HP TouchSmart tm2 - Synaptics Touchpad Not Working

[charcell]

mon synaptics ne fonction pas

[Guppeh]

I was able to repair my TM2's non-responsive touchpad (no movement, no corner LED light) by replacing the connecting flex-cable.  To replace the cable, first unscrew and lift up the laptop's top panel (be careful not to yank on any of the attached cables -- they can be easily damaged).  Then then release the ZIF connectors holding the touchpad's cable at both ends (the distal connection will be covered by a piece of plastic and adhesive aluminum foil, which must be carefully peeled back).

Note that prior to the repair, the touchpad driver gave no error messages and reported everything functioning (although it did generate an error when I did a test with with the cable detached completely).  Also, it might be worthwhile to try re-seating the cable first, before replacing it (although re-seating it first did nothing for me when tested).

The ZIF (Zero-Insertion-Force) connectors have little plastic tabs on them that you pop out to release/lock the cable in position.  No force should be needed to remove or insert the cable.

The part I used was this AWM 20624 6-pin Inverted cable offered by eBay seller "bangkok-electronic-excell". 

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[laptopguy12]

I suspect this is my problem, although there seems to be continuity. 

where did you find the replacement cable?  I'm looking for one on a pavilion dv5t - which I believe to be 7 pin about 3 inches long.  are they generic or specific to the system?

[Guppeh]

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laptopguy12 wrote:

I suspect this is my problem, although there seems to be continuity. 

where did you find the replacement cable?  I'm looking for one on a pavilion dv5t - which I believe to be 7 pin about 3 inches long.  are they generic or specific to the system?

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Yours is 7pin?  The one from my TM2 is 6-pin.  It's basically standard PS/2 signal format, but over a ribbon cable instead.  Anyway, I got it on Ebay.

[TheBly]

Sorry to bump a somewhat old thread, but I'm having the exact same issue as the OP. I ordered a replacement 6pin from eBay, but now that I have it, it's about an inch too short too reach

However, I read you saying you have to carefully pull back that aluminum sticker...I still have mine, but I carefully tore it off in order to acess the top pin (which has been a PAIN to get the cables to lock into).

Any advice? Am I screwed or should I got ahead and blow another $10 on a slightly longer cable on eBay?

[Guppeh]

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TheBly wrote:

Sorry to bump a somewhat old thread, but I'm having the exact same issue as the OP. I ordered a replacement 6pin from eBay, but now that I have it, it's about an inch too short too reach  

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How long was the cable that you got?  As for the aluminum sticker, I don't think that will be a problem, it didn't seem to be all that vital.

[TheBly]

The original cable is 5inches, whereas the one I bought turned out to be only 3...

The last time I opened a laptop it was a netbook that wasn't very user friendly when opened, and I nearly broke the trackpad cable, so ever since I've been a bit worried to open a laptop.

However, my Tm2 is useless if the already annoying trackpad doesn't even work. So this is a last ditch effort. I should have measured the original cable before I bought a new one, but I was worried it would be too long rather than too short.

I'm glad to hear that sticker isn't that big of a deal. I can still put it back anyway. I guess I'll get another cable and hope for the best. HP tech support told me they can fix it for around $300 so hopefully this is a cheaper alternative.

[Guppeh]

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TheBly wrote:

I'm glad to hear that sticker isn't that big of a deal. I can still put it back anyway. I guess I'll get another cable and hope for the best. HP tech support told me they can fix it for around $300 so hopefully this is a cheaper alternative.

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From what I can see, the aluminum foil is probably there to provide RF shielding (possibly just for FCC requirements, although RF noise can also cause interference with capacitative touch devices).  In addition, the sticker that covers the last bit of the cable might also provide some anchoring against vibration and movement.  But I wouldn't worry too much about it -- just get it working and worry about the details later.

[laptopguy12]

I figured this out.  A little background.  My laptop died,  system wouldn't get past bios.  All the diagnostics showed that the memory and HDD were good so I didn't suspect the OS.  Prior to the laptop dying,  the cpu fan was running non stop and at a higher than usual speed.  I figured the cpu was cooked or at least maybe the fan was caked in dust,  sooo,  I fully disassembled it. Everything went back together fine except the touchpad wouldn't work.  I suspected the cable was bad because the OS recognized the pad but it didn't function. 

I had a hard time finding a replacement.  I trimmed the end off the cable that was a bit mangled and scraped the insulation off carefully with a xacto blade.  Thats all it took.  I made it look like the other end of the cable,  about 3 mm of bare metal.

Oh,  it wasn't the cpu,  the blank screen non functioning laptop needed a reinstall of the OS.  Alot of work for nothing.  Works now tho.

thanks for the input

[lisa189]

This worked for me thanks for posting it.