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General discussion

woh!

Aug 18, 2007 10:28PM PDT

Friday, I opened the lid to iBook after coming home from work and discovered the plastic pads on top of the microswitches over the combo drive all warped and unable to stay in place. The switches still work though. What the heck happened? The combo drive still works.

Discussion is locked

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Microswitches?
Aug 18, 2007 10:46PM PDT

over the combo drive?

I don't recall there being any switches on the keyboard surface of the iBook, with the exception of the Power Button.
There are no microswitches on the screen surround either.

What do these switches do?

This has got to be worth a picture. Can you post one to somewhere like Flickr and send us the link?


P

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Is this the little tabs that hold the keyboard down?
Aug 18, 2007 11:28PM PDT

are you talking about the little tabs between the esc and F1 keys and the F11 and the F12 keys?

Are they engaged but the keyboard appears to be warped in the middle at the top?

If this is the case, then I would speculate that you (or someone) has flipped up the keyboard and when it was put back in place... the locking tab in the middle/top was turned, such that it's locking mechanism was partially closed, preventing the keyboard from laying flat. I personally had this happen the first time I lifted the keyboard on my iBook.

There is a square block with a round socket and a plastic straight slotted screw head between the F5 and the F6 num lock key pads. If you are looking at it right now... the straight slot should be oriented horizontally like this (- ) when in the open position, and vertically like this (l ) when in the locked position. If the locking mechanism is obstructing the key board from laying flat then taking a 2.mm straight blade screw driver and turning this to the full open position should allow the keyboard to lay flat, once again. You may have to pull back the keyboard closing tabs in order to relieve the pressure off the board before turning the locking mechanism.

If this isn't the problem, then you will need to be more specific in describing your problem.

Ciao

grim

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My original thought but
Aug 19, 2007 6:09AM PDT

surely anyone would describe that as the Keyboard and not microswitches.

The poster was careful to point out that these switches were above the optical drive and that the optical drive still worked.

Curious.

P

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(NT) It was a shot in the dark. ;-)
Aug 19, 2007 6:13AM PDT
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Actually, it is the keyboard
Aug 19, 2007 8:05AM PDT

with the pads to F10 & 11, -,_,=,+,[,{,],}, and the delete pad affected. They all warped, and with the exception of the delete pad, have become displaced. Don't they activate microswitches underneath? Would the laser light of the combo drive cause this somehow?

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Laser light
Aug 19, 2007 8:39AM PDT

Maybe a Bond film too many here.
The laser on a combo drive does not produce, relatively speaking, any heat at all. What heat is produced is only produced when you are actually burning a CD.
Something else is going on here that has caused this effect.

Any pictures?

P

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The only camera
Aug 20, 2007 12:18PM PDT

I have is my cell phone and you know how god of a pix it takes. The pix would only show the missing 6 pads which were warped just enugh t detach from the whatchmacallits underneath. This happened while my computer was in a computer bag for a 10 minute ride home out of direct sunlight and heat. The delete, F9,0 keys were also affected but remained attached. The computer is working normally, otherwise.

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Ok
Aug 20, 2007 9:53PM PDT

The actual key pads are the warped things here?

Are they actually warped or are they just attached by one edge?

If the answer is warped, take the whole thing along to an Apple Store, if there is one available, and show them the computer.
Failing that, visit the nearest Apple Authorised Service Provider with the machine.

The keyboard on that machine has a metal backing on it, so I'm guessing that the amount of heat necessary to warp the keys would be significant.

P