vB Easy Archive - Keypad problem

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Keypad problem
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Posted by: SE Guy

Hi, I have a SE P910i, and recently, I am experiencing problems when using the flip keypad. Basically, the keypad won't response correctly to the number i press, i.e., When i press 1, it will type in 2 or 4 or whatever...

Has anyone here experienced similar problem? Right now, i took the keypad out and am using the phone in 'Palm' mode.

Posted by: xtacy1869

You know thats funny, mine is having the same problem. I busted my screen about 4 months back and had put in a replacement. I noticed then that my keypad had a crack in the center at the top, but all the keys worked fine. I recently updated to the most current software through Sony Ericssons site and since then i have had troubles getting the correct keys to work. Sometimes it works fine, other times, if the phone gets bumped it goes haywire and 7 becomes 9 and 2 becomes 1 and OK becomes 3, and the back key becomes * lol. I was thinking it may be the keypad, but without being able to change the software back to the previous version, i dont know if i will be able to tell, unless i can find a new keypad for cheap.

Acid

Posted by: SE Guy

That's interesting to know, but however, I did not update any of the phones software. It just started to happen on its own.

Does anyone else know of this problem?

Posted by: nsx280ps

known problem... take the keyboard off and clean the contacts

Posted by: seatart

Yeah I had the same problem, tried everything but I finally had to return to SE for repair....took about 2 weeks.

Posted by: haywood

yeah that is so ironic.. mine started doing that over the last month and it has gotton progressively worse. i went ahead and called se cs and they said to send it in... but i cant be w/o my phone for 2weeks (or til their lagging a**es fix it). so i tried to re-update the firmware in case it was taht (bcus it started doing it after this latest release) but it still did it.

so i figured it was a keypad/ribbon contact issue and removed the flip cleaned teh contacts witha qtip and then bent one prong that was kinda of out of alignment then put back on the keypad making SURE the screws were on tightly to hold the contacts snug..... then "voila" it is working fine again.

no more *=3,8,9...... no more Back=*.......... no more 1=nothing...... no more ok=wont accept/end call...... so lets see how long it lasts!

[edit] i spoke to soon.... i decided to check my phone after this post to see if its still ok..... it wasnt! Well not TOTALLY....

i pressed ok (bcus thats the inconvenient one) and it gave me zeros instead and then when i hit "c" it gave me the *...... but its kinda of not mesed up bcus it only did it bcus it was in keylock and it registered the keys when its not suposed to.

once i unlocked the keys it worked perfectly fine, so im thinking this latest release firmware has some bugs ( i updated the f/w a third time after cleaning contacts).... plus this only started this after the new firmware was installed.

what is up with SE and their latest micky mouse firmware? theyre starting to remind me of Shuttle XPC firmwares.

Posted by: nikker

yea i have the exact same problem with my p900. i posted a thread last week. i wish i could just take off my keypad but then i wouldnt be able to unlock my phone in the virtual keypad mode becuse my **** jog dial stopped working at the same time. so i can select things using the jog dial, just scroll up and down. i tried cleaning the keypad but thta doesnt work. and when i dont have the keypad attached, my jog dial still doesnt work...

http://howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=683097

Posted by: shockdaddyd

Dang, I'm not the only one with this problem. Totally blows, eh? I've found that if I run the edge of a business card between the keys it clears the problem for a few days. That was on the suggestion of a SE rep at their support phone line.

Posted by: xtacy1869

Yeah i have tried everything but a new keypad, even took the keypad apart checked the soilder joints and did some ohmage testing, of course i dont have a schematic of the chip, but generally everything seems ok, but the keypad still doesnt work. I wish i knew someone local with the same phone so i could try there keypad. I just dont want to order a new keypad and it still not fix my issue.

Posted by: mathios

I had the same problem about 2 months ago I tried everything, updated firmware,cleaned the contacts, nothing worked until I got a new keypad. paid 60 euro for it as it was not covered by the warranty now it works ok.

Posted by: shockdaddyd

Call me old fashioned cheap but I have a problem with buying a new keypad for a phone that's five months old.

Posted by: mathios

Quote:

Originally Posted by shockdaddyd

Call me old fashioned cheap but I have a problem with buying a new keypad for a phone that's five months old.

you may be right my friend but after paying 500 euro for a phone i'm not going to stick to a keypad that costs 60 euro......

Posted by: shockdaddyd

Point taken. However, I'm not convinced replacing the keypad is the only fix. But then, I don't know what else to try...

Posted by: mathios

Quote:

Originally Posted by shockdaddyd

Point taken. However, I'm not convinced replacing the keypad is the only fix. But then, I don't know what else to try...

beleive me my friend I did everything,even formated the internal drive. and the mem stick . and installed everything from the beginning and the problem still insisted. and then I got the new keypad. first I tried using the phone without a keypad but I didn't like it as much.

Posted by: shockdaddyd

I certainly appreciate your inhuman effort but my phone and your phone the same are not.

Posted by: mathios

Quote:

Originally Posted by shockdaddyd

I certainly appreciate your inhuman effort but my phone and your phone the same are not.

do what you want but sooner or later you WILL change the keypad,because that is your only choice......

