P170EM Keyboard Woes

I've been having issues with the stock keyboard on the P170EM since day one. I figured I would get used to it over time, but it is really starting to get on my nerves. I type heavy, so when I read the warning of others saying you had to type hard, I wasn't too worried. Well, now that I'm about three months into owning this laptop, I'm fed up. There are certain keys (m, y, tab, enter, shift) that seem to miss a lot. I feel like I'm having to type abnormally hard, very annoying. I'm constantly having to check my work to see how many letters were missed. There were several misses while typing this short message. And it sucks for gaming. Anyone have any fixes? Maybe I just need to use the keyboard even more so that it wears in (never heard of this being necessary, but I suppose it is possible)?

 

is it the same as the p150em keyboard? i have the p150em and after 2 weeks i am almost completely used to it

 

Not sure, but I think it is the same keyboard.

 

Try checking the keyboard connection. Remove the bezel by the speakers by depressing the tabs in the small rectangular spots, unscrew the five screws, and detach/reattach the ribbon. Might fix the problem.

 

Thanks Derek. Unfortunately I'm having the same problem. I disconnected and reattached the ribbon cables. Pretty sure the larger one is the one I needed to do this to (smaller one is power I think), but was unsure so disconnected/reconnected both. Still having the same problems. Don't know if this means anything, but it seems I have to press the buttons I'm having trouble with on the top or center of the button. The problem happens more if I press towards the lower end of the button. It's not like I'm pressing really low on the button.

 

I've seen a few cases like this. I've actually hear of it going away after a break in period but more often it's the keyboard itself. I'd contact your reseller and see if they can arrange an exchange of keyboards. Nothing feels quite like a fresh one.

 

Thanks again Derek. I think I'll give it another couple weeks to see if anything changes. Been using the keyboard a lot more lately with a lot of stuff going on at work, so maybe it will break in. If not, I'll contact my re seller soon.

 

Sounds good, be sure to let us know the result.

 

I have the same problem sometimes. I don't know if it is because I do not hit the buttons, or if it simply doesn't register when I hit them. Please get back if you find a solution

 

I have had a lot of trouble lately. It's mostly the A and Q buttons, which makes both fps and DotA horrible. I think it's because I hit the button too much on the left side of it. Is there any other keyboard that fits? It's relly nnoying to type like this ll the time. I can feel the button fully depress and like half the time it doesn't register.

 

We have the same problems too. We changed the keyboards but it seems chronic. We are keep looking for the solution.:thumbsup:

 

This is a different type of keyboard and requires getting used to - I'm a relatively fast blind typist, and this is definitely not a keyboard for heavy typing. You need to place your hands at a higher angle and hit the keys harder with your fingers all the way, not just skim over them like in soft keyboards, otherwise the keys won't register. Be more brutal with it

If you need to type lots of documents on a regular basis, though, I would highly recommend getting an external keyboard, preferably one of Logitech's.

 

I have a few keys that don't register very well either. It's the P and Tab key that are the worst for me, but I hit them at an angle. If I depress them in a vertical fashion in the center they work fine. I don't think it's a matter of getting used to, it's a defect.

 

We tried a new keyboard 3 days ago. First, it worked well, but today Q S A H P 's are not working well if we hit them normal. just think about it. New keyboard broke !!!
As I said it's chronical.
It does not metter anyway if you change the keyboard.

 

brake in period? I never hear about that when talking about computers
I had 170EM with same problem

 

in 3 hours yes

 

Same on my 9170 - sometimes keystrokes are just completely omitted by my keyboard. Can get pretty annoying.

 

This is going to sound stupid, but try disabling the touchpad. My previous Asus laptop was notorious with missed keystroke, and it turns out to be the touchpad. Due to the position of the touchpad, when typing, our palm will hit the touchpad. Disabling the touchpad solved my problem with the missed keystroke with the Asus laptop. Maybe this will solve yours.

 

Ok guys check this;

Remove the Keyboard, unplug the screw under keyboard, 5 of them :thumbsup:

 

i had issues with my p150em and sager sent me a new keyboard. This one works perfectly. Maybe worth another shot?

 

It's actually not about pressing harder, you just have to be more precise. One needs to get used to pressing the key in the center. Like right direct in the center, if you hit the edge as I'm sure many people do when typing very quickly, you may get a missed key. But I've gotten used to it and haven't had issues.

