How to disassemble laptop keyboard

How to disassemble a laptop keyboard? Can I take it apart and clean liquid spill? Is it easy to repair a damaged keyboard?

I’ve been getting these questions many times and today I show how to disassemble a laptop keyboard. You decide if it’s possible and easy or not.

By the way, in one of the previous posts I explain how to fix individual keys on a laptop keyboard.

I’m doing it for fun. I’m working on a damaged keyboard and have no intention to use it in the future.

First of all, you’ll have to remove the laptop keyboard.

For the keyboard disassembly I’ll be using one of my tools shown on the following picture.

STEP 1.

Remove sticky tape securing the keyboard cable to back of the keyboard.

STEP 2.

Part of the keyboard cable is glued to the keyboard. Carefully separate the cable from the keyboard.

STEP 3.

Start peeling off the aluminum protective film

STEP 4.

Remove the protective film.

After the protective film is removed it’s really hard to attach it back to the keyboard because it’s deformed.

STEP 5.

Most laptop keyboards have some kind of plastic separators.

These separators secured on the back of the keyboard.

Plastic pins are melted on the back of the keyboard and retain separators in place.

Push all plastic pins though wholes on the keyboard.

Start removing the separator.

The plastic separator has been removed.

STEP 6.

Now you’ll have to remove all key caps.

Before you start removing key caps, make a picture or xerocopy of the keyboard so you know the order in which keys are attached to the keyboard.

In order to remove the key cap carefully lift it up with your fingers.

Remove the key cap so the hinge underneath stays connected to the keyboard.

Some big keys have a different design.

In addition to the hinge, some big keys (Back space or Space bar for example) might have an additional support bracket.

Remove the key cap with the support bracket. As you see, the key hinge stays connected to the keyboard.

STEP 7.

Some laptop keyboards might have blank covers on the left and right sides from the up arrow key.

Lift up and remove the blank cover.

All keyboard key caps and plastic separators have been removed.

STEP 8.

Now you can start removing key hinges – key lifting mechanisms.

Carefully separate the key hinge from the keyboard.

Each key hinge has two parts – external and internal pieces.

When you remove the hinge, try to keep these parts connected to each other the same way they are connected on the keyboard.

If the external and internal pieces got separated, you can assemble them together.

On the following picture you see the lifting mechanism (hinge) assembled.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I’m taking this keyboard apart just for fun. That’s why I don’t care about removed parts.

If you following this guide to repair the keyboard, I would recommend to keep all hinges in the right order.

STEP 9.

The keyboard has two sheets laying one on the top of another.

Remove the sheet with silicone (or rubber) nipples.

STEP 10.

Remove the second sheet with traces.

Both sheets have been separated from the keyboard base.

STEP 11.

The sheet with traces has two layers and all traces are running between these layers.

STEP 12.

In order to access and repair traces you’ll have to separate to layers from each other.

The keyboard has been disassemble.

As you see it’s not easy to disassemble a laptop keyboard and even harder to put it back together.

Is it worth repairing? Probably not. These days you can find a brand new laptop keyboard very cheap.

If you successefuly fixed your keyboard, please share your experience! Let us know what was wrong and how you repaired the problem.