A few notes about the weird SZ spacebar...

I know there's another thread on this issue... but this isn't really complaining about it.

- I never had any problems with my spacebar... however, I was curious about some have problems and I do not, so I pried up the spacebar to take a look underneath it. Maybe I'm just being overly senstitive now, but ever since I did that I'm noticinging it's not catching as often ! I've made sure its perfectly snapped back on too... so maybe there's something about how its attached / aligned... I dunno !

- I have three laptops here, and they ALL have a single sensor in the middle. The difference with the SZ keyboard is that the space bar is longer. *SO* if you used a shorter keyboard in the past, your thumb would automatically hit the same sweet spot on the SZ anyway...

-Finally I called Sony, curious to see what they'd say to me... I was told 1) That the solution is to simply hit the spacebar in the middle (hehe... I let them know about the ridiculous nature of that response...) and 2) best of all, she said she had no other record of that question on file by any other SZ customer... haha... yarite... anyway. I know she's not responsible so I didn't give her a hard time.

Thought I'd share my thoughts on this. This isn't meant to re-open a debate, just some information sharing !

 

If you ever happen to need a reference next time, let me know. You can tell them you personally know someone that has had the keyboard replaced by Sony under warrany for exactly this problem. I can provide the Work order number for you.

 

heh, yeah I knew it... I'll make sure to PM you if I call them back !

 

I'd appreciate that ref if you don't mind.

 

The space bar sucks, but i reallydon't mind b/c I make spelling erros typing that i have to correctso i'm not really bothered by checkin the spaces. though i don't doit for posting on a forum I wouldn't take it in for service just for that, if I have another problem down the road I'll ask them to check out the spacbarissue.

 

Well, FYI, while initially, I was happy with my space bar "repair", it seems the problem has returned.

I think with the heat and some usage, the key is flexing more now than when it was "new" and cold when I first turned it on after getting it back from Sony. So, it looks like they replaced the keyboard with a new one, but the same part. I don't think there has been any revision to what is being used to replace the keyboards. I'm going to call them, and I'll let you guys know what they say, although I'm not very hopeful at this point.

I have a feeling I'll end up fixing it myself by modifying the key to stiffen it a little (epoxy and steel), and add some material where the key strikes the switch.

 

This is not having a go but im assuming you paid in the region of $2000+ for you lappy, thats what i paid for my now broken laptop, when i spent my $2000 the fact the the keyboard might not work properly didnt even enter my head, let alone having to do a Blue Peter special on it (UK childrens programme , specialised in making niff naff and trivia out of toilet rolls and glue)

 

Yes. I realize that Sony "should" take the responsibility to fix this, but I am also a realist. It is not worth my time to bicker with them over the phone to try to get this done. I'll give them the opportunity to make it right, but like I said, I'm a realist. I'm pretty handy, and fixing this shoud be relatively easy.

 

I am a realist as well and only hope that Sony will fix this major flaw. Had I know about this issue, I would have not purchased this laptop.

 

I bought the laptop with prior knowledge of the issue. I still maintain it's a rockin laptop for its portability and power. My only hope at resolving this issue (knowing full well Sony will not) is for people like ostack (the more computer savvy and risky people out there) to modify it and share their success with the rest of the SZ community.

All hail ostack! \w/

 

Thanks for the praise, but nothing is fixed yet


It really shouldn't take much. I'll take pics and such, if that helps.

It is not a major flaw (the space bar does work), but it is annoying, especially with the price of these machines. A major flaw would be lock-ups or hardware failures.

It wouldn't be the first time the users of a product were left to their own devices to improve functionality and design...

 

If you must buy this laptop I strongly advise you try the keyboard out first.

Because Sony will not do anything for you after they've got your money.

