Connection click-on keyboard to SW312-31 3 is getting worse. when KB is moved tabletmodus pops up

robert_w3

I have a 5 years old Switch 3 (windows 10) tablet/small laptop with click-on keyboard. The connection is getting worse. When the keyboard is laying flat it still works, but when I move it up the pictogram for tabletmodus pops up. First it happened now and then, with a little wiggling it went again, but now not anymore. I thought it had to do with the magnets, but now conclude that it must be the "thing" that transports the signal. The wires or what it is. I'm afraid that soon I can't even use the keyboard any more laying flat.
I have the Idea I can't buy a new accesory keyboard anymore, checking the website. Is there a way to reset it, or repair it (in a computer-repairshop) or do I need to buy a new apparatus when I don't want to use this one in the tabletmodus only ?

[Edited the thread to add model name to the title]
[Edited the thread to add issue detail]

billsey

You could use up a USB port and use a wireless keyboard with a dongle, or leave the USB alone and go with a Bluetooth keyboard…

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/696488/connection-click-on-keyboard-to-switch-3-is-getting-worse

This may be the right time to buy a new tablet on a sale. Fixing your device will probably cost more than a new one.

billsey

The groove the keyboard clicks into tends to get gunky after time has passed. Try cleaning it with a soft rag and some isopropyl alcohol. I wouldn't expect the magnets themselves to lose power over time…

robert_w3

About the magnets: I mean not the magnets for clicking-on, but those with which you can lift the keyboard so that it clicks onto the lowest part of the tabletscreen standing askew. Hope this is understandable, I'm not English-speaking/Dutch. I first thought the tablet might be disturbed somehow by the magnetism, but when I now keep that part (bar) pushed down (by hand) and only lift the keypadpart up, slowly, after a few centimeters "it" also happens. It's also not the grease, I keep it clean regularly. That's why I think it has to do with the bending of the inner connecting…. wire? or whatever it is inside.

billsey

Which Switch 3 model is it? Your full model number is usually on the same sticker as your serial number, it should look something like SW3xx-xxx-xxxx. They had different connections designed for different years.

robert_w3

Hi

This is the model-info I found:

[Edited the post to hide sensitive data]

billsey

OK, I had a slightly earlier model of this and so am fairly familiar with how the keyboard attaches. The only thing I can think of is that with the keyboard in that position it's putting just enough side force on the pogo pins to cause them to lose contact slightly. Since the contacts on the keyboard are clean and I assume the pins themselves are clean then it might be the springs under the pins are getting weak. When you have it in failure mode, what happens if you provide upward pressure against the bottom of the tablet, to force the pins into better contact? The pogo pins at the bottom of the tablet portion are replaceable, but it requires taking it apart fairly extensively to get access to the ribbon cable that run between them and the motherboard. It is likely not cost effective to repair. Here's the info on that part:

I believe the magnets themselves are incorporated into the keyboard, so not replaceable.

robert_w3

Hi

a bit of wriggling, or pulling, or pushing used to work to get it into "keypad" mode again, later on I had to move it up very carefully to achieve that, but none of that does he trick anymore, I have to lay it out flat, that means I can use it "normally" but it's not comfortable. But because it gets worse over time I fear in a while I can expect even this will become impossible. Like I mentioned, when I keep the magnet-bar pushed down, so there is no change in pressure on the pins, and I lift the key-part very slowly towards the tablet, it also jumps very quickly into the failuremode. That's why I guessed there is something "loose" in what I think you mean with the "ribbon cable".

I'm afraid that this kind of keypad was especially made for the Acer Switch, meaning I can't buy something like a "general" kind of keypad that fits with different types/brands of tablets. That would be nice, of course.

billsey

You could use up a USB port and use a wireless keyboard with a dongle, or leave the USB alone and go with a Bluetooth keyboard…

robert_w3

Thanks

I wasn't aware of these possibilities (being not THAT computer-wise..) but I'll check them out !