New keyboard - some keys are not working

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MacBook Unibody A1278

13" aluminum unibody, 2.0 or 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo processor.

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Michal @michal45518

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Postato: 26 feb 2013

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New keyboard - some keys are not working

Hello,

This is my first question so I'm sorry if I would be difficult member of this society for a while.

I spilled something on the original keyboard of my MacBook. I decided to change it by myself. I don't know if it's possible but I guess I've done something wrong because only five keys are working: "v", "b", "m", "," and left command (I have Norwegian keyboard layout like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KB_Nor... ).

I was looking for similar problem on the Internet but I found nothing what is related to Macbook A1278 (late 2008).

The biggest problem is that I cannot run my Macbook by ON button. I found that I can do it by connecting 5th and 6th pin of keyboard socket on logic board and it works.

I thought that the new keyboard is damaged but I tested two different ones and none of them let me run computer by ON button (I didn't tested if the same keys are (not) working).

The seller of the new keyboard said that maybe it is a problem of the keyboard socket on the logic board. It would explain why the others keyboard didn't work but I ask myself why it is possible to run the Macbook by connecting keyboard pins on logic board? (this is what keyboard does: connects some pins to make some singal, isn't it?)

I think that I'm doing something wrong during connecting keyboard ribbon cable to the logic board or I forget to connect something else but I have no idea what. Or maybe it is somehow related to other hardware, like here:

https://discussions.apple.com/message/64...

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

Michal

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mayer @mayer

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Postato: 26 feb 2013

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Try using an external USB keyboard and see if that works. Did you replace all the layers of the keyboard including the black plastic with circuits? Less that a complete uppercase replacement seldom works for a liquid spill on these machines.

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Hello Mayer,

External USB keyboard works (that's how I use my Macbook now but it's hard to use it this way in a train or anywhere else).

I have the Macbook, not Macbook Pro, so there was no backlight layer. There was just one layer. The front of keyboard looked like this:

http://img04.allegroimg.pl/photos/orygin...

The back was something like this:

http://krzymark.pl/pictures/KLAWIATURY/0...

I'm not sure if I well understand what you mean by "the black plastic with circuits". It is true that there was the black plastic layer which I though is just a security layer between keyboard and logic board. If I well remember, there were no "circuits" (but know I'm not sure any more). It wasn't attached to the new keyboard, I used old black plastic after cleaning and drying it. Do you think that this layer can produce this kind of behaviour (that only some keys are working and some not)?

26 feb 2013 da Michal

See steps 45-47 of the uppercase replacement guide to see the printed circuits on the plastic layer: MacBook Unibody Model A1278 Upper Case Replacement

26 feb 2013 da mayer

You're right, in this guide there are printed circuits but I guess it is backlight part. In my case, I have no ribbon cable to put to the socket at right to the socket of keyboard. You can compare it with this: Upgrading your 2.0 GHz 13" Aluminum Unibody MacBook to a Backlit Keyboard

In case of my Macbook, there was no backlight option (although there is a socket to plug it on (-: ).

26 feb 2013 da Michal

Mayer,

I found this:

Reconnecting the keyboard ribbon

I need to do confess that I put this new keyboard about 10 days but I mounted the bracket behind the cable and between the midwall yesterday (I've observed that this midwall has some magnetic skills) I thought that maybe midwall has some influence on the keyboard ribbon cable (because of its magnetism). Of course, it's a little bit non-sense for me, because some of keys are working but maybe it is the reason of my problem? How do you think? If I am right, how can I dis-magnetize it?

26 feb 2013 da Michal

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Hello Mayer,

External USB keyboard works (that's how I use my Macbook now but it's hard to use it this way in a train or anywhere else).

I have the Macbook, not Macbook Pro, so there was no backlight layer. There was just one layer. The front of keyboard looked like this:

http://img04.allegroimg.pl/photos/orygin...

The back was something like this:

http://krzymark.pl/pictures/KLAWIATURY/0...

I'm not sure if I well understand what you mean by "the black plastic with circuits". It is true that there was the black plastic layer which I though is just a security layer between keyboard and logic board. If I well remember, there were no "circuits" (but know I'm not sure any more). It wasn't attached to the new keyboard, I used old black plastic after cleaning and drying it. Do you think that this layer can produce this kind of behaviour (that only some keys are working and some not)? — Michal
See steps 45-47 of the uppercase replacement guide to see the printed circuits on the plastic layer: MacBook Unibody Model A1278 Upper Case Replacement — mayer
You're right, in this guide there are printed circuits but I guess it is backlight part. In my case, I have no ribbon cable to put to the socket at right to the socket of keyboard. You can compare it with this: Upgrading your 2.0 GHz 13" Aluminum Unibody MacBook to a Backlit Keyboard

In case of my Macbook, there was no backlight option (although there is a socket to plug it on (-: ). — Michal
Mayer,

I found this:

Reconnecting the keyboard ribbon

I need to do confess that I put this new keyboard about 10 days but I mounted the bracket behind the cable and between the midwall yesterday (I've observed that this midwall has some magnetic skills) I thought that maybe midwall has some influence on the keyboard ribbon cable (because of its magnetism). Of course, it's a little bit non-sense for me, because some of keys are working but maybe it is the reason of my problem? How do you think? If I am right, how can I dis-magnetize it? — Michal