W650SJ keyboard really unresponsive

Hello everyone!

I have had my W650SJ for about 3 months now and I have been having a few rather annoying issues with my keyboard.

When typing incredibly slowly I can get by with registered key strokes.

If typing at medium to high speed the keyboard functions incredibly badly.

After much thought and testing it appears this keyboard really just is not for me. Is there any possible fixes I could apply to my problem? A better keyboard for this model?

Any help would be great!

 

Better in the manner of "different manufacturer" is not possible (keyboards are too specific to a laptop's size and shape), though you could of course buy a new one. Costly, however, so try re-inserting the connector first and run a good virus scan, perhaps it's just the NSA keylogger that's buggy ...

And is it any key, or more specific to some? If not all keys are affected; remove plastic top (by wedging screwdriver or knife) and clean under the rubber thingies; perhaps someone spilled beer, wiped it and didn't tell ...

Hmm, and remember from ancient systems that there was a 'keyboard polling rate' you could set in the bios ... nostalgia only, probably. Oh, and it's not just cpu@100% issue? Sorry to ask, it's a bit ' is-the-power-cord-plugged-in?'-ish ...

 

Thank you for your reply!

So far after some searching it appears a few people find the keyboard on this laptop rather annoying.

I have found that if I do not apply rather a large amount of pressure to every key on the keyboard I will have zero registration.

Nothing has been spilled on the keyboard and it is currently very clean as I am the only person who uses this machine.

So there is completely no way of finding a similar fitting keyboard for this machine? Not even something I could modify?

Thanks again!

 

Clevo does re-use casings for newer systems, so guess you could search for their latest, similar-looking model and hope they've upgraded its keyboard with a better design.

One other option; remove any key's plastic top and try using it with just the rubber thingy. If that's too inflexible, you could try replacing them with thinner models. But that's quite a tedious process and you'll have to know which keyboard's design you want. So ... maybe try a few different laptops first, and simply order one of those keyboards and swap the rubber domes (seems that's what they're called).

 

Ah this is very interesting information you are giving me here!

How would I find out which rubber domed sheet would fit into my keyboard?

Any ideas?

 

Sorry, not a definite answer. Opened a few up for repairs, but they all looked the same to me. Easy to find out though; remove one from the, say ... let's see, what's utterly useless ... ah, the " Insert" key and take it it with you when trying out different laptop keyboards. You can compare it with one you pull from the device you like (when the owner's not looking, of course ). It's just an interspacer and spring, nothing special, but 0.1mm thicker/thinner or elasticity stronger/weaker would make the switch harder or easier to trigger.

One other thing; since it's (synthetic) rubber, even if UV-light won't reach them, it would still be susceptible to heat and dry air. This is not good for elasticity, of course, which might explain experiencing the issue only after some use (and too much skimping material cost by manufacturer). If this is the situation, the effect would be more pronounced on keys directly above the heatsinks or fans.

 

Aha ok thanks so much for your help! I am going to see if I can find a keyboard which some how matches my key layout enough to be able to change out the rubber mat inside.

Thanks again!

 

Ok so after doing some more research I came across this link!

I will post it for all those people who are not happy with how their keyboards register key presses due to low quality rubber cups.

IraqiGeek's Blog » Howto: Laptop Keyboard Repair

 

Yes, but as you would've seen when removing one key; the rubber domes do not form one continues sheet as in desktop types. In order to make laptop keyboards as thin as possible manufacturers use separate rubber domes (the area between the 'top' is useless and raises profile). So that makes ... say 85 key-tops to remove, 85 scissor mechanisms, 85 domes to cut loose and, finally, 85 new domes to position and glue on. This is days of work and you've got no guarantee all keys will function equally well; it's a finicky, tedious process, after all.

There's a further complication if your keyboard has conductive-type domes, not simple pressure types:



That's from a desktop, but my old laptop sports those too. Anyway, the black carbon tip bridges the two contacts, triggering the key. Using glue is not an option with this keyboard-type, obviously. This is something you'll have to check first.

Anyway, thought of an easier solution; weaken the synthetic rubber, this would work for both pressure and conductive types. A nice bath in naphtha would dissolve the outside area of the domes, thinning them evenly. <strike>There's some other plastic parts on the keyboard that will dissolve too, so may want to keep the cable out of the bath</strike>. Even simpler; remove all key-tops and place the entire keyboard top-down in a very shallow camp-fuel (or gasoline) bath. This will partially dissolve (and weaken) the top of the rubber domes only and leave everything else in tact. Would work with the conductive types too, as long as you don't overdo it (carbon tips need to stay in place).

Never tried that, would guess neither has anyone else ... also have a spare laptop keyboard somewhere ... very tempting .