 

I'm not discounting the guys who claim they have had issues with the spacebar. In fact, when I do that little test (hitting the bar right at the sides) it won't respond for me either. But I'm 40 years old, this is my umpteenth laptop dating all the way back to Datavue Sparks (and even luggables prior to that), I've gone thru a dozen or more desktops and at least 15 or so keyboards, I learned to type on a MANUAL typewriter, etc. In short, I consider myself more than a wee bit experienced using the keyboard. Since having the SZ110, I've logged at least 4 hours a day of heavy keyboard use, typed up dozens of consulting proposals and played hours of FPS games that make heavy use of the spacebar. And not ONCE, not a SINGLE TIME can I ever recall not getting a space when I hit the spacbar. My right thumb is my predominant "spacebar" presser and I strike it repeatedly just under the "N" key. It gives me the desired space every time. I'm also a touch typist and, although people seldom measure this anymore, I can bang out almost 70 words per minute when I'm on a roll with less than a 1% error rate...and these are usually auto-corrected by Word.

All I can figure is that Sony designed the spacebar for the way I type. And I'm even starting to dig this little funky keyboard overall. It makes all kinds of clickety-clack sounds, but you know, it sounds a LOT like my old IBM springy keyboard. I love tactile feedback from my keyboards and this one has it in spades. I can even say I love it more than my Dell Latitude 610 that I've used for the past year or my Thinkpad T30 prior to that.

 

There is no right and wrong way of typing. I'm quite a proficient typer aswell.

I happened to use both thumbs to hit the space bar. As a result I tend to keep them to the edges of the space bar key to avoid them making contact with each other. Its a habbit I've picked from years of typing on small keyboards.

Sony have made a critical design flaw with this machine period. As proved by:

- The number of complaints on the web
- The fact they themselves have tagged it as a known issue
- The space bar is X cm in length. Yet it only registers a key press over Y cm over its length. And X > Y.

Now as I pointed out to the Sony tech. If its only supposed to work over a small distance, why make it so long. Given the constrained space on laptop keyboards they could well have used that space to make other keys larger. The answer is the space bar is proportionally the correct length for that size of keyboard. The placing, size and ratio of keys on a keyboard is no accident. The space bar is the biggest because its the most used key on any keyboard. This is the only one i've encountered which doesn't work over its whole area.

Say the centre of the space bar didn't work. Could you now train yourself to use the edges, without a measured impact on your productivity? I'm guessing for most people the answer would be no, as it is for me.

I did not pay almost 2k GBP to decrease my productivity. I paid it to increase it.

Some people may not have a problem with it. But saying it is not a design flaw is like saying cigarettes are not bad for your health, because some smokers live to 100.

Its a design flaw. A serious one for many. The keyboard is as important as the processor and the screen. Just like those other key components you cant do F**k All without it. So it is shamefull that Sony are continuing to sell this product without any consideration for their customers. And then when they dare to complain they are telling them to live with it.

 

I beg to differ, but there certainly exists a "correct" way to type on a QWERTY keyboard, one that maximizes words per minute while minimizing error rates, finger travel and RSI situations. And in that method, the method that's been taught for well over 30 years, the right and left thumbs are redundant...you may use either to strike the spacebar, although using both is not recommended as it slows down the speed and increases the movement needed to accomplish what one thumb could do on it's own.

This may not match your personal typing style, but claiming there's no right/wrong way to use one is like claiming there's no right/wrong way to design a keyboard. Time was, kids received formal training in typing/keyboard use in school. Today, more often than not, they are self-taught. My 13 year old daughter can't type anywhere near as fast as I could at her age and when I tried to get her to use a formal typing tutor course, she complained loudly until she gradually learned that it made both her speed and accuracy improve considerably. Now typing the "right" way she's up to 60wpm with a 94% accuracy. She learned to type using hunt-and-peck and thumbing her cellphone, which is why her method was inferior for pure QWERTY usage.

Now I'm not trying to pick a fight. We all develop motor-memory skills that pretty much force us to type a certain way regardless of the keyboard that's placed in front of us. I hit the spacebar with my right thumb almost all the time just out of habit. My left thumb stays just under the spacebar or just hovers there out of the way. With my hand placement, it CAN hit the spacebar and register a space input just fine as it will strike the spacebar just under the V key. On my SZ at least, I can register a space by hitting the spacebar from the leftmost edge of the V key all the way to rightmost edge of the M key. If my style/preference were to strike the spacebar under the C key or on the extreme right edge, then I'd be as upset as you clearly are as my style doesn't match this keyboards design. But CORRECT keyboard skills will teach you to place your hands in such a way that your thumbs will strike the center of the keyboard, or close thereabouts.