 

And that fixed your issues with the keyboard, unscrewing those screws?

 

Maybe so, but typing on this keyboard feels very rigid. I've read there's a plate underneath the keyboard, and it indeed feels like tapping my fingers on one when I type. The keys are also extremely loud, when I'm typing while on a Skype call I sometimes get complains about the rattle of my types.

Yeah, definitely one of the worst keyboards I had, but it serves its purpose, I guess.

 

So I got my replacement keyboard installed today. I haven't noticed any missed keystrokes. I can type like I normally do, no need to press harder or press from a certain angle. I've only been using it for an hour, but I can already tell it is much much better. This is what I expected out of the box.

I know many others have complained about the keyboard. If you've been getting missed keystrokes like I was, you should get a replacement from your vendor asap. Seriously, it is a world of difference. It's nice not having to worry about checking my work anymore. Not sure, but judging from all of the complaints, my guess would be that there was a batch of bad keyboards out there. I'll post back if I run into any issues, but as of right now it seems great.

 

I just got my 9150 back from an RMA earlier today, in which they replaced the screen, keyboard, and a few other things. I previously had the keyboard replaced due to a defect, and they replaced that one during the RMA because my NumPad wasn't responding to key presses. Now, I'm on my third keyboard and I'm still having issues. I'm seeing the missed keystrokes with the M, H, J, Y, and comma keys, as well as with the spacebar and period key. I literally have to hit the key in the exact center for it to register. So gathering from this thread, I'm thinking this isn't an issue that's going to go away with about a week of use? I just really don't want to have to replace my keyboard a fourth time...

 

Sorry to hear about your problems. After using my replacement keyboard for over a week and a half, I am still pleased as it is much better than the original. But it isn't 100%. Keys on the left hand side of keyboard (tab, caps lock, shift) have to be pressed directly in the center, and even then, they lose contact when being held down. This really sucks because I often have shift or caps lock set as the "run" function for many games. I'm wondering if I should RMA again, but after reading what you've posted, it sounds like these keyboards just flat out suck and there will be some sort of issue with any replacement. In your case, if you have to RMA for a fourth time.... that is beyond ridiculous and at what point are you eligible for a full refund under lemon laws?

 

Thanks for the response! As I'm typing this, I'm already missing keystrokes... lol. I've only had it for about 6 hours, but it seems like it might be getting better... the M key is still giving me problems though. Yeah, your issue sounds like mine, and probably a lot of others. I'd RMA again if I were you; the previous keyboards I had didn't miss keystrokes, but did have other problems. I agree with what you said... these keyboards are getting pretty frustrating haha. I may give it at least a few days and see if anything improves, and if nothing changes, then I'll probably RMA a fourth time... It is waaaay beyond ridiculous. I'm past my 30 day Sager return period, so I'm not sure. I almost want to return it though...

 

I went through 3 keyboard replacements on my P170EM before I finally got one that doesn't miss any keystrokes. For as much as we pay for these laptops, there is no reason why we shouldn't get a keyboard that is fully functional all the time. I would just keep replacing them until it works.

 

Does anyone know if Clevo W350ET keyboard would fit EM series clevos? Its layout looks much better and I dont really care for backlight.

 

I'm also facing the same issues with my keyboard on the NP9170. Have contacted XoticPC about a replacement, let's see how it turns out.

My main worry is the "Tab" key. Just doesn't work. Have to hit it really hard to make it work. Now it seems the same thing has started to happen with the "Caps Lock" key. Becoming harder to switch Caps Lock on.

Just out of curiosity, I remember there being an offer on a new chiclet-style keyboard being offered a couple of months ago.
(Mine's the stock keyboard that comes with the NP9170.)

Are all the people facing issues on the standard issue keyboard or does anyone have any issues on the chiclet keyboad? (which I checked up on, & is no longer being offered by XoticPC)

 

i am also having issues with A and Q keys. the key strokes don't register sometimes. you have to hit it hard! this is known issue

 

I just got my replacement keyboard today and installed it. Everything is fine, but I'm noticing a slight raise on the left side where the Tab, Caps Lock, Shift, and Ctrl keys are located. I actually had this same "issue" on one of my last keyboards on the right side, and I've seen a guy's YouTube video review of the 9150 griping about this raise in the keyboard. It doesn't really bug me all that much, but on my last keyboard that had the raise on the right side, after a couple weeks, those keys were not very responsive. It could be a coincidence, but I don't know. Does anybody else have this "rise" on either side of the keyboard? Will it affect long-term durability?

