How to Replace a Broken Cell Phone Keypad
Cell phones can produce a variety of problems over time, including problems with the keypad. One of the more common problems is the keypad breaking one way or another, whether it is because a button has been pressed too often, because a nail punctured through the button or for whatever other reason. In these instances, the cell phone keypad may be replaced. This may be done manually, assuming the phone is either no longer under warranty or in any position to be fixed by someone else.
Luckily, modern cell phone manufacturers have designed their phones knowing how abusive their owners may turn out to be and this convenience extends to the keypad as well. Phones with QWERTY boards are more often subject to button failure since its full set of keys is designed for excessive usage. Present on phones such as the iPhone or the BlackBerry, these phones are subject to far more abuse than others.
Faulty Bubble Board
Most
phones implement a tactile surface that everyone is accustomed to touching.
Underneath the surface is a black peg that extends to the actual underlying
keypad, or the bubble board. The bubble board is an aluminum semi-circle dome
shaped key that provides the familiar springing effect when pressing a key. This
is where most keypad problems occur.
When the bubble board is damaged, the key will likely malfunction when pressed. This usually leads to the owner angrily pressing harder on the key, causing multiple imprints and further damage. Assuming it would cost less to replace the board rather than the phone, or if there is strong sentimental value to the phone, a replacement board may be purchased.
It is also possible the manufactured bubble board was defective to begin with, but only slightly such that it still passed inspection.
Manually replacing a faulty dome button is not advised, as it tends to become more trouble than it is worth. The procedure for replacing a faulty bubble board would be as follows
- Stripping the protective laminate and any present lacquer
- Removing the metal element that provides the tactile pushing effect
- Re-laminating the entire board
The board contains circuitry, which would require soldering to reattach a dome button, often usually just resulting in breaking the phone rather than repairing it.
Eraser Shim Method
This is a temporary but effective fix for many phone repairs.
- Take an old fashioned pencil and hold it on its side, on a flat, stable surface.
- Take a sharp razor blade and slice a thin, round portion of the eraser. It should resemble a pre-cooked biscuit.
- This will be the shim used in place when the event calls for it. It will be placed between the rubber portion of the keyboard and the metal dome.
- After placing it, test it.
- Shave down the eraser tip.
- Use a very small amount of nontoxic craft glue and glue it to the key in question
- Dry.
- Reassemble.
It will provide temporary relief for the deteriorating key, but be warned that is will cause the key faster because this increases pressure on it. This method should only be implemented when planning to replace the entire keyboard or phone itself. Ensure no glue drops to the mainboard or metal domes. Do not use Krazy-Glu or anything with similar noxious epoxies.
Other Keypad Repairs
Sometimes the peg can become either worn or torn. Take apart the phone and inspect the back of the defective key, looking for tears or if the black cylindrical nub happens to be split. If neither seems to be the case, test the metal dome of the key and compare to the others.
If it does not feel any different, the culprit is probably the rubber portion, which can be fixed using the eraser shim method. Replace shortly thereafter; luckily this type of repair is the most inexpensive, as it does not generally contain electronics to replace.
Lastly, the rubber skin or the membrane which connects each key to one another might tear. This is also usually due to defective merchandise. A symptom of this issue is a key wiggling all around when it is depressed. Again, the eraser shim method may be implemented as a temporary fix before eventually replacing the whole rubbery part. This too should be an inexpensive repair compared to the others.
If a problem exists outside of the above mentioned, consider getting a new phone altogether. This could be the result of a faulty mainboard altogether. At this point, fixes using a soldering iron may be possible since there is nothing left to lose, but it is recommended to either have replacement parts or a replacement phone on its way when conducting that level or repair.
To conclude, there are many simple fixes for malfunctioning keypads. The eraser shim method will often provide temporary relief to a variety of problems a phone may suffer, but it is generally recommended to replace the parts as soon as possible to prevent further damage. Temporary fixes are temporary for a reason.