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Reattaching a notebook keyboard key

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by ansugisalas 1 view

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C is for Cat.
Also for Claw.
The aforementioned Claw of said Cat inserted itself under the "C"-key of my notebook keyboard just as I was lifting said Cat off my keyboard, onto which it had jumped in an effort to heck-if-I-know.
So the key is now detached, and the mechanism for its attachment is clearly too complex for its own good. Also, one of the hinges has a break in it.
It seems that there are two hinges, one black and on the back of the key, opening downwards, and one grey and on the keyboard, opening upwards. There is a hooking point under the grey one, and the underside of the key has parts that seem like they could lock into the corners of the grey hinge. The grey hinge has a break in it (Cat-induced).

Any hints on reattaching this damnable thing? Or for kluge-ing it back into useable order?

8 replies

by oh smeg

And then push it back onto the Membrane that it was once attached to the reality is that you are looking at replacing the Keyboard.

Sorry that's the best I can suggest here as when things like this happen I've always had to replace the Keyboard. If this is your personal NB you can use a USB Keyboard & Mouse without any issues though they are not very portable but on the other hand you are less likely to get RSI with a Full Sized keyboard than the Smaller NB ones that come with every NB.

Short of de-clawering the cat or better still getting rid of it all together it's also likely to happen again. Cat Owners really amuse me I remember one who made Wedding Dresses and these where High End Expensive ones who allowed her cat to lie all over the Material used to make the dresses and complained bitterly when her cats tail got caught in the drive belt of her Bernina Industrial that she used to sew the wedding dresses. When she first got the Machine she insisted that the Belt Guard be got rid of as it damaged the Table when she tipped the machine back but when it amputated part of her cats tail it had to be replaced. Only problem was that she threw hers out and didn't see why she should pay for another one. :D

Or more recently a Cat Owner who had a Prize Persian got all upset when I covered it with Food Dye because it used to go under my house and Pi$$ on all my properity. Apparently she was allowed to put it out at night allow it to do as it pleased and no one had a right to complain or worse cover it with Green Food Dye 3 days prior to a Cat Show. I just suggested that if the cat was so valuable maybe it was a bad idea to let it out of her control. After all not every one liked cats the same as she did and overall a bit of colour was nothing compared to what could have happened to it. Several weeks latter it turned up at the Local RSPCA after being trapped and handed in. So apparently I wasn't the only one who it was upsetting.

Over here there is a guy who turns Feral Cats into Hats and that is a very good outcome for them but with Domestic Cats most of their owners see things a bit differently.

Col

by robo_dev

I've got three of those furry things at the moment; the dog tolerates them as long as they stay away from his food.

I was at a local thrift shop when I spotted in the display case what looked like kitten plush toys...they were made in China from real kitten fur (seriously). Amazing the things you see in those stores sometimes....

by ansugisalas

Cat fur from China (at best)... that's actually really nasty, you see the animal and its fur are so low grade that using an anasthetic is a severy hit to profits... and killing the animal is either too expensive, time consuming or has too great a risk of damaging/soiling the fur.
So these cat (and dog) skinners tend to just skin the animal alive, without anesthetic.
Seriously, that's what they do. In european countries too, I hear.
So, that's something I'd stay away from, personally.

by robo_dev

If the hinge part is reassembled properly, you just line it up and push.

A tip is to pop off another key and look at it..that shows you how it's supposed to look.

Note that on eBay you can buy individual key-caps or hinges, so i had to buy the 'X' for a Dell laptop. Cost like $1 plus $3 shipping

by ansugisalas

That worked, although I had to modify your advice a bit; the scissor action had broken apart, so it wouldn't snap on as long as the hinges were separated, and my fingers are just way to big to fiddle it back together while the grey hinge was attached to the membrane.
The trick was to first break the attachment entirely :^0 , taking out the grey hinge completely, and then fiddling it all back into shape before pressing it into place.
It's a bit wonkey now because of the break in the one part of the hinge, but it works! Thanks.

I tried to select this reply as "answer" but it just won't do it! TAMMYYYYYY!!! ;)

by gdburton9

Normally the mechanism is made up of 2 separate parts which join together to form a scissor action. Typically they join together at a central pivot point. If this comes apart then can normally be clicked back into place or sometimes requires some gentle bending to make the hinge join back together.
Buying single key-tops with mechanisms is the only reliable way if the mechanism parts are actually broken. (Unless you are VERY SKILLED at applying glue to tiny pieces!)
But be warned there can be several patterns of key mechanisms used even within a specific model of laptop/notebook. And cheaper brands are likely to be more difficult to find too.
But you may be better off buying a new keyboard and keeping the old one in the expectation that next time the cat will grab onto a different key and you will have spares at the ready!

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