In the years before electric typewriters and even keyboards, the left thumb was not to be used at all as you would use your left hand to make a carriage return by striking the return bar. The right hand always stayed on the keyboard and thus became the dominant "spacebar" hand. The introduction of the electric typewriter and later the keyboard made it permissible to use the left thumb, but many typing instructors still tell you the left thumb is optional for spacebar use.

I have over 400 keyboards and various laptops in my plant (I own my own business). Just a quick glance this evening at the dozen or so nearest my office show a specific wearing of the spacebar right under the M and N keys...so clearly, I'm not alone in my predominant use of my right thumb for striking the spacebar. The spacebars that didn't show wearing there still showed it nearest the B key, almost dead center of the keyboard.

BTW, this is also why you'll find the trackpad placed directly under the spacebar, centered but rarely the same width as the spacebar. From a design perspective, this is where the thumbs SHOULD be for a correct typing method.

Of course, if we really wanted to split hairs, we'd be talking about how the QWERTY method of typing and keyboard design is flawed at the core and all kinds of better alternatives abound....but it's a standard and you aren't likely to get any major keyboard/laptop manufacturers to change this anytime soon.

But on to your claims...

"Sony have made a critical design flaw with this machine period. As proved by:

- The number of complaints on the web"

Please provide me a tally that shows me the number of complaints made about this issue versus the number of units shipped/sold. I seriously doubt this "evidence" amounts to more than 1% of the buying population. If this is your measure of what constitutes a design flaw, I'm afraid you are basing it entirely on assumptive reasoning.

"- The fact they themselves have tagged it as a known issue"

Did they tag it as a design flaw as you've indicated or as a known customer complaint? Tagging something as a known issue happens all the time with computers and electronics...it's not an admission of a design flaw.

"- The space bar is X cm in length. Yet it only registers a key press over Y cm over its length. And X > Y."

I'll grant you this one to a point. The fault-tolerance on the spacebar as shipped is lower than it should be to accomodate ineffecient typing methods. It obviously supports efficient typing methods just fine or you'd have absolutely nobody able to type on this thing. And I've typed this entire post and not once missed a space entry.

As I said in my first sentence...I'm not discounting your claims of being unhappy with the design. You are entitled to your opinions. But to claim fact of a coverup for a design flaw where you've merely got your own rather subjective opinions is stretching things a bit.

I'm simply stating that for me, it's as good of a design as any other keyboard I've utilized as I'm properly utilizing CORRECT typing methods to input text. Feel free to put my vote in the "No issues" section of your Sony SZ users poll.

 

"There is no right and wrong way of typing."

I guess I didn't phrase that correctly.

Yes there is a optimum way of typing. However, I would say I've never been instructed not to use both thumbs. Nor have I been told that my thumb must be in a certain place on the space bar. But I haven't recieved extensive training, as I'm reasonably proficient anyway.

What I was trying to say is there's no way of typing which should result in missed keystrokes. If you hit the key, it should register. This is the first keyboard either I or my brother have used in twenty years which has caused us a problem. I can't tell you exactly how far in you have to strike for the space bar to register, since my machine is at the store I bought it from. But we're not talking about extreme edge.

However, I would maintain the key should register accross its entire surface. Unless your suggesting one requires extensive training in order to use a QWERTY keyboard. I would class any keyboard which fails to do this as flawed.

Now with respect to my claims:

- The number of complaints on the web

No I don't have a tally of complaints against number of units shipped. The point here was to demonstrate I am not alone, in a way that is easily verifiable (google).

Since not everyone will list their complaints on the web. And details of the number of units Sony have shipped are not available to the general public. I felt this would be clear.

