Aspire A515-54G keyboard backlight not working

I have a new Acer A515-54G-797L laptop. I watched the video posted by Acer on YouTube showing the procedure for adding a 2.5" drive. This involves removing the bottom cover, disconnecting the battery cable from the main board, removing the WLAN card, and disconnecting one end of the ribbon cable that runs across the drive bay. After installing a 2.5" SSD using the tray provided by Acer and connecting its cable, I reversed the steps to re-assemble the laptop. The new SSD works, and everything else works except the keyboard backlight. I tried pressing the F8 function key to toggle the keyboard backlight on/off, nothing happens. All of the other function keys do what they are supposed to do.

I took the bottom cover off again and checked all the cable connections - no luck. I performed the battery reset procedure using a paper clip in the little hole on the bottom of the laptop. Still no backlight. I even tried removing the new SSD - still no backlight.

Any ideas?

Accepted answers

andylb

Check this cable connector, unplug it and reseat it a couple of times

Please click YES if I have answered your question

All comments

Blues

@DonR67

Hi as per the device model it does not show that this device comes with keyboard backlight. But if you were using it before and stopped working after adding new SSD then try this. Press Fn + F8 or try Fn + F9

DonR67

Blues said:

@DonR67

Hi as per the device model it does not show that this device comes with keyboard backlight. But if you were using it before and stopped working after adding new SSD then try this. Press Fn + F8 or try Fn + F9

It definitely has a keyboard backlight. I have tried all of the function keys, with and without the Fn key modifier. The default BIOS setting with this Aspire 5 is for the function keys to perform their modified (Media) functions. Holding the Fn key switches them to their normal F1 - F12 actions. As I said, the function keys all do what they are supposed to do, except F8, which is supposed to toggle the keyboard backlight. Thanks for trying.

Blues

DonR67 said:

Blues said:

@DonR67

Hi as per the device model it does not show that this device comes with keyboard backlight. But if you were using it before and stopped working after adding new SSD then try this. Press Fn + F8 or try Fn + F9

It definitely has a keyboard backlight. I have tried all of the function keys, with and without the Fn key modifier. The default BIOS setting with this Aspire 5 is for the function keys to perform their modified (Media) functions. Holding the Fn key switches them to their normal F1 - F12 actions. As I said, the function keys all do what they are supposed to do, except F8, which is supposed to toggle the keyboard backlight. Thanks for trying.

Have you tried to re-connect the KB cable...

DonR67

Blues said:
Have you tried to re-connect the KB cable...

I have not. I did not disconnect it to install the SSD, but I suppose I can disconnect and reconnect it.

Do you know if there is a separate cable for the keyboard backlight?

andylb

Check this cable connector, unplug it and reseat it a couple of times

Please click YES if I have answered your question

Blues

DonR67 said:

Blues said:
Have you tried to re-connect the KB cable...

I have not. I did not disconnect it to install the SSD, but I suppose I can disconnect and reconnect it.

Do you know if there is a separate cable for the keyboard backlight?

Yes.. for this model looks like there is Keyboard backlight cable.. please check and make sure it is connected.

DonR67

andylb said:

Check this cable connector, unplug it and reseat it a couple of times

Please click YES if I have answered your question

YES! I had inadvertently flipped up the latch on this connector, I guess when I removed the WLAN card. It is fixed now.

THANKS!

andylb

Happy to help, anytime

rmiller1959

andylb said:

Check this cable connector, unplug it and reseat it a couple of times

Please click YES if I have answered your question

This solution worked for me as well! I sent my laptop off for repair and the backlit keyboard worked when I shipped it, but when it was returned, the backlit keyboard was not working and didn't respond to the F8 key. I used this diagram to locate the cable under the WLAN card and, as it turned out, the latch that held the backlit keyboard ribbon cable in place had been flipped up, perhaps during the repair, and that caused the cable to come loose. Once I figured that out, I carefully removed the WLAN card, secured the cable, and reinstalled the WLAN card. Everything is working as it should now. This was a much more preferable outcome to returning the laptop to the repair center and being without it for three weeks.

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