Posted by: shockdaddyd

Being that you don't know the exact problem with my phone it's interesting that you're certain about the fix, which might I add, does not account for the possibility of going flipless.

Posted by: mathios

Quote:

Originally Posted by shockdaddyd

Being that you don't know the exact problem with my phone it's interesting that you're certain about the fix, which might I add, does not account for the possibility of going flipless.

do what you want. it's obvious that you are sure about your problem. I SOLVED MINE.

Posted by: shockdaddyd

And today I solved mine. Turns out there was a piece of sand or something of similar size wedged between the 5 and 6 buttons. A simple wipe and a few squirts from a US$4.95 can of compressed air beats a new flip any day of the week.

To me problem solving is the fun part. I prefer that to buying my way out of problems. It's more gratifying.

Posted by: xtacy1869

heh i wish mine was that easy. My keypad doesnt even give me improper buttons anymore. I can press it all day long and i get absolutley nothing. Guess i need to buy a new keypad although i hate to and see it not work. Unless someone in the So Cal area has a P910 and would let me try there keypad to see if it fixes things.

Posted by: nikker

did anybody else have the same problem as me where when they keypad stopped working correctly the jog dial's select (when u push the jogdial inward >>) stop working too.

thats the only reason i didnt go flipless. becusae you need the jogdial to unlock the keylock on the virtual keypad.

Posted by: xtacy1869

My jogdial acts funny sometimes, but usually works. I think it just gets caught up in all my frantic clicking and tries to catch up on what ive done. Heres a question though. For anyone with the keypad not working, does the inside qwerty keyboard still work for you or did it go out as well? My keyboard still works when i open the flip, but the outside numerical keypads the only thing that has gone bad. Seems a little odd to me.

Posted by: nikker

theres no problems with my virtual keypad

Posted by: xtacy1869

Well i was asking about the actual qwerty (thumboard) on the back of the numerical. My thumb board still works perfect, well except for the occasional issue, but wanted to see if anyone elses went out. My Virtual keypad still works wonders, luckily.

Posted by: Dilandu

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikker

did anybody else have the same problem as me where when they keypad stopped working correctly the jog dial's select (when u push the jogdial inward >>) stop working too.

thats the only reason i didnt go flipless. becusae you need the jogdial to unlock the keylock on the virtual keypad.

I had that same problem with my p910 nikker, I was taking a **** checking email and all of a sudden the keypad wasnt working...so i rebooted and still to no effect...then i noticed the jog dial wasnt working. So as a last resort i master rested my phone... I had made a back up earlier that day...thank god... but still nothing... So i took off the keypad and the jog dial then seemed to work so i thought it might of been the keypad. I hit it a few times pressed all the buttons slamed it with compressed air...reattached and NOTHING!

so i just sat looking at it and kept turn it off and on then all of a sudden it worked...I think somethings wrong with my unit but hell if i know.

Posted by: nsx280ps

If anyone needs an extra keypad lemme know... I have an extra one brand new... check http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...did=712907..~~~

Posted by: xavier2k3

ive got the same problem on my p900 but i think it's because i got it wet one time and now one of the screws is missing which hold it down. all the keys work if i hold the keypad down except for the ok button which i have to hold down completely.

regards
--marty

Posted by: haywood

honestly, i believe the problem is a bug in the sfotware of the phone. whether it be an operating system bug or a firmware bug, it has to be one or the other.

this problem has only started and is occasional ever since the last time i used the SE update service. i have used the SE update service many times before, but its only these last few firmware updates that have been sh*t. even now, the last time i used the service it gave me (organizer) firmware "R5B01" and the site now says the latest firmware is "R5A02" now go figure.

my qwerty keypad still functions perfectly and so does my jog dial. if it is a keypad problem it is is not from the connection contacts. both the exteral keys and the internal qwerty kb use the same contacts. tho it may be a circuit board issue (not really sure about that one).

they need to make available a way to revert the firmware to older version w/o sending it to SE. it would solve alot of problems with newer firmwares. just like in the computer industry, firmware updates will have bugs regardless ... SE just doesnt really mention them.

i will not fork out for a new keypad as ive already borrowed a friends p910a keypad for a few days and did not run into any of the problems. after giving his back and taking mine, it worked for almost a day before the problem came back (P.S. my keypad worked fine on his for the 2 days he had it but then again he doesnt use the update service).

so until they come out with a new firmware to address this bug, i guess some of us unlucky bastards we'll be S-O-L.

