed. My keyboard is now PERFECT. Only downfall I guess will be the rubber in the bands will perish or "melt" slightly over time. But as they are on bare metal (I can always clean the residue off with rubbing alcohol) I don't think this will be much of an issue - well I hope not. I think only one rubber band wouldn't be enough. I placed the bands in the spots I thought would make the most support points.

Opening it is SOOO easy. I used a small flat head screwdriver and gently pushed the tabs away from me - they are on tiny springs and simply spring back - the keyboard just pops up slightly. Because the keyboard was so loose (the reason why it's flexing so much) in one section the tab above the PAUSE/Break button had to be the last - pushed in while I pulled gently up on the keyboard. Honestly it's EASY.





here I have laid the keyboard flat upside down



These wires actually get pressed on quite hard by the keyboard. They are as flat as they will go but actually provide some support already on the left hand side of the board - most likely why the board is so solid on the left. I couldn't do anything with them. The cables are slightly too long for their connections and so there is a bit of cable that sort of has to fold over another bit. I did move the longer cable off the screw head as best I could.



First attempt gave just a bit too much support so I removed the upper right band







If anyone thinks this sucks let me know! Some sort of heat resistant rubber strips would be best I think like the one under the battery in the battery compartment. Any ideas?

 

I'm wondering why you had to do that at all? If the ones that don't have flex doesn't need to do it, then why would it be different for the ones who have the flex? Now that you posted pictures, I will just take a look under mine and see if there is a difference.

Nice post by the way!

 

Studying what you said about the wires on the left side being flat (should not be protruding), maybe that’s why the keyboard has flex, it’s not on an even surface? I better leave well enough alone, and not look under mine. But I tell you what, you’re going to make some people happy knowing they don’t have to live with the flex, since it’s an easy procedure to modify themselves.

 

Thanks! I thought I should share this with anyone who wants to do it.

Maybe it's the position of those cables in mine?? However I don't think it is because the lower left of the keyboard - down by the CTRL key is solid as and it's actually over a small drop - although it also has the benefit of the base of the keyboard where it has those metal tabs that slide into the chassis for support.

The flex was really giving me the chits. That's why I had to do it. Plus I knew the solution was going to be painfully, stupidly easy and so it was either be annoyed or fix it in 5 minutes. I chose to fix it.

To my mind 10 small rubber stoppers integrated into the keyboard would negate this issue. Bare metal (keyboard) on bare metal (to chassis)? I'd stick some tiny rubber grommets between them - give a bit of room for cabling and result in a solid flex free/clack free keyboard every time.

 

My observation after looking under my keyboard is this. Nothing should be interfering with the keyboard, the keyboard should be making solid contact to the base, giving it a solid no flex issue. The two cables that you speak of do not interfere with the keyboard making contact to the surface. So I would look at that first, before adding objects under the keyboard. With that being said…maybe some of the bases underneath the keyboard on some units being shipped, is not evenly cut therefore the keyboard is not making a solid contact to the base. In which case, adding something to support the keyboard at the point it doesn’t make solid contact is a good idea. Good idea, but it shouldn’t be needed if the unit is properly built (construction flaw).

If you look at my cables, they are nice and round not flattened by the keyboard.


http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3907/dsc01823si8.jpg.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/6619/dsc01822bf0.jpg

 

kobe - the screw in the section where you wires are...is it rounded head or flattened?

Mine is rounded - yours looks flat too me.

I just dread trying to explain this problem to have it "supported".

 

If you study the picture you posted of the cables, and compare them to the one I posted of my cables. You will see that the longer of the two cables on yours in directly placed on the PCB chip, which is causing your cable to rise. Mine on the other hand is directly away from the chips (circling the chip), which thus gives it a clearance when the keyboard is placed back on the base. I noticed other things, but we do have different mother boards.

 

EDIT: You're right, mine is flat and yours is not..hmmmm?

This is something that needs to be addressed! If they are using rounded off screws which does cause a rise, then it will also cause the keyboard not to make a solid connection. I also think the wire going over the chip will also make a rise; we need more evidence of this.

 

The chip isn't an obstruction at all - it's so flat - the screw on the other hand is - and the cable is sitting directly on it. When I get time tonight I will see if moving the cable off the screw (I tried that already though) helps more.

Little things like this really give me the CHITS!

 

LMAO!

I hear ya!

You would think paying attention to detail, that shouldn’t happen. I knew there was something going on, for you to have flex and mine seem as if it were on a block of metal…which it is. Why not just replace the screw? Even with that wire lying on that rounded screw head would cause something, just thinking about the amount of pressure it’s under.

 

Just be glad your keyboard doesn't have flex I guess. It's currently perfect with my dual rubber band solution. It's probably best if I just forget about it now! Otherwise it will consume me with frustration. I'll keep my eye on this thread in case someone comes up with a better solution and I will see what comes of moving the cables (not much give in them). If I touch the screw that will spell certain doom I think. I DON"T want to get to the point where I am using a laser level and stupid stuff like that! It's just a bloody laptop after all!

 

OK I have moved the cable substantially - the screw is very flat and flush with a slight rounding on top - it's the same as other screws in the unit. I've moved the cable off the chip - that was a big "lump". My cable was positioned both on the chip AND on the screw. I've moved the cable off the chip now but it's harder to get it off the screw. Either way my flex is much less now. I would say it's improved 50%. I just need to get that little cable to stay put off the screw and I should be fine. Otherwise one rubber band should see me fine now. What an annoying design.

 

It is in fact the cables are at fault. I noticed a slight bump on my keyboard in that area. They are not flushed with the panel and rises just a tad bit.

What I did? Nothing.

It doesn't bother me that much. I didn't want to stick anything in between since there are openings on that panel (2 fan vents with no screen shielding and lots of internal access) and can clog or break something.

 

Yep agreed.

Mine was really bad, however it's much better now that I've moved the cable off the small chip and slightly off the raised screw.

There is still a bit of flex (keyboard is still touching the cable) but not enough to worry about anymore.

 

It’s not the design that is at fault, it is the way the unit was put together. If they would have used a flat head screw and a slightly longer cable (as mine), then you would have no problems.

To me, it is still an easy fix. Just get a flat head screw to replace the one that is causing the problem. As said, the chip will also cause a rise, and the cable should not be placed on top of it. Either way, the fix is simple. Even if the flex didn’t bother you, why cramp that cable against either of those two things?

My cables are properly placed, and you see they are not being obstructed by the chip or the screw. Even with a warranty, that wire being pinned against that screw would cause me some concerns.

 

Great job fixing your keyboard man. My only concern would be that the rubber bands will melt. That metal plate you put them on can get up to 130 degrees.