Solved! Sony Vaio TZ 4 keys not working

[Grdaddy]

I replaced the hard drive for an SSD today and everything went great, or so I thought. After boot up, there are just 4 keys on the far top right of the keyboard that no longer work. The Delete, Backspace, \, and Enter Keys have no response. Since they are so isolated, I'm trying to figure out what could have caused it.

I'm not sure if by lifting the keyboard from that end during disassembly would have done it, or if it's something to do with the ribbons.

The part for this computer are not cheap, so I'd like to exhaust the possibilities before I need to spend way too much for a new keyboard.

Any ideas?

I'm about the clean and reseat the ribbon, once again. Hope all goes well.

 

[buwish]

Exactly- try cleaning off and reseating the ribbon to ensure that it's in the way it should be. If not, report back to us and we'll see what we can come up with.

 

[Grdaddy]

Thanks for the hospitality. After racking my brain for a bit, I decided to have a look around. I didn't notice this after cleaning it. It was my last dissassembly until breaking down and just buying a whole new trackpad / keyboard combo piece which looks like it ranges from $150-250 or a keyboard alone that ranges $120+.

Low and behold, I found 3 damaged pins on the ribbon that connects to the motherboard. Which is way beyond anything that I would know how to repair. I've readjusted processor pins in the past, but this looks like there is some damage to it.

Now, before I get ahead of myself. Would that likely be the culprit? It seems obvious to me, and without a doubt, worth repairing either way, but does that look like something that would end the woes to my troubles?

Distorted iPhone picture, but I think it'll do. I'm just not completely 100% that's how the ribbon works. 3 pins = 3-4 keys? Hopefully someone can shed some light.

Thanks again!!!! The friendly support makes this community great.

 

[buwish]

Yep, it would appear is if there are 3 damaged pins. From what I know, it can differ from manufacturer to manufacturer in regard to what keys go out with a damaged ribbon-connector. Ordering a new set up should correct the issue, just take your time when installing it.

 

[Grdaddy]

Thanks Kevin. Gosh, it's been 5 hours now since the problem arose. This is actually one of the faster troubleshooting turnarounds. It really helps having someone back up ideas though.

I'm finding the ribbon for ~$20USD. I'll look for a lower price, but I think that solves it.

 

[rx93nug]

While you were trying to repair, did you ever get the ribbon and did that solve it? Also I'm interested to know, if I wanted to replace a few keys on my tz, would I have to buy a whole new keyboard or is there a way to remove each and every 'chicklet' on the keyboard?