keyboard zif connector - getting a replacement for top black part

[Ubrales]

AttackofZaq, how do I send you a PM? (I can send you the serial # via PM).

Thank you for your assistance!

Edit: Never mind - I searched the forum, found the answer and sent you a PM which states the serial number.

[AttackofZaq]

Hello again Ubrales.  

Here is a link to your notebook's Maintenance and Service Guide.  It covers disassembling the notebook and should be helpful for determining what the exact part number you need.  You should be able to purchase the parts through your notebook's HP Parts Surfer page.  

I hope this helps.  Have a great day!

[Ubrales]

Thank you for your help! This file is really handy! This is the PDF file that I downloaded from the HP support website.

[AttackofZaq]

You are very welcome Ubrales.  I hope it helps!

Have a great rest of the week.

[Ubrales]

Thank you for your personal reply! I find this site (HP Forum) very helpful. Thanks to contributors like you AttackofZaq!

[AttackofZaq]

Hello again Ubrales.

I just wanted to say thank you for your kind words.  It means a lot to know that I've helped someone.

These forums really are a great resource so if you ever have questions in the future make sure to pay them a visit!

I hope you have a great weekend.  🙂

[LaurelC1957]

This topic is pretty well complete re: helpful info but I do have a comment for the HP employee.  The instructions given in the Maintenance and Service guide are lousy at best. 

CAUTION - the manual from HP is NOT detailed enough to use it alone as your reference for replacing your laptop keyboard.

The manual - dear heavens the part on replacing the keyboard is terrible. DETAIL, HP, detail. It is all in the details!!  I followed your  instructions and low and behold, broke part of my ZIF connector. (this was, of course, do to the fact that the manual was anything but clear on how the connector worked, how to remove the cable, and the fact that the ZIF connector was to remain in place, simply pushing forward slightly up and then lifting slightly) Again, Details. That little bit would have saved me hours of geek-time.

I did find this forum/topic at the time and tried the paper/tape/etc to no avail. Well, let me restate - the part of the connector still intact allowed that part of my keyboard to work - so I had letter, number, and left side keys, but no numeric, arrow, right side keys. Made sense since only part of the connector was missing.

I did have most of the ZIF connector, I had a piece that had broken off, and I was still missing a tiny piece.  So I put the broken piece back into place, inserted the teeny tiny bit of cable into the connector, and was good to go - yay!

This worked well until took the laptop out of my home and evidently it was moved too much.   Normal use and no jarring to it, but something is loose in there again, and I suspect it is the same small broken piece -- my numeric keypad, arrow, etc keys on the right side of the KB do not work. Grrrr. Still not sure if I'm going to spend hours of my  valuable time fiddling with that partial ZIF connector again.

HP - I'm looking for work. I can re-write your manuals with appropriate details, pictures, drawings, whatever so that they are clear and concise, every single bit of instruction is in place, and grammatically correct with correct spelling!  Let's talk!!

[OrnahP]

@LaurelC1957

Thank you for visiting the HP Support Forums.

Just a reminder that this is a peer-to-peer community of HP customers, and not a venue to contact HP directly. Most of the users here are consumers like yourself who are offering solutions because they like to help others, and any HP employees you see are here on their own capacity and not representing the company.

If you have additional or direct feedback for HP about their products or services, or questions about repair, you can use the link below for contact information.

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/ww-contact-us.html

If you have other questions and concerns about using the forum, please feel free to send me a private message.

[marina-veevee]

Hi Laurel,

Don't give up hope!

I experienced the same problem. My problem was that I didn't go far enough in securing the cable.

Setup:

Scotch tape - 4 - 5 pieces, dispensed to lengths cut so that they will extend approximately 1 inch on each side of the ribbon cable. Stick these on the edge of your worktable, etc. You do this so that you do not have to take your securing hand off of the ribbon cable.

Cut strips of light cardboard (business card stock?) approximatelt 1/4 inch wide by the width of the area where the zif connector resides. How many I don't recall, you will have to make that determination when you are at the initial stage of this procedure.

Two (2) non-metallic/conductive objects of appropiate size. This is dependent upon your hand size. I used to stubby rubber handled screwdivers. You will use those objects to prop up the keyboard where the back is in its place, so that it is like the open hood of a car. You only want the keyboard up high enough to allow you to get your hands in to work.

PROCEDURE:

Place the cardboard strips in the cavity right in front of the zif connector. They should be just at the botton edge of the connector. When in place ently press down to see where their level is. If they depress below the bottom edge of the connector, then you may need to add one more. You may need to use regular paper if it isn't too low. When satisfied with the height, tape in place. Insert the ribbon cable and tape in place, with the tape positioned over where the bottom strips are. Place enough strips on top until the strips are flush with the top of the main surface area around the cavity. Tape those in place. When done, you want the ribbon cable to be perfectly level with the connector. If done correctly, the keyboard, when in place, will exert light pressure on the patched area, holding it in place.

NEXT:

Working your way back from the connector, towards the keyboard (Be sure to keep the ribbon cable as close to its normal state of how it lays normally - accomplishing this by keeping the keyboard as close to its "installed" state as possible), apply the tape, working your way as close as you can to the keyboard. Do not place the tape on any exposed circuitry!

If you have done this correctly, the cable should not shift frm either moving the laptop, or even from repetitive typing (pounding) on the keyboard.

I hope this has helped and works for you. I performed this repair over two years ago, and still going strong.

There may be better ways to peform this procedure, but the main objective is to keep the ribbon cable from flexing up and down and also skewing (which gives you the partial keyboard).

Luck!

[Wakesetter2008]

Sounds almost clear, but do you have made pictures ?

Maybe that will lighten up how you did fix the issue.