- The fact they themselves have tagged it as a known issue

They said they had recieved a large number of complaints. When I asked why they couldn't swap my keyboard out. They said there was a design flaw with the keyboard, and so replacing it wouldn't fix the problem. And so they are working on a resolution.

 

Seems you slipped this bit in at some point when I was typing my response.

I don't see where I have claimed there is a coverup of a design flaw. Why would I, when the Sony tech himself said it was a design flaw. Where does cover up come into it?

And as interesting as your research of your 400 keyboards is. IMO (and apparently Sony's) the key should register accross its entire length.

BTW, if its so inefficient/incorrect to strike the space bar key offcentre. Why does every QWERTY keyboard have such a large space bar?

 

Again, I'd ask you to point me to something other than what you've overheard during a phone call from a "support tech." Please point me to the official Sony declaration that they've included a "design flaw" in all currently shipped SZ's. I've read your detailed postings thus far and unless I overlooked it, you've not received any such formal notification that the space bar represents a "design flaw." That's your opinion, not a fact. It may be a valid opinion based on the FACT that you can't strike it anywhere you wish and register a space entry, but it's still not supported in any official notifications I've seen from Sony that it's a "known design flaw."

And the reason for a long space bar is simple and as I've already stated. The "correct" method of utilization is to allow the user to strike the space bar with either thumb. The bigger the target, the more likely the user is to hit it at some point approximating center. A better question may be why is the space bar so large and CENTERED in the middle of the keyboard? The answer lies in home-row key finger placing. When the hands are aligned in the correct typing position, the thumbs (either one) naturally fall between the V and N keys. Which just so happens to be the exact same spots where the SZ's space bar registers a solid space entry. Amazing how such a "design flaw" accurately predicts efficient ergonomics isn't it?

But enough of the Mavis Beacon ****ola. You don't like the spacebar and feel it represents a design flaw. I have no issue with it. The real question is what will YOU do about it? From one of your other posts, I suspect the answer is to never purchase a Sony computing product again. So end of discussion I suppose then? If you still desired to purchase these products, then perhaps you could come up with some way to contact the head of marketing, sales, public relations, etc to voice your concern over their lack of appreciation for your views as a consumer?

 

I'm unsure of what Google query you are using to perform your analysis of complaints about the keyboard. But just as a small test:

Googling (don't you love how quickly we canonize a branded technology and make it part of our everyday lexicon?) the words "Sony" "SZ" "spacebar" nets me a total of 366 hits, but only the first 11 are really relevant to the topic at hand. At least 5 of these are from this website. If I throw out duplicates, I'm at a solid 8 complaints registered via Google using the simplest of search criteria.

By comparison, if I search on "Sony" "SZ" and "great" gets me 450,000 hits, of which the first 4 pages is primarily rave reviews for the SZ product line. I honestly stopped reading after page 5 as it was enough to prove my point.

8 complaints about the spacebar doesn't make for a "serious design flaw" in my book. Unless only 20 of these units have been sold. 8 is statistically irrelevant and ranks as, at most, a "minor oversight" or inconvenience. My 2006 Porsche Cayenne has at least 4X that amount of "minor oversights" and it still gets me to work on time. As a self-professed car nut and as someone who paid a kings ransom for that vehicle, each and every one of them ranks as a "big deal" to ME. But I'm not arrogant enough to believe that my opinion is enough to get the Porsche engineering team to drop what they are doing and yell for a mass recall just to fix the rattle in the glovebox lock.

 

Overheard? I said I was told it was a design flaw. This was also confirmed by the second tech I spoke to (because I was trying to get an escalation past tier one support). Dont believe me? Try and call them yourself, I'm sure you'll hear something similar.

They have acknowledged to me the product is at fault. And its a known fault. Official bulletin or not, it is unacceptable to then tell me I should live with it.

I'm not going to sit here and argue about Correct typing habbits. Congratulations on your excellent typing skills, and i'm glad you find your laptop to be perfect. But since there is no pre-requisite that one must be a perfect typer, i'll stick to my opinion that the space bar should register accross its entire length.

