[SOLVED] Framework13 Keyboard has intermittent keys

Framework Laptop 13 Linux
41

I have the same issue, a few days ago my d key started to fail randomly (luckily only the d key)

I’ve tried every single non destructive fix with no luck:

  • reset
  • hard reset
  • unplugging and plugging back all the cables
  • blowing air in the keys
  • cleaning the sides with a soft brush
  • disassembling the entire input cover, cleaning everything, reattaching every connection and assembling it back

none of those fixed the issue

next Im trying:

  • dcp’s tape hack
  • detaching the key cap
  • fully reflowing the cable
  • and if nothing works, tearing down the glued underside of the keyboard and checking the traces

for me, this issues sounds much more like a riped/partially riped trace than a signal integrity one, but I’m trying everything now

if I succeed I will come back with the solution.

Dear Framework, please, just address this issue, like you did with the 11th gen motherboard jumper thing

my warranty is already over, I would easily buy another keyboard, but we need you guys to tell us what is breaking all the keyboards, buying a new keyboard every year is not a solution.

42

Hmmm… When people said it’s “d, backspace, enter” I was quite confident it’s the same exact issue, because just so non-trivial and exactly the same. When it’s just “d”, it could be just … something specific about that key.

I had one key that was failing randomly in the past, and it was just something that got under/inside it. After pressing it like 30-50 times something cracked there and it was working fine. Breadcrumb or something, I guess.

Anyway, update about my debugging efforts: seems like the issue happens much less often, but is still there. I just keep all screws unscrewed and whenever it happens I just open the panel and try different things - touch things, etc. Usually I’m able to get it back to work in less than 30 seconds, but I can’t pin point what exactly is it. I am under impression that removing the trigger that is causing it (be that something about the cable or sockets, or electrostatic charge) is not immediately helpful. Possibly some software components stays confused for some time.

43

A few people have malfunctioning keys of a particular group, which points to the problem being in a shared line in the key matrix. The line either making intermittent contact, or being broken for 100% dead keys that include all that share the line.

Forum says I’ve read all but the most recent posts here, but I must have either not or read too fast.

Anyone that has multiple intermittent or dead keys, when they act up, please check every key including rarely or never used ones and post the list of effected keys.

You can compare the list to this chart of the key matrix column & rows: Framework Laptop Key Matrix :: HowettNET. Rows are along the left side, columns are along the top.

D, Enter, Delete, Backspace, ' , =, and ] all share the column line 14. You didn’t mention ' , =, and ] so check those any time your keys act up.

P, 0 (zero), -, [, ; all share the column line 13. Any time your keys act up, check all of those.

Now, for anyone who finds a shared line as a problem, there are places that should be more likely to be the issue. 1) Your ribbon cable, carefully look for tears near the curve, I recall a few people discovering that they accidentally caused a tear. Also look for creases. A crease could have a break in the wire inside while the outer surface is intact. Either tears or internal breaks at visible creases could make intermittent contact. 2) The connector soldered to the ribbon cable, a solder point could be cracked. Harder to check for most people. You’d need strong magnification. This could also make intermittent contact. 3) Connectors on the touchpad board where the keyboard lines travel through. Again, a solder point could be cracked, making intermittent contact. 4) less likely I would think, but possible there is a break in the line somewhere inside the keyboard.

1 Like
44

This is a great observation/discovery. I bet the other keys are also affected, but I’ll verify next time it happens.

I’ve just came here to post after the problem affected me out of the blue after not having it for some time, and I couldn’t get it to go away for good 30 minutes. I have been touching, disconnecting, gently bending, flexing, etc. , power cycled, nothing would make it go away. Eventually it just went away.

What I need to do next time it happen is just to let the laptop sit, and see if the problem is just going to go away without doing anything.

The thing is - this problem is just soo random. If it was a tear in one of the exposed cables, then I expect touching them, opening the lid, etc. would often lead to introducing and fixing the issue (temporarily). But it doesn’t really seem to be the case. Once the problem is gone I can do whatever I want, and everything works. Until it will randomly stop working, oftentime when the laptop was sitting on the stand for some time and I just picked it up to use it away from my desk.

I have inspected all the visible cables and sockets with a magnifying glass and I don’t see anything even suspicious.