trackpad stopped working after ram upgrade

[karondo]

hi guys i really need some advice! ive done the ram upgrade which has gone well and i'm currently typing on it now - however when i restarted it both the keyboard and mouse/trackpad werent working.

i took it all apart again and re-seated the cables for both and now the keyboard works but the trackpad still doesn't. i've taken it apart about 5 times to try and reseat the trackpad cable but with no sucess and it isn't showing in the device manager either. do you guys have any ideas??

thanks

 

[georgeB]

This sounds silly but have you tried <Fn>+F7 to turn-on the trackpad? gB

 

[karondo]

yep tried that haha still no game though

any other ideas?

cheers,
matt

 

[georgeB]

My last suggestion and I'll leave you alone. How about a (forgive me for this) system install?
Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance. gB

 

[jackluo923]

Did the ZIF cable connecting the trackpad and the PCB break? Check it with a multimeter.

 

[karondo]

yeah that looks like it may be the issue - do you know where i can get a new zif cable from to connect the two??

cheers,
matt

 

[karondo]

anyone have any ideas? as i'm currently trackpad less!! :cry:

 

[dlenmn]

I might be in the same boat as you. That type of cable is called a Flat Flex Cable. It looks to be about an inch long, have 12 contacts (although it's hard to count), and have a pitch of .5mm. You can order such a cable through Digi-Key -- if you want to buy 1000 of them. However, they appear to have a 2 inch version available that you can purchase one of. If that extra cable could be tucked away somewhere safely, then it might work. However, the necessary folding might kill the cable... Thoughts?

My RAM upgrade caused a number of problems... the keyboard has several buttons that don't want to work (probably caused by a cable problem) and the clips along the top no longer hold the keyboard in (but the ones on the sides are still good). It's a shame, because it was a nice machine before the upgrade... Well, at least by purchasing this thing, I was distracted from fooling with my main box and doing real damage there.

 

[goapy]

Regarding the top keyboard clips/tabs, these clips are sort-of 'spring' loaded (a plastic sort of spring). Sometimes after pushing back the clip, it may disappear into the hole. What has happened is the spring force of the clip is pushing the clip against the inside of the cover (but away from the hole). These 'lost' clips may be centered back into the hole from underneath the cover. It takes gentle care and patience, just as this whole upgrade operation requires.

Of course, if the clip and/or spring is not just 'lost' but also damaged - then that is probably the end of the story. The keyboard could probably be held down reasonably well with carefully placed, very thin, double sided tape.

 

[tattobilla]

i had the exact same problem and i almost bought a wireless mouse. What i did was i took off trackpad ribbon and put it back in. keep trying that until you get it to work.

you really have to be careful when you're doing this otherwise you will permanently damage the ribbon.