Broken letter on laptop keyboard

Elfish

Hi,
I broke a key on my laptop keyboard. It is a new Panasonic cf-21 Toughbook.
It is the part underneath the keycap (think it might be called the scissors). See the attached pic for specifics.

Anyway, having difficulty sourcing a replacement. Does anyone know a site that might do it - one that does do single keys is clonesuk.com ..... but they ain't going to have one until next week if at all. Plenty of sites will sell complete keyboards, hardly any do single letters - or more exactly the hinge joint that the letter sits on.

Help a brother out!

Thanks in advance

Saruman

Toughbook???
Should that not be a little more durable and there for be under warranty? I assume it was just wear and tear?

Anyway you will find you will probably need to buy a whole new keyboard if you cant get under warranty...

Try calling them and say one of they keys does not work... you have IT experience so maybe they can just send you a new keyboard and you can fit yourself??
Gateway did that...

TerrorFirmer

Ha - Panasonic toughbook and you break a key's hinge? How did you manage that?

At least you still have both parts. This does sound a little odd - but have you tried gluing back the broken part to the rest of the hinge with something like loctite - once that stuff bonds plastic and metal, it'd sooner break elsewhere then break at the original joint. Just a thought.

Elfish

Yeah, the not so tough Toughbook.....a pliers fell on it and somehow broke the thing that the keycap sits on

layke

when i'm repairinglaptops for customers and there is a key missing damaged I have two options. find an older model from the stors and rip the keys from it or buy a new keyboard from the manufacturer.

I'd say it's going to be difficult to find single keys. Just plug a normal external keyb into thelaptop until the key arives from that crowd you mentioned.

Elfish

Havok,
Havent tried glueing it, but the hinge is broken at the hole in the hinge, there is very little surface area to glue, and any excess glue will probably interfere with the motion of the key as its broken at the point where the 2 hinges join, if you understand.

Elfish

Thanks for the v quick replys folks

Layke, would you happen to know if a hinge from an older panasonic is the same as this one? I'd be more than happy to drop out to whereever you are and pick up/pay for this item.....any chance you'd have one.

Just out of interest, the hinge on a new fujitsu siemen looks exactly the same according to someone else that has one, so maybe the component does not change through the generations.

I'm off to internet less land now, so will reply in afternoon. Thanks folks!

TerrorFirmer

Be economic with the truth. Tell them that the key broke under normal use when you dropped (something officey but lighter then a pliers) on the keyboard - and that the exact reason you bought a toughbook in the first place was to avoid situations like this.

The hinges on alot of laptops may look the same but most are somewhat different, some totally different. Good luck with it though....

Elfish

Thanks for replies. I got a hinge off an older model to do it, but I will still have to replace the older one eventually.

So back where I started kind of....... any old Panasonics Layke?

secret_squirrel

As a temporary work around you could also use the

ALT + number acii code of the letter> trick. Although it may not work on a laptop.

Elfish

Thanks Squirrel, that isn't really the problem. I can still type the letter using what is left of the key, but I need to find a replacement hinge. Anyone know of any old panasonic laptops lying around? Willing to pay a decent price!

Capt'n Midnight

Try swapping for a key you use less, if you are lucky they may be the same size
Scroll Lock
PrtSc/Sys Req
Pause/Break
`¬
menu key

which key ??

external keyboard or external keypad

Elfish

Thanks Capt, but I need to replace the missing key hinge. So still back to original problem :mad:

dilbelau7

hey! i had the same problem!! here's where i got my replacements!!! ;D


http://www.laptopkey.com/



will definitely help!!! i hope!!!

Capt'n Midnight

if you are very careful you could super glue it

iano93

dilbelau7 wrote: »

hey! i had the same problem!! here's where i got my replacements!!! ;D


http://www.laptopkey.com/



will definitely help!!! i hope!!!

What are they like on delivery time may I ask? Need to replace a key or 2 because of some stupidity :rolleyes:

vibe666

i had a similar problem with my work laptop and i ended up picking up replacement keys off ebay for a couple of quid, so it might be worth looking there.