[Seltox]

Hey,
I finally got sick of having to look at my dead skin and hairs (among other things) inside my keyboard, so I decided it was time to take it apart. I've got a Logitech G15 V2, so I googled it before I just took it apart, because I didn't know how the backlighting worked, or how the LCD display connected. I found a guide, and I followed along with it.

So I got it all apart fine, took some time cleaning it all out, and put it back together. It was great, the keys looked brand new, and and made almost the same 'clunk'ing sound as when it was brand now. I tested every single key and they all went down and came back up brilliantly - except the spacebar.

I've had some minor problems with the spacebar before, but nothing too major. Mostly it was when I was playing a game of tetris, hitting the spacebar on the very left side a lot, it would eventually -kind of- get stuck down, and i'd have to press it quickly and firmly like 20 times in the middle-right and it would be fine again. I even thought I fixed this when I popped the key off, gave it a quick clean, and popped it back on.

The problem I have now is a lot worse. To help explain it i'll set up a little scenario. Assume the keyboard is in it's two halves. There's the top half which houses all the keys & LCD display, and the bottom half which has the silicon (is it silicon) pad which the keys press onto. When I place the top (keys) half back onto the bottom (silicon) half, and snap it into place, the keys all sit in the right 'up' position - including the spacebar. But unlike the rest of the keys, if I push the space bar down, it stays down and won't come back up. Unless I pop it back up manually, and then it stays until I press it again.

Here's some more info I can give - Both the 'latches' (for lack of a better word) that hold the metal bar in place are still in tact and solid. All of the clips on the bottom are still fine and working. Nothing is noticably broken on it. From looking around online, i've only really found two 'possible' problems/solutions.

1. Apparently if something on the inside is even slightly out of place, you can get problems with your space bar. By looking down the hole that goes onto the silicon pad, it looks like the center of the pad may be SLIGHTLY out of place, but I don't even know if this is what the posting person was referring to.

2. The square bit on the bottom of the key that locks it in and presses on the silicon pad has cracked or warped slightly, so it sticks out more on one side and makes the key stick down.

So i'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do here, any help or advice would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Seltox

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I wasn't able to find the schematics online but a lot of space-bars are either spring loaded, probably just a rubber cup. Or they have a metal bar that keeps them aligned in their spot. Make sure that if you have a metal bar under your spacebar you get it back in the slot correctly. It may just click in it's spot by itself. I wish I had images of the assembly but I can't find them. I am considering the G15 as my next keyboard purchase.

[Placid Storm]

I wasn't able to find the schematics online but a lot of space-bars are either spring loaded, probably just a rubber cup. Or they have a metal bar that keeps them aligned in their spot. Make sure that if you have a metal bar under your spacebar you get it back in the slot correctly. It may just click in it's spot by itself. I wish I had images of the assembly but I can't find them. I am considering the G15 as my next keyboard purchase.

[Seltox]

It has a metal bar under the key, and it's in place properly. I'll see if I can take a few quick pictures to show what it's like. Gimme a bit. I've got to find my camera!

[Magnificent Exploding Head]

Hmmm...I've taken apart a few keyboards in my time. A good close-up photo of the underside of the key & the empty spot in the keyboard where it goes would be good.

Edited by Magnificent Exploding Head, 02 September 2010 - 02:24 PM.

[Seltox]

Alright, one of these is the underside of the key, and where it goes - sorry if it's not too clear. I can take another if necessary.

The second one shows something I forgot to mention in the first post. In the second photo, it's only the 'top half' of the kayboard, so the keys should just drop freely whichever way gravity takes them. If I manually push the spacebar up, it stays there (pictured) when all of the other keys just drop back down as they should. That could be useful info.

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[Magnificent Exploding Head]

If I manually push the spacebar up, it stays there (pictured) when all of the other keys just drop back down as they should. That could be useful info.

Yeah. I think that may be the problem. If the key is stiff enough to stay up, it's probably stiff enough to stay down, too.
It might just be getting stuck on something else. If you can figure out what it's getting stuck on & clear it out that might solve the problem.

If it there isn't anything else in the way, then the stiffness might be in the peg things on the bottom of the key.

Hmm... are you sure that you put the key back on "frontways". Some spacebars look symetrical on top, but the clips on the pegs may not be. If it's put on backwards the clips might stick inside the holes they go in, intead of moving freely..
Try turning it 180 ( if it will go in that way)and see if that frees the movement.

[Magnificent Exploding Head]

Also. Where do the bent ends of the metal bar go? Is there anything that holds them in place in the keyboard spot?

[Seltox]

In the picture with the bottom of the key, and the slot it goes in, at the very left and right of the slot is where the metal bar slides in. And i'm 97% sure it's in the correct way, beacuse the keys have a small grove on one side to show which way it's meant to go in, but i'll go see if it's possible to throw it in the other way just to be sure.

EDIT: It wouldn't even go in the other way, so i'm sure it was the right way around. I'm starting to suspect it's the square bit that goes in the hole and presses the pad. Maybe one of the clips on that has started sticking out a little, but I dunno how I could fix a problem like this.

Edited by Seltox, 02 September 2010 - 03:11 PM.

[Magnificent Exploding Head]

Well, if the metal bar is in it's proper place it should work.

I looked at the picture again & it looks like you could bend the clips inward.
You might try (carefully) trimming the clip with an exacto knife, but be careful not to trim off too much.
And, of course, be careful with the knife!

If that doesn't work I don't know what will. It just might not be fixable.

If you can't fix the clip, I suggest finding out if you can get a replacement key from Logitech.
Scrounging around garage sales & such for another keyboard with a compatible spacebar is a bit of a longshot, but you could try. Who knows? You might at least find a working keyboard on the cheap.

Sorry, I can't be of more help. That's just how life is sometimes though.
I spent most of my formative years taking things apart, & I know sometimes they just won't go back together right.
Good luck.

[Seltox]

I've contacted Logitech in regards to see if a replacement is possible - also included what my issue was to see if they had any ideas. We'll see how things go. Thanks for the advice you provided

[Seltox]

Alright, this is slightly embarassing, but I fixed the problem.

You know the metal bar on it? I was examining the spacebar and noticed that the two outer sides stuck out a bit further than they should - it was then that I noticed that what I thought were just guides for it to sit in were actually clips. So I pushed the bar back in and was greeted with that oh-so satisfying "click" sound. When I did it I was kind of like "...I can't see how that tiny amount if difference will change it that dramatically", but it did.

The key is working perfectly now, and my keyboard feels like it was only a month old!