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+--- Thread: How easy is it to add donor keyboard and trackpad? (/showthread.php?tid=12015)
How easy is it to add donor keyboard and trackpad? - ENV - 11-02-2020
Currently the only option for the keyboards is ISO and ANSI, but I'd prefer not to have so many vital keys under the fn key and larger arrow keys. Something like the Elitebook 840 would be ideal
![[Image: 61uZYGFg7YL._AC_SL1300_.jpg]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61uZYGFg7YL._AC_SL1300_.jpg)
If I can find a keyboard that fits in the size, how much work would it be to make it work? Is it as simple as adding drivers/remapping all the keys? Or do different laptops use different connectors? I know the touch point is a separate connector but I'm fine if it doesn't work.
The same applies for the touchpad, can that also be swapped out for a donor? I don't like the crappy flat touchpads and clickpads in most chromebooks, windows laptops and macbooks. I prefer the better touchpads most laptops had before and most top end business laptops now only seem to have like this:
![[Image: Uq87B.jpg]](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uq87B.jpg)
How difficult would be to donor one from a different laptop? I don't need gestures (though side scroll would be nice but not mandatory)
RE: How easy is it to add donor keyboard and trackpad? - tllim - 11-07-2020
(11-02-2020, 03:43 PM)ENV Wrote: Currently the only option for the keyboards is ISO and ANSI, but I'd prefer not to have so many vital keys under the fn key and larger arrow keys. Something like the Elitebook 840 would be ideal
If I can find a keyboard that fits in the size, how much work would it be to make it work? Is it as simple as adding drivers/remapping all the keys? Or do different laptops use different connectors? I know the touch point is a separate connector but I'm fine if it doesn't work.
The same applies for the touchpad, can that also be swapped out for a donor? I don't like the crappy flat touchpads and clickpads in most chromebooks, windows laptops and macbooks. I prefer the better touchpads most laptops had before and most top end business laptops now only seem to have like this:
How difficult would be to donor one from a different laptop? I don't need gestures (though side scroll would be nice but not mandatory)
Totally case redesign, consider very difficult.
RE: How easy is it to add donor keyboard and trackpad? - ENV - 11-11-2020
I mean if I happen to find ones that fit size-wise? Do they use standard connectors? Will it work plug and play or some basic mapping? Or will it require making difficult changes to more low level stuff like the bios?
RE: How easy is it to add donor keyboard and trackpad? - Kaythe - 11-12-2020
(11-11-2020, 10:23 AM)ENV Wrote: I mean if I happen to find ones that fit size-wise? Do they use standard connectors? Will it work plug and play or some basic mapping? Or will it require making difficult changes to more low level stuff like the bios?
It will almost certainly require a lot of modifications to work: First of all, if you find one that happens to be the correct size and has mounting holes of the correct size and position, the connector will most likely be different. There are not really any standards for internal keyboard connectors (afaik) so manufacturers usually just make one up. Then the keyboard controller in the PBP talks to the keyboard via I2C and it's unlikely any keyboard you find uses the same protocol (though I guess it'd technically be possible to write an entire new firmware for that controller to work with a different keyboard).
That's just what I could come up in my head right now but it basically boils down to: It's technically possible to use a different keyboard but it'd require a huge amount of work to make it functional.