Keyboards

So, I am at my local Best Buy this past weekend with a friend who was looking for a new computer and I ran across a 15.4" T60p. While looking at it and doing a little bit a typing I noticed that the keyboard on this machine was vastly superior to my T60 keyboard. Now I know there are three differnt keyboard manufctures, and not that my keyboard is bad, but wow, the differnece was crazy!

I have tried to look up which keyboard I have but it has a new FRU which is not listed in the FAQ in this forum. Just thought I would share my experience.

 

Keep us posted on which keyboard manufacturer is the best!

 

You looked up the FRU in the email that was sent to you when your T60 was shipped? (It would have your serial # also in the email)

I have a NMB Keyboard, and that is probably what you saw on the T60p. They are supposedly the best, followed by ALPS, then Chicony, although I just read on another thread that Lenovo might be slapping NMB stickers on Chiconys... @.@...

 

My T60p came with an NMB keyboard according to the FRU number.

The only way you can be sure of what kind of keyboard you are really getting is to lift up one key, underneath, if the key is resting on a round blueish semitransparent plastic base, then it's an NMB keyboard. If you see white colored diagonal plastic struts, then it's either an ALPS or a Chicony. I seem to remember if the strut is going one way, it's an ALPS, if it's going the other way it's a Chicony, but I don't remember which one is which.

And be careful about peeking under the keys, you can pop them off. Then it's off to the repair depot, because it's really hard to pop them back in again.

 

Did a little research (google search) and it turns out my FRU 42T3209 is the ALPS keyboard.....I must say that I am still surprised by the difference!

 

suprised good or suprised bad ?




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I'm noticing less consistency even among examples of the same keyboard.

I liked my old chicony better than the nmb on the t 61 I returned- and I liked both of them better than this new chicony. It's softer, with less feedback like the alps I've tried. Hopefully it's not too much of a chore to swap out with my z.

 

Just to clarify the "semi-transparent" blue housing that signifies the NMB keyboard... I took a quick pic of mine

 

mine looks just like that, thanks for the visual aid.

 

Take a look at this forum and it has pictures of all 3 of the keyboards:

Here.