Having spent 2k GBP on a laptop that I can't use, I think most people will understand why I'm somewhat upset by the situation. Your vehement defence of Sony's dodgy space bar is a bit confusing however.

 

If you read the post you have quoted. I believe it is my clarified point that you have proved, not your own.

"The point here was to demonstrate I am not alone, in a way that is easily verifiable (google)."

I too am a car nut. And I have had my fare share of problems along the way. And I have paid an even bigger ransom. Yet I haven't expected the manufacturer to drop everything to fix every niggle.

But when the manufacturers representatives have accepted there is a problem with the product. And that problem was not forseeable by me when making the purchase. And that problem prevents me from using that product. I either expect them to rectify the problem. Or take the product back.

 

i love it when Sony Reps come on these forums to defend there products ;-) lol


I think a key that doesnt register when struck on a $2000 laptop is a massive design flaw and theres plenty of people complaining about this issue

 

"The point here was to demonstrate I am not alone, in a way that is easily verifiable (google)."

This is much more fun:

http://www.googlefight.com/

 

This whole keyboard and "design flaw of the spacebar" issue intrigues me, so I did a little experiment. I pulled back out my Dell Latitude 610. It's less than a year old and, arguably, a true "business class" machine. Now interesting to note, it's space bar is considerably smaller than the one on the SZ, at least relative to scale. It stretches roughly from the center of the C key to just past the M key. Now as I hit the spacebar with my right thumb, it's worn a bit on top (I've had this laptop just over a year). But, lo and behold, guess what happens if I strike the spacebar on either extreme edge? You got it, no space entry. Hitting it anywhere from just under the V key to just under the M key and it registers a solid strike. But on the edges, no dice.

Hmmmm, interesting.

OK, let's try another laptop, this time my 12" Powerbook. God I forgot how much I hate the keyboard on this silly machine. I line up the test (I just type into Notepad to test) and here we go again....no register of a keystrike at either exreme edge of that keyboard either. Very interesting.

OK, one more laptop, this is my daughters, but it's my hand-me-down HP ZD7000 series laptop. Now this is a monster of a keyboard as it's a monster of a laptop. It's a 17" widescreen beast and the keyboard is a full 101 plus a separate numpad. Big machine. Here goes the test.....well would you lookit that? It accepts keystroke input across the entire surface area of the spacebar. It's interesting to note that is is almost a full-sized keyboard, far larger than a typical notebook keyboard.

So 4 laptops, 3 of which exhibit a range of sensitivity on the spacebar roughly 5/8 the entire length, one keyboard that accepts it across the entire surface area.

3 different manufacturers have the same design flaw? Just my laptops suffer from this design flaw? Or perhaps they all suffer from this "design flaw" and only an extremely small percentage of the population ever notices this?

I urge you to try out the other laptops in your arsenal. I can post videos of this if you'd like.

 

I'm no more a Sony rep than you are a qualified industrial engineer. But thanks for the laugh. ;-)

 

Problem is that i've never experienced missing keys with any previous laptop during using normal usage, except with the Vaio SZ.

 

While I agree it is not a "major" design flaw, I have the SZ, and D600 (2yo), and a little bitty Averatec (1yo) notebook sitting here. The SZ is the only one that exhibits a lazy space bar. I certainly have noticed missing spaces (oxymoron?) while typing, and it is anoying at times. Sure, I agree my typing style may be slightly flawed, but the truth of the matter is, the space bar "should" work across the breadth of the usable surface of the key. If it was a couple years old, or even a few months, I guess I could accept that some wear and tear has taken its toll, but this is happening on a brand new keyboard, and it shouldn't. I will fix it myself since Sony corporate is sucking all the money up, and will not allocate the resources necessary to fix this problem.

I'm not screaming about this as an issue, but you'll not get me to agree that this is normal and/or ok/acceptable on a brand new machine that is NOT supposed to be cheaply made.

 

I was considering the SZ series when looking for a new laptop, however after reading of this keyboard issue I decided against it. I do a fair amount of typing and the keyboard quality is one of the important things for me. I know from the worn spot on my current unit that I use the extreme edge of the spacebar, and I don't want to change how I type. I really did like the looks and specs of the SZ.

