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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: cognus on Thu, 24 May 2012, 13:28:04

Title: YOU are my last hope. ASUS X83V Notebook kbd
Post by: cognus on Thu, 24 May 2012, 13:28:04

Guys
a brother over on sevenforums told me this is THE place to come.
I have an ASUS X83VB-X2 Notebook, also known as N80Vb ..  an ok gamer-capable type from a few years back: core 2 duo, nvidia gpu, etc.
it was sickly... turned out both the hard drive was bad and the keyboard seems to be bad, although I'm still suspicious of some other hardware problem [I wonder if the keyboard controller is in the chipset?]
at any rate, the keyboard does not function: I use it via a usb-attached keyboard at the moment, and have replaced the drive, it runs pretty well.

I need to either diagnose that keyboard or replace it, and the first problem is that I cannot find a manual anywhere via google... nor a youtube, nor a simple diagram, parts blowup, or other helpful hint.

could someone here give me direction on either how to remove the rascal, or point me to another source for pictures or words???

thanx mucho
c

Title: YOU are my last hope. ASUS X83V Notebook kbd
Post by: WhiteFireDragon on Thu, 24 May 2012, 13:39:26

How do you plan on diagnosing the keyboard? Usually there's a little thin data cable that connects the keyboard to the motherboard, so you can't really just connect it to another computer to diagnose it. I don't have this particular notebook model, but I have a different Asus notebook I can post pictures of a complete disassemble later. It should be the same concept.

In the meantime, you should find a replacement keyboard for your notebook model first.

Edit - here you go, $16 shipped: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Asus-X83V-Genuine-Keyboard-08L57507922M-MP-05693US65287-/140753519089?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item20c59041f1

Title: YOU are my last hope. ASUS X83V Notebook kbd
Post by: WhiteFireDragon on Thu, 24 May 2012, 13:48:37

There are little tabs on the keyboard you can gently pry off. I think for your model though, the tabs are on the bottom instead. Once one side of the keyboard is loose, just slip off the other side. The data ribon cable is connected to the cut out square in the middle that has the exposed motherboard, so just unplug it after you get the keyboard off the main chasis.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/WhiteFireDragon/Asus%20UL20A/internals/DSCN6264.jpg)

Title: YOU are my last hope. ASUS X83V Notebook kbd
Post by: cognus on Thu, 24 May 2012, 14:38:49

the part I'm having trouble with is finding the fasteners from the backside / underside.  I had thought they would be inside one/other of the batt/mem/fan/hd cavities but I'm not seeing such.  usually there are two to four attach screws to a keyboard...
maybe its diff this time.

yay on the ebay find... that's a dollar cheaper than the one I had marked lol...

as to diagnose - what I meant was whether I would find some obvious short there, like a partly detached connector, or a loose metallic debris interfering.
the touchpad will work sporadically, but not the buttons.  and the first day I started diagnosis on the whole, the F-keys would work partly, now none do.
I also get a random cmos chksum error -but someone who claims expertise says that could be spurious

Quote from: WhiteFireDragon;599268

There are little tabs on the keyboard you can gently pry off. I think for your model though, the tabs are on the bottom instead. Once one side of the keyboard is loose, just slip off the other side. The data ribon cable is connected to the cut out square in the middle that has the exposed motherboard, so just unplug it after you get the keyboard off the main chasis.

Show Image

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/WhiteFireDragon/Asus%20UL20A/internals/DSCN6264.jpg)

Title: YOU are my last hope. ASUS X83V Notebook kbd
Post by: cognus on Thu, 24 May 2012, 15:03:08

looked at it with magnifying glass and bright light. I'm not seeing the indentations and tabs like I do with the cheaper membrane keyboards [like the one I just removed from a dell inspiron 4010]. This is a 'throwback' keyboard with mechanical keys [full of teeny parts... ask me how I know], raised surface, shiny molded plastic key caps that pop off it I'm not careful [ask me how I know] and its big, like 30cm x 11 cm or so... something like that.  It looks to me like  the palmrest/bezel has to come off. I removed every screw I can find and it will lift at the edges but not toward the center so I must be doing something wrong

Title: YOU are my last hope. ASUS X83V Notebook kbd
Post by: Internetlad on Thu, 24 May 2012, 16:59:16

CMOS Checksum is often due to the CMOS battery dying or being removed. They typically last ~7 years or more  so i'd doubt this to be the case. Sometimes they are wrapped in heat shrinkwrap with 2 contacts going from + - on the battery to a header on the board, possibly got bumped or unplugged? Also suppose it could have been dead/disconnected the whole time and removing the laptop battery cut the power.

If you're really at wits end, check for a teardown vid on youtube, Often times when I get stuck I'll look for a manual on their site (DELL often has, ironically, excellent "how to replace this" manuals) listed right on the support page, often under "Manuals"


That said, I'd expect to find the little tabs/screws labelled on higher end laptops by a tiny pic of a keyboard, and on any compartment cover that houses the aforementioned there should be the same symbol. If you don't see those, it's a crapshoot.

In your particular case, however, it can be tricky to diagnose. If you're getting weird issues with your KB, Touchpad and random CMOS checksum errors, you may have an issue with your board itself. Laptops are such a one off item, if the board goes, it's rarely worth replacing. If this unit is still under warranty, I'd consider that before you void it further. If all you've done is attempt to take off the keyboard you should be fine.

EDIT: hooray for reading, the two places you've listed as not having teardown instructions  is where i've said to go. Let me give it a go.

Title: YOU are my last hope. ASUS X83V Notebook kbd
Post by: Internetlad on Thu, 24 May 2012, 17:21:32

After a long and boring search around the interwebs, I found many things, including what I think is your thread on the windows 7 forums.

Found this too, hope it helps. I didn't watch it because it's like 20 minutes long and youtube is being a turd.

[video=youtube;tc2WunwY7Ek]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc2WunwY7Ek[/video]

Title: YOU are my last hope. ASUS X83V Notebook kbd
Post by: WhiteFireDragon on Fri, 25 May 2012, 00:56:26

OP, it looks like taking off the keyboard from yours is the same way you take off the keyboard on my Asus UL20A based on the youtube video that Internetlad just posted. Skip to the 6:00 minute mark where he takes off the keyboard.

Title: YOU are my last hope. ASUS X83V Notebook kbd
Post by: Internetlad on Fri, 25 May 2012, 01:02:08

Jack knives, official tools of technicians everywhere.

Remember if at first you don't succeed, pry that sucker off.

Quote

seriously though that's a bad idea