ThinkPad USB Keyboard sticky keys bug

[ErikOlofsson]

There seems to be a hardware/firmware problem with the ThinkPad USB Keyboard w/ Trackpoint.

If you press keys too quickly, even though you have released a key before pressing another key, the USB update sent includes the previously depressed key, resulting in the operating system seeing that key as depressed when a new key is pressed. This is both with drivers installed and without drivers installed, so software doesn't seem to be the problem.

This is most noticeable when capitalizing a letter and quickly releasing shift and typing the next letter in the word. In this case the second letter is capitalized as well as the first letter. REsulting in text such as this.

There are some comments about the issue in this review and the following comments:

http://www.thinkpads.com/2009/10/29/review-lenovo-thinkpad-usb-keyboard/

It's too bad, because this keyboard is almost perfect in every other aspect. Right now though the keyboard is unusable for me.

Could the keyboard firmware be updated to solve this problem?

[terminus]

I also have the same problem. There's a thread on this page. It works in Linux fine, though. In Windows, I couldn't make it work.

[ErikOlofsson]

As far as I can tell Linux is not ok. I have tried Gentoo with 2.6.23 kernel, and it exhibits exactly the same behavior as Windows with or without drivers.

The same thing is true for OSX.

Are you sure that the keyboard is working as expected in Linux for you? It should be fairly easy to spot. Just quickly press shift and a letter alternately. ThinkPad USB will generate upper case letters, while if you compare with another keyboard it will generate lower case letters.

[jeskeca]

It seems to be more of a hardware or firmware problem. When was the last time you needed a specialized driver for a keyboard to work properly? 

Does this keyboard have updatable firmware? Is there any word about whether this is known to be a hardware defect or a firmware defect? Is there an upcoming rev of the keyboard that will fix this?  Most importantly, is this being fixed for the future when (I assume) this keyboard will be used in more thinkpads? 

[terminus]

Yes, it works in Linux for me. As far as I can guess, this is a hardware "feature" that can be configured in software. Unfortunately, in the windows drivers, it's already at the fastest setting.

I imagine in Linux, the same behavior applies, but the default is a faster value than Windows' drivers fastest setting, so probably you can type faster then me, and can spot this behavior both in Windows and Linux, while I can spot it only in Windows.

Maybe the distro/kernel version is of importance. I tried Fedora 12. I also tried OpenSolaris and seems to work there fine for me.

[personalgeeks]

the keyboard lagged for me when I first installed it on my mini dock with T400s.  I got nervous about it, so I installed the drivers which were supplied with the CD that shipped.  I have not noticed any issues since then.  Although when I did that I lost on the hotkey functions.  After some digging around I was able to get them working again, and the keyboard was still functional.  Being that I only use laptops, have never owned a desktop, this keyboard is awesome, I love it.

hope everyone else gets this thing working, you will love it.  You get over the flimsy feel of it after you have it for a day or so and get used to the speed of typing and using the trackpoint.  My wireless mouse is sitting idle, havent had a need for it yet.

[ErikOlofsson]

I have tried the 1.0 drivers that were included on the CD that came with the keyboard, and no it's not working correctly with these drivers either.

The "lag" is very subtle. You have to type really fast for it to be an issue, so maybe your issue with lag is entirely of a different nature.

How to get this issue elevated to the correct instance within Lenovo?

[jeskeca]

I'm considering sending mine back in for 'repair'. Of course it's not a manufacturing defect, but a design defect, but at least if repair starts getting them they might realize there is a problem. 

[mla1]

What model base unit are you using as I am seeing the same thing with any usb keyboard plugged into my docking station on a thinkpad X61s laptop.   I have turned sticky keys off. I have also performed a procmon capture on sethc.exe to see if sticky key is being triggered  when the symptoms happen and it is not. 

The symptoms are that the letters are in are typing in caps when the caps lock light is off.  I can catagorically say that  it is not sticky keys.  I have swapped out the laptop for a same model using a scripted build and the error still remains,   So it looks like a bug with all X61s laptops.  I am using the latest BIOS/Embedded contoller. 

  I cannot try using a PS/2 keyboard as the docking station has no PS/2 keyboard slot.  I have swapped out keyboards, docking stations and laptops and it always happens to the same users (who are quick typers). 

Operating System windows XP SP3...    I am at my wits end does lenovo not realise they have an issue.

[johnbenclark]

It definitely happens in Linux all the time; pty or X.

Has anyone found a work-around or are we stuck waiting for a response from Lenovo?