Posted by: xtacy1869

Yeah that was what i believed it to be as well, but i havent bought or borrowed a new testable keypad to define that issue. All i know is that when i got the newest firmare R5A02 or whatever it is, that is when my keypad started to have issues. Which really sucked at that time, becase the blackberry software stopped working then. Luckily there was a new release of that, just wish i could get the keypad to work now

Posted by: haywood

I have discovered a fix for the keypad problem. the last week my keypad problem has gotten to the point to where every keypress from the ok and back keys wher giving me 0's and 8's. i could not answer or end the call unless i used the jog dial.

i was in the process of removing the flip keypad (bcus i was tired of the problem) when i noticed that the screws came out very easily compared to the last time i tightened the screws. that made me think to hold the keypad on without the screws and test the keys again.

suprisingly, while pushing the keypad down in place.....if i pushed the keypad to the right, the keys would continue to improperly funtion. if i pushed the keypad to the left they would work normally. so i decided to tighten the screws as TIGHTLY as i could (bcus the last time i tried not to overtighten to avoid stripping) but while tightening i held the keypad rotated to my left as far as i can force it, while tightening as tightly as i possibly could.

this completely worked, as my keys instantly worked correctly and stayed working correctly over the last two days. i take it that once the screws get slightly loose, the contacts (not being perfect) have enough movement to shift left or right (depending on your phone) to make contact with the opposite neighboring contact (especially when pressing).

i assume (because of the noticeable ease of removing the screws) my keypad gets loose from the constant impact of flipping open and close. since this time i tightened the screws (holding my keypad in place while it was in good contact position) without care of stripping the threads, i have it super-tight and that's keeping only the intended contacts from touching.

if you remove your screws, you will notice some blue color on the tips of them. i can only guess that SE figured out that this keypad problem could be a problem, so they must have used some sort of Loctite to dip the screws in, to try keeping them snug.

unfortunately for alot of us, this did not work and you will have to occasionally tighten these screws to correct the improper function of these keys. do yourself a favor and tighten those screws like a m_tha-f_cka as to lengthen the amount of time before you will have to re-tighten them again.

P.S. although i am still having firmware issues like phone slowdowns, freezing, and the occasion blank white screen to where you have to remove teh battery to get the phone working...... i have concluded that the keypad problem is actually NOT firmware related (unless it happens again and i check the screws to still be tight). so i retract my previous post with my theory of a firmware-related-keypad issue.

sorry for any mis-information that may have arised and hopefully my latest observation helps some of you with the keypad impaired p910's.

Posted by: xtacy1869

Well i wish i could say the same, but my keypad has stopped working entireley on the numeric side. They Qwerty thumboard still works flawlessly. I tried to move the keypad and even tightened up the screws so tight i broke the head off one of them a few months back when i thought it could be the connection. Even with one screw broken my thumboard still works, and the numeric keypad lights up, it just doesn't respond to any keypresses, i dont even get the # for OK or 8 for 0 or any of that anymore. So im not so sure that its not a firmware issue just yet. Let us know how the keypad works in a week or two though.

I am however considering paying the nominal fee to Sony to have them go through the phone and repair any issues and make sure the phone is still in good condition.

Posted by: starkisttunalov

you can get them from globalmob also if your warranty is expired

Posted by: shockdaddyd

If the phone displays any damage the warranty will be void in the eyes of SE.

Does your flip have a crack at the top? Mine does just about the arrow key. I exploited the obnoxiously weak plastic there and separated the front of the keypad from the back. Once there was enough space I stuck the straw of a bottle of canned air in and blew the living daylights out of it. That fixed the flip for me.

Posted by: xtacy1869

Well i already spoke with Sony, they say for a flat fee, while not under warranty they will repair the phone. So keypad broken screen whatever. Since i busted one of the screws off that hold the flip to the facia, i figure they should be able to take care of all that, that may be cheaper then buying a new facia and keypad and what not. Of course i need to determine how much and wether its cheaper. But im going to call tommorrow with all phone details and see, so that maybe i can get the phone working properly and back to "new".

Posted by: shockdaddyd

When I called they said there would be a minimum fee of $250 to fix the issue. Given that a used keypad can be had on eBay for $60 that seemed a little steep.

Posted by: xtacy1869

Well if they tell me 250, then i will be looking elsewere, but i have to wait and see, becuase i need more then just a keypad for my phone, but definatley not 250 dollars worth of parts. And for 250 im half way to buying a brand new phone, so yeah that is a little steep.

Posted by: dotokpa

Well just tried tightening my screws as tight as possible but still not working.

My phone's off to SE when I can do without it which will probably be tomorrow since my new toy will be here then. I'm kinda tired of SE and this phone anyway. The next one better have something good or I'm off to another phone... There's no loyalty in me. I stay in the best camp.

Posted by: shockdaddyd

Have you tried resetting the phone? That may help.

Posted by: haywood

well i didint just tighten the screws...... i had to move around the flip positioning until i got the phone to stop the incorrect keypresses.

once the keys would function correctly, i held the flip in THAT position then tightly screwed in the flip as to keep it from loosening and cause the connectors to shift around enough to touch the wrong connections and cause my keypad to go haywire.

if you look at the connectors between the phone and keypad, you will notice the phone has these "prongs" that stick up and press up against the metal contacts on the flip.

the prongs on my phone werent exactly aligned perfectly, hence i had to position my keypad to get all the prongs to be as aligned as possible so they do not make any contact with the wrong contacts on the flip.

thennnnnnn, i tightened the screws like hell so that it will not move out of position. so if my keypad starts trippin again i will just have to reposition the keypad again then tighten it like hell.