[oclug]Keyboard for a Toshiba 4000CDS notebook

[charles.macdonald at hrdc-drhc.gc.ca]

<<caps lock, shift, ctrl and alt keys do not work.
all works fine with an external keyboard>>

Gee was there a full moon last night?

Anyway, Keyboards...  They work by having a chip scan an X-Y matrix where 
each key connects one X line with one Y line.  If there is a break in a line, 
all the keys connected with that line will not work, while the rest will run 
fine.  In a laptop the Scanning may be done by a custom chip on the main 
board.  A defect in the chip could also cut out one line of keys.  
(fortunately ! - Defective chips tend to completely self-distruct and so the 
chances are a bit less)

On a Desktop PC the scanning is done by a controller right inside the 
keyboard- Original PC used a 8048 Micro for the function.  The laptop may use 
part of the main custom logic chips.

As others have mentioned, dirt in the keyboard may also knock out an area,  
All the keys you report as having problems are in the lower left of most 
keyboards, and so they may be subject to "coffee problems".    Some keyboards 
use a elastomtric (conductive rubber) contact system, and I can remember when 
I worked at Compumart, We would take them apart and clean them with 
Triclorethane (Take that Kyoto) (I still have headaches)  or alcohol.  Others 
are sealed and can't be cleaned.  (and successfully reassembled :) )

If you have a broken lead, it might be in the connector, and you may have a 
chance to clean the connection.  you may be able to find a spare keyboard 
either from a junked machine, or from the parts department.  A search of 
E-bay will often turn up fairly cheep laptops that have broken screens.  The 
keyboard may be usable from one.  A tech may be able to transplant parts from 
your machine to a broken one to make a FrakenPuter out of both.  S/he will 
need some patience.

Now to cover the other threads, 

= No I don't use Triclorethane any more. 

= My concern (personal) is that everyone wants to cut carbon emissions, but 
Nobody seems to want to increase the use of the only viable substitute.   
Folks get sidetracked into talking about Hydrogen, which is a fairly 
resonable energy storage media, but since it does not exist in pure form in 
the wild, is not a "source" of energy.

=  The old rules of Grammar that make "he" the default gender are no longer 
acceptable in polite society.  I can remember being told that I would lose 
marks on papers at Carleton if the term was used that way.  I find the term 
"Folks" comes in hand, although I am not sure what the final solution will be.

Anyway. have a great day gals/guys... but can we get back to talking about 
how to make Linux the default OS for the Oh-X decade.

Charles MacDonald - Labour Information Management
< My own Opinion unless Otherwise Credited >