 

The steelseries msi keyboards are just so much better, didn't someone manage to fit one in the clevo?

 

I actually had some sort of deepening on the left side, where my "Tab" and "~" did not respond in 90% cases until I fixed that. The laptop is new, about month old and it did frustrate me a lot at that point.

So all these moaning about stock keyboard on different forums (I made a research when mine "Tab" almost stopped working) lead me to some thoughts. First of all, I think keyboard itself is fine, so nothing is wrong with buttons or anything. Problems start when it is put into laptop i.e. the way keyboard slot is constructed actually causes problems. Most of complaints is about left side (buttons: Tab, Caps Lock, A, Q, W) and center (around buttons O, K, I) are not working, and here is why I think. When I took my keyboard out (just lift it), i did not unplug it at all so I could actually test if mine buttons worn off or something, and they worked just fine. So obviously it was not keyboard malfunction, and neither wires. Then I noticed that surface of a keyboard slot is not even, I mean it just lays on a microscheme which has deepening areas right under the problem buttons when keyboard is installed. And since keyboard is pretty thin and does not have any support underneath, obviously it would bend because of typing pressure which would cause all these problems with hard typing and not responding buttons eventually.

So what I did is I put small piece of plastic (I had 2 expired debit cards ) just to cover those holes and installed keyboard on them. Now it works like a charm!

I might be wrong about my hypothesis, but that fixed my issue.

I hope I explained it well, excuse me my english, its my second language

 

Agreed they are nicer. They will work and used to be offered by several resellers but the makers of the keyboard asked they be removed from non MSI computers. They are just a little bigger so need to be trimmed to fit but once thats done they worked great except the Fn key mapping was different.

 

I've had a few different replacement keyboards, and one of them showed this rise on the right side, and one of them had no rise at all. My current one I just replaced yesterday has it on the left side, but so far the Tab, Caps Lock, Shift, and Ctrl keys work just fine. If it matters, I received one of the newer stock Sager keyboards; it has the Windows button switched to the left side of the Spacebar and resembles the Windows 8 logo. I also had to update the BIOS because of the newer keyboard.

 

Mythlogic offers a chiclet keyboard for $100 upgrade. Not sure if its the MSI one.

 

If you are going to type on it, then get the MSI keyboard if you can, it's a totally different experience.

 

I noticed that dead keys correspond with the screws on the underside of the keyboard. In these places are usually slight recesses on the keys surface. If this is your case, there is a way. Remove the keyboard. Put keyboard on the bubble wrap, on the rigid surface keys down. Gently loosen the screw with a screwdriver. Press the screw strongly but sensitively, precisely at this point and control the recess on the keyboard surface decreases until complete alignment. Assemble the keyboard back and check the result.
Regards
Edit: Do not press the screws with a screwdriver just finger (with your thumb).

 

I strongly recommend to try this (those with key woes, instead changing the keyboard) , i already did this today and it`s seems that i have no problem , for now , i`l give a feedback in a few days ... thanks for the tip bonnie.clyde

 

Just installed the new keyboard. I sent the old one back (RMA through XoticPC). Seems to be working great. Liking the new Windows 8 Logo on it.

But as others have pointed out, mine also seems to be slightly elevated on the Tab, Caps Lock, Shift side of the keyboard.

Is this something I need to be concerned about?

 

it`s not fitted well , try to push down with a screwdriver, the metallic part of the keyboard , it`s in the middle of the tab key , and in the right part it`s in the same direction with the middle of tab key

 

I'm liking the new keyboard as well! The keys seem to press a lot easier and with a lot less force than the older ones. The new Windows 8 logo doesn't hurt either

Mine wasn't fitted well, and I did this sort of accidentally... haha. I had rise on the left side, so I took my keyboard out and tried to re-seat it, but I still had rise on the left side and a bit on the right side. Then I just pushed with a little force on the left side and the right side, and heard a sort of "click" sound! Sure enough, it seemed to "snap" into place somewhere and the rise was gone

 

Just a quick update - something I learned from accidentally; I was also having issues with the Tab Key and the + key of the numpad.

Just gently press on top of those unresponsive keys and press them in - sometimes they are just not pressed in properly unfortunately resulting in the unpleasant experience.

 

from your own mistakes you learn .....