Alpha 12 Keyboard Disconnecting Issues

eGuru

The intermittent keyboard disconnect issue is due to a design flaw at the keyboard to screen connection. If you measure the depth of the recess in the screen and then compare that to the height of the mating keyboard insert, you will see that the keyboard plastic doesn't insert far enough into the screen. The result is insufficient compression of the pogo contacts on the keyboard.

My fix was to scrape the keyboard plastic so that there was more inserted depth. You only need to remove about 0.2mm to make a dramatic difference.
Scrape the entire periphery that surrounds the island of plastic that contains the pogo pins.

Shruthi

I am having this problem for over a year now and nothing I do has solved this problem.  And today has been the worst in the sense that my keyboard does not connect no matter what I do.  I have rebooted my computer several times and it looks like the keyboard is not even recognized. Please somebody help me with this. Acer has been no help and I don't know how many people are having this issue but in my mind this is a very big problem that virtually turns this laptop into a tablet. 

This is what I have done

1. Uninstalled the HID compliant keyboard under device manager 
2. Reboot the computer

I fully expected the keyboard to be recognized by the computer and reinstalled but it has not
I am working with the touchscreen keyboard but even after multiple reboot the HiD keyboard is not getting re-installed 

Please help

Regards 

Shruthi

jesta192

Shruthi said:

I am having this problem for over a year now and nothing I do has solved this problem.  And today has been the worst in the sense that my keyboard does not connect no matter what I do.  I have rebooted my computer several times and it looks like the keyboard is not even recognized. Please somebody help me with this. Acer has been no help and I don't know how many people are having this issue but in my mind this is a very big problem that virtually turns this laptop into a tablet. 

This is what I have done

1. Uninstalled the HID compliant keyboard under device manager 
2. Reboot the computer

I fully expected the keyboard to be recognized by the computer and reinstalled but it has not
I am working with the touchscreen keyboard but even after multiple reboot the HiD keyboard is not getting re-installed 

Please help

Regards 

Shruthi

The driver problem is usually transient; it works for a while, then hiccups (from what I've experienced and what I've read). A couple other things it could be:

• Poor connection at keyboard to tablet (due to dirty contacts or debris blocking the groove, or due to the depth problem in the post before yours). Remember there are strong magnets in the groove, so anything magnetic could adhere in the groove and block the keyboard from connecting.
• Broken ribbon cable in keyboard. No fix that I know of besides buying a replacement
• Operating System is "borked". You could try resetting Windows as a last resort. No guarantees though

Frank_A

eGuru said:

The intermittent keyboard disconnect issue is due to a design flaw at the keyboard to screen connection. If you measure the depth of the recess in the screen and then compare that to the height of the mating keyboard insert, you will see that the keyboard plastic doesn't insert far enough into the screen. The result is insufficient compression of the pogo contacts on the keyboard.

My fix was to scrape the keyboard plastic so that there was more inserted depth. You only need to remove about 0.2mm to make a dramatic difference.
Scrape the entire periphery that surrounds the island of plastic that contains the pogo pins.

Thank you eGuru! I have been having the disconnect problem since I got my Acer Switch about 2 years ago. I did the firmware update and tried all of the software fixes I could find. Nothing worked until I found your post. I used a coarse file on mine. All the way around the island, just like you said. It lets the island insert further and the pogo pins make better contact. I can hold the Acer Switch in the air, let the keyboard dangle, swing it back and forth and it does not disconnect! It functions just like it should. Thanks again!

AlbertaRose20

TOUCHPAD not working. I just bought a ACER SWITCH 3 sw312-31-p167. When I go looking for drivers I see one for the touchpad.

When I go to the Switch Alpha 12 sa5-271-56fd the only message on drivers is to "Before installing the Touchpad driver, please install the Serial I/O driver first" , however there is no label that indicates what is the Touchpad driver. Does anybody know which driver is for the touch pad. Thanks

billsey

@AlbertaRose20 which drivers do you need? For the SW312-31 or the SA5-271? The Switch Alpha 12 uses the standard Windows drivers for the touchscreen, but for that to work you have to have the Serial I/O and chipset drivers installed.

PlutoChan

Hi. I got a Acer Switch Alpha 12 and both touch screen and keyboard not working. 

When I troubleshooting, it said (text services framework not working.....

How to identify whether is it keyboard issue or software problem? 

billsey

If both keyboard and touchscreen are affected it's pretty much got to be software, the hardware is very different.