Keyboard Ribbon Cable on Vaio Z21 is Broken

I've taken my Vaio VGN-Z21MN/B laptop apart to fit an SSD and have managed to break the keyboard ribbon cable (click for larger images):

The keyboard cable:


The back of the keyboard, not the red circle is where I believe the ribbon inserts into (the end with the black tape on):


Further out shot:


Ribbon and back of the keyboard:



Looking on eBay (and the side of the cable) the item's part number seems to be FPC-130 - LINK, but I'm not sure if a new cable would fix my problem as I'm not sure how it would slot in properly.

I've tried pushing the cable back into the slot I believe it goes into and used tape to hold it down, but the computer doesn't recognise any trackpad or keyboard inputs from the keyboard. I plugged in a USB mouse, which was fine, so it is still working fine.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can fix this issue? Thanks for any help.

 

Use tweezers for GENTLY pushing the cable into the slot of the connector. Take it from one side of the cable, push it a bit deeper and change sides until you got it in until the end. Make sure you insert it in the correct orientation - gold pins facing down to the keyboard pcb. Check the motherboard side connector for bent pins and push it in with care. Make sure it is facing down flat on the mobo or you might break mobo or the black male connector at the ribbon cable. After you have it in the keyboard assembly, take a picture and post it here.

 

PM me and I can email you the manual for the Z. It's a delicate process, i've damaged the cable too from rough handling before understanding the clasp etc.

 

I'll give that a try this evening and report back.

Thanks, but as I'm a new poster I don't have the ability to send PM's just yet (I don't think?). The manual would be really helpful if you could get it to me another way though.

Thanks for both of your help so far!

 

This was the post that i first found the manual. In case the links are broken, etc. you can email my spammable address, which i have temporarily put in the bibliography field of my profile.

 

Cheers, I've just fired off an email to you.

 

Just to report back on my progress, I've followed your instructions and the service manual.
I've undone the clip where the ribbon should go and reseated it, put it all back and still no joy.
I must have damaged the ribbon cable (most likely) or one of the surrounding components in my earlier attempts to remove the keyboard.
I'm going to order a new ribbon and hope that fixes the issue.
If not I'll order a new keyboard from eBay.

Does this sound a sensible approach? I don't fancy sending it into Sony to be repaired along with a hefty bill?

 

Sounds sensible. Hopefully it was just the cable you damaged and not the plug or something deeper. I'd be curious if the new cable fixes the problem, let us know how it goes. Be very gentle with the new cable!

 

New cable arrived and installed and I'm happy to say the keyboard and trackpad are now working again.
It's a shame that one of the screws snapped (how cheap did Sony go with their screws?!) when putting the bottom set of screws in. Which means the front right side is now a little loose as the thread of the screw is inside the screw area. Very frustrating and I have no idea how to get it out (besides using a dremel, which I don't want to do!).

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

 

Good to hear, I'm glad the new cable fixed the problem. It would have been a shame if your wonderful Z had a deeper problem and was taken out of commission.