next »

[GregYohn]

 Hello!

I was having  a problem with my DOWN button sticking down. I think I solved it by using a clipboard to prevent the back of the XO to flex when I held it by the corners. It seems to be fine now, but let's see how it works in bed! 

I think I learned of the solution by hearing that GABEY from the Phily XO group had a similar issue. She saw that a flexing XO was not good during travel.

[Gabey8]

Definitely, I have found that I need to avoid flexing the XO frame. That includes some precautions that I *must* take, or I'll have a bout with sticky keys:

- Don't pick the XO up by the keyboard, particularly not in the area of the corners or mousepad, when the XO is open.

- Don't stick the XO in a bag that's so darn full of accessories that it's wedged in there getting its frame warped by the pressure. Either carry the accessories in a separate bag, or get a bigger bag.

- Don't use the XO on a non-flat surface (say, a lap or a pillow) without bracing it with something flat under it. I have a makeshift "lap desk" comprised of a clipboard resting on a pillow. (The clipboard is transparent green plastic and matches the XO. )

If I ignore these precautions, a bout with sticky keys results. Normally, the rebellious keys are the ALT and CTRL keys. My methods of resolving the situation:
- Be absolutely obsessive about using the XO on a flat surface while the problem is ongoing.
- Massage the offending key any time it starts acting up. (For example, if you type an A and instead of seeing the letter, you see everything on your screen get selected, you know that the XO thinks you hit CTRL-A. Massage the CTRL key.)
- Massage the white frame adjacent to the rebellious key. The sticky keys seem to be keys around the edges, particularly the lower left corner. That's certainly been my experience, but from what I've read about the sticky keys, that's what the majority of problem reports have been, as well.
- BE PERSISTENT. it seems like the only way to get rid of the sticky keys is to keep using the XO and applying the above solutions until the problem stops happening.

Honestly, I hauled the XO around in a laptop backpack (made for a full-sized laptop) for a solid week, and didn't have so much as one sticky key during or after the trip. The XO had more than enough room in there, because I didn't fill the extra space with a billion other things. A few weeks later, I carried the XO for a day in a DVD-player bag that just barely fit the XO in it, and I tried to wedge a Tekkeon battery in there with it. That night, I had sticky key problems. File it under "learning the hard way". I picked up a slightly larger bag for the XO, for the times when I don't want to haul around a full-sized laptop backpack, and I'm NOT going to utilize the extra space to carry around everything but the kitchen sink.

[mahlness]

If you think it's a stuck control - or any other - key, and if you're feeling confident and adventurous... here's what a U. of Wash student did to one of mine - and it's been fine ever since: http://xo.orderedpixels.com/kbfix/  - Mark

[Tortuga]

mahlness wrote:

here's what a U. of Wash student did to one of mine - and it's been fine ever since: http://xo.orderedpixels.com/kbfix/  - Mark

That's a nice set of photographs, have you considered offering them for use on the OLPC wiki ? I know they are always looking for instructional or DIY examples.

The only thing I found missing was what was done after the keyboard membrane was lifted, what did it look like before the offending glue/goop was removed, and how the glue/goop was removed ?

[Tjelfe]

If you think it's a stuck control - or any other - key, and if you're feeling confident and adventurous... here's what a U. of Wash student did to one of mine - and it's been fine ever since: http://xo.orderedpixels.com/kbfix/  - Mark

Mahlness,

I'm so glad You posted this! Following these instructions I got my keyboard working again.

CU
T.