Murrquan
October 19th, 2008, 03:24 AM
The 's' key on my IBM Thinkpad R51's keyboard is missing. The top part and the assembly have snapped off, and the rubber cap just beneath that was torn off when I had someone else look at it. >.< I'm typing using the raw touchpad alone, and it's making my fingers sore because of the metal thingies where the key is supposed to snap in.
I tried snapping it back in, multiple times, but I could never quite get it in all the way. Now the plastic hinge mechanism is so worn down that it won't stay locked in place at all. And, like I said, the rubber cap has been torn off.
I still have all the parts, but that 's' key is totally shot. The only thing I can think of to do is buy a replacement keyboard -- plenty of them on eBay, including for this model of notebook. But that's a lot of money to spend for just one missing key. Everything else on this 4+ year old machine works perfectly (well, except the battery).
Is there any way I can make this thing work without tossing a nearly-perfect keyboard and buying a new one? :(
I tried snapping it back in, multiple times, but I could never quite get it in all the way. Now the plastic hinge mechanism is so worn down that it won't stay locked in place at all. And, like I said, the rubber cap has been torn off.
I still have all the parts, but that 's' key is totally shot. The only thing I can think of to do is buy a replacement keyboard -- plenty of them on eBay, including for this model of notebook. But that's a lot of money to spend for just one missing key. Everything else on this 4+ year old machine works perfectly (well, except the battery).
Is there any way I can make this thing work without tossing a nearly-perfect keyboard and buying a new one? :(