Difficulty

Easy

Steps

3

Time Required

                          10 minutes

Sections

1

  • Unresponsive keyboard fix
  • 3 steps

Flags

Member-Contributed Guide

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  • BackAsus Zenbook UX31A

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Introduction

This fix may not work in every scenario and is not guaranteed to work. This is a noninvasive fix you can try before sending the laptop out for repair or buying a new palmrest assembly.

What you need

Step 1

              Remove the bottom cover
  • Note: These 2 screws are longer then the others.
  • Unscrew the remaining 8 screws. These are all the same length.

Note: These 2 screws are longer then the others.

Unscrew the remaining 8 screws. These are all the same length.

1024

Step 2

              Remove the battery
  • Remove the back cover. There are no warranty stickers that need to be broken.
  • Locate the keyboard connector. It is covered with a piece of tape helping hold it in place. This tape often fails after a certain amount of time.
  • You may need to remove the battery to disconnect it. Unscrew the 3 screws holding the battery in the system.

Remove the back cover. There are no warranty stickers that need to be broken.

Locate the keyboard connector. It is covered with a piece of tape helping hold it in place. This tape often fails after a certain amount of time.

You may need to remove the battery to disconnect it. Unscrew the 3 screws holding the battery in the system.

Step 3

              Reconnect the keyboard
  • Remove the tape covering the connector. Note: New tape should be added once reseated.
  • Here on the picture you can see the connector in the unlocked position. These hold the connector in and should be completely pushed in.
  • Push the connector in. Do this until it is secure.
  • Lock the tabs that retain the keyboard connector in place.

Remove the tape covering the connector. Note: New tape should be added once reseated.

Here on the picture you can see the connector in the unlocked position. These hold the connector in and should be completely pushed in.

Push the connector in. Do this until it is secure.

Lock the tabs that retain the keyboard connector in place.

Screw everything back and if you’ve done it right, enjoy all your keyboard keys again.

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                                                                                      95 other people completed this guide.

Author

                                      with 3 other contributors 


                    Francis

Member since: 11/29/2012

1,777 Reputation

                                      1 Guide authored                  



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Jeff L - Dec 2, 2012

Reply

Awesome fix, thanks! This exact issue was plaguing the up and down keys on my UX31 (this is after having to RMA the thing for power issues). Be forewarned, if you are attempting this on a machine that is in sleep or hibernation mode, it has the potential to shut it off, with no visible LED lights to indicate. You can reset by holding down the power button for ~10 seconds and it should boot back up, if not, check connections again.

The LED light on the charging cable is a decent indication if something’s up or not.

spud - Jun 17, 2013

Yep, this worked on my zenbook UX31A. The two white push tabs have to be fully in for the wires in the ribbon cable to contact. When u push in one, the other one pops open, so push both together.

Also, MY zenbook needed a torx T4 to unscrew the screws.

Adolfo Brandes - Dec 6, 2012

Reply

Great fix! My shift keys were not registering, and upon removing the back I saw the keyboard connector was indeed loose. Securing it in place fixed the problem. Thanks a lot!

Jonathan - Dec 10, 2012

Reply

Thanks for this! I had random keys unresponsive at various times, my white connector was plugged in on one side but not the other. See-sawed it back and forth until they were both in.

I think the cause is the battery; it physically places the keyboard cable under stress. I replaced the tape with much stronger stuff but am not sure if it will be a permanent fix…

Saturnin Kepa - Jan 10, 2013

Reply

Thanks man, you are the best!! This is a great notebook, and this problem was starting to make me hate it. Easy as cake. Wish you good fortune and the best of luck.