So, I don't know if it matters to Sony or not, but I have decided to get another Toshiba. I have had previous ones and have always liked the keyboards.

 

I took pictures of how many sensors are underneath the following keyboards:

Dell d610
Sony SZ160P
Voodoo m855

Note that ALL keyboards have a single sensor in the middle.

See pictures below... hope this is interesting for some people !

As you can see, the Dell keyboard has double bracket, whereas the Sony is single... I think this is one of the differences that make the Dell keyboard more accurate at the edges.

I get the problems at the corners for the Voodoo and the Sony, but not the Dell... so I think it's the brackets.

Note the last picture... you can see that the Voodoo spacebar is the shortest, while the Sony spacebar is the longest... so length has nothing to do with it either.

 

One more note... many of us have had one of these Asian keyboards with the Ctrl and Fn keys reversed... and most of us adapted to it !

So, even tho I've said before that adapting your typing style to a new keyboard is ridiculous, its probably something I will do over time, just like the Ctrl keys...

It's a tradeoff I was willing to make when I got the Voodoo.

And, think about it... learning to hit the spacebar more in the middle is not as bad as switching Ctrl and Fn... at least the spacebar thing works on ALL keyboards, desktop or laptop ! Know what I mean ?

 

Well, I agree, it is not a huge issue for me. It IS for some people though, and I can understand why. While I don't think anyone's purpose is served by bickering, those who don't have a problem with the space bar have no place telling those that do have a problem with it, that they shouldn't. Does that make sense? Maybe there are other machines that exhibit a lazy space bar, thats fine, but that doesn't mean that is the way it should be. I wouldn't expect to see this kind of problem unless there were at least SOME signs of wear. We are talking about brand new machines here. You can't justify the lazy operation of this space bar by comparing it with other "used" machines.

If comparisons showed every notebook out there behaves the same re: the space bar, I would buy that arguement. I wouldn't necessarily like it, but I would concede that it is the norm for the industry.

Alas, I haven't called Sony yet to get their response, but I hope to soon. Once that is done, I'll procede with my space bar hacking

 

Cool !

Hope my pictures helped a little... as I said, I think that the double brackets affect the accuracy...

Then again, I just typed this whole message without missing a space once... so who knows It comes and goes...

 

I beg to differ.
Adapting to a new location of a key is one thing, learning where to type on a key is another.
I constantly switch between a mac and a windows laptop, the location of the command key and the windows key are switched, changing is trivial.

However changing where you press a key , especially as there's still no guarantee it will register the keypress is too complicated.
Location isn't just the problem, force applied is also a problem.
As an example, last night I was in bed, was late and my wife was asleep, the keyboard being rather noisy i was typing in a way that it was as quiet as possible.
The space bar wasn't registering in many cases even though i felt I had press ed it (it was giving me tactile feedback).

The SZ keyboard is bad and it should be fixed
Jean-Yves

 

Oh, I'd like it to be fixed too, no doubt...

What I'm saying is I'm sure I can adapt to it.

 

FYI - I have decided to sell mine on Ebay. If anyone is interested in my SZ160, email me. [email protected]

I have lots of extras...

 

I just realized an application where it can happen often: Photoshop and Illustrator.

I use the spacebar all the time to move around the screen, and sometimes it doesn't catch

I'm sure there's a little fix that can be done to make it better...

ostack, we're waiting for your research ! heheh

 

WOOHOO !

A little bit of sticky paper and I fixed my spacebar !

All I did was remove the spacebar, put a bit of sticky paper on spot where the sensor touches, replaced it, and it now registers from any area on the spacebar !

Sure, some people are gonna say I shouldn't have to do that, etc etc...

But maybe ostack will like it Works great !

I'll post pics and maybe a movie tonite to show the "hack".

Woohoo !

 

Yay!!! Thanks A LOT ikaris!!! I'm looking forward to those pics and maybe the movie.

 

That sounds SOOO familiar. I had something before that I needed to do that.... I cant remember what notebook. oh.. my old dell...3yrs ago I think. the spacebar had too much travel in it so i would miss clicks. Btw, thats the part I hate about this Sony's keyboard. Its bigger than my normal ms keyboard keys. and it has a longer travel. lol.

 

I will absolutely do it...

Won't take long, its a very very simple process.

 

Sounds like GOOD NEWS!

I'll be trying that as soon as Sony have returned the notebook. It goes away tomorrow, and I really don't want to mess with anything, incase they use it as an excuse to avoid repairing the other issue.

 

Exactly.

If this was the norm Sony could argue the buyer should be aware of the quirks of keyboards.

But in my experience it is far from normal. Both my brother and I experience the same issue with the SZ keyboard. And between us we've probably used a few thousand keyboards. Yet this is the first time either of us have experienced this problem.

Also I've spoken to 4 techs and a supervisor now. All of them have acknoledged they've had a few complaints. And 4 out of the 5 knew of the problem from the gecko {getgo} (i.e. no going of to search if it is a known issue).

 

:sony:

Whoah...I would have never guessed the Geko was down with the SZ?!?! He's one cool cat I tell you

.

 

Ooops, I would try and blame that on the SZ keyboard, but im not using it, hehe.

 

I figured that would help. My only concern with that solution would be if you build up the material too much on the switch, you may make it a little too sensitive, and have "accidental" spaces when brushing the center of the space bar, unintentionally. The other thoughts I had are to stiffen the key by adding some epoxy along the edges of the underside of the key. That would make the ends of the key more responsive at the switch. Epoxy can be messy though if you aren't careful. The other thought I had is to remove the little metal bar and use solder to beef up the thickness of the bar in as many places as possible. This should increase the torsional stiffness and help transfer the motion from the ends of the key to the switch a little better. My guess is that a combination of all three solutions will make for an ideal "fix".

I want to not only make the space bar work, but I want to make it right. You "should" have nearly the same tactile feedback from the ends of the key as you do in the middle. As it is now, you'll notice that at the ends of the key, you don't feel the switch transtion from open>pressure threshold>closed, even if it does register a keypress.


hmmmm........

After playing with it a bit, is seems that even if you press in the middle of the bar, you can feel the switch's tactile feedback, before the switch is actually made. Meaning you have a good bit of travel on the space bar before a keypress is registered. That be the case, I can see that adding some material between the switch, and the key, may be all that is necessary to resolve the issue. I still might play with the other things to get the feedback I think should be there.

Maybe I should call Sony now?

 

Sorry, I couldn't help myself

 

Yes, I was careful to make sure its not TOO sensitive... I've gotten a good amount of extra space in there so it only registers when you hit it as usual.

Sony should take note, all they have to do to fix this thing is the make the sensor a little bit taller, or add a small piece of plastic to the bottom of the spacebar.

 

ALL RIGHT!!!!

This is going to be awsome.

 

Update:

Just got off the phone with 1st and 2nd level support. 1st level was clueless, but was happy to work with 2nd level to look for an answer for me. She eventually connected me to a 2nd level support rep. He really wasn't bad to deal with at all, and gave me more information than I expected. He said that the reason it doesn't work well at the ends is because they made the space bar longer so it would be easier to type (don't laugh), he went on to explain that there is only one spring assembly under the bar (didn't someone here already discover this?), and it isn't enough to handle the extra length. So, while he explained that their official response to customers who complain about this is supposed to be "this is normal", he acknowledged that it "might" be a bad design. He said their engineering department IS working on a fix, but I couldn't pin him down on when I could expect this fix to be in place, as I'm sure he has no way of knowing. I did ask him if I could make a slight modification on my own without voiding my warranty, and he said as long as I don't "damage" anything in the process, it would be ok. He also said he would make notes in this file indicating that I was ok'd to make such a modification without voiding my warranty.

So, modification is a go for tomorrow evening!

 

But if I've got a Dell Latitude 610 and a Sony SZ, and BOTH won't register a keypress at the extreme left edge of the spacebar....what does that imply?