Fixed my "double type" keyboard!
 

After months of screwing around with my 9780 and this stupid issue where pressing a key gives you 2 or more characters instead of just 1, I finally ordered a new keyboard ribbon and installed it today. Problem finally solved. Ribbon was under $4.00. 15 minutes to fix it.

Re: Fixed my "double type" keyboard!
 

Any clues while you were looking at the innards why it was the ribbon and not the keypad or the board?

Re: Fixed my "double type" keyboard!
 

Ira - I had changed the keyboard some months ago, with no apparent success. At the time, looking at the ribbon, I then clearly understood why the issue seemed like it had manifested itself there. Each button on the keyboard presses down on a corresponding metallic (bubble style) button on the ribbon, which in turn, shorts out the corresponding pad on the PCB. The bubble style metallic buttons on the ribbon have a specific spec they are built to, in order to maintain the tactile feel on the keyboard and produce the desired result when keys are pressed. If the spec isn't within proper tolerances, the failure would result in either too much or too little contact on the PCB. Kind of like a debounce buffer in a touchscreen keyboard, but mechanical. If you examine the ribbon, you'll understand exactly why the failure results in that stupid double type issue. Now 2-3 days and working flawlessly, so it really was the ribbon - and only that. Those who say it's software related haven't a clue of what they're talking about.

It could never be a keyboard issue and as far as the PCB, it's simply a flat board with brass pads and it would be impossible to reproduce that result -- the whole feel of the keyboard is generated by the ribbon.

It's also noteworthy that the ribbon is the weak link in the chain and would be prone to failure at some point in the device's life.

Re: Fixed my "double type" keyboard!
 

Ribbon cables are known to fail. Happens unfortunately
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Re: Fixed my "double type" keyboard!
 

Looking at the video at ‪BlackBerry Bold 9700 disassembly tutorial‬‏ - YouTube I think I see what you are talking about. The word ribbon throws me, but I see the bubble buttons.

Re: Fixed my "double type" keyboard!
 

I guess it would correctly be referred to as "membrane". My bad. In any case, 1 week now and it's perfect! Got it fixed just on time before the 9900's hit...LOL. Well, now at least I'll have a backup if the 9900 fails or goes wonky on me.

Re: Fixed my "double type" keyboard!
 

How do I order the part to fix this myself, like you have done?

Re: Fixed my "double type" keyboard!
 

You can try here.

They have replacement OEM membranes and keyboards for sale.

Blackberry Keypad for Blackberry Storm, Bold, Curve, 8900 and Pearl

I had to the do the same with my 9780. Tons of posts and videos out there on the how tos and whys...

Re: Fixed my "double type" keyboard!
 

I assume you mean membrane, not ribbon. I originally thought it was a software problem, but recently I decided that because it often feels different when you get a double click that it must be mechanical. I still think though that they could fix the problem with software, by increasing the key bounce delay that all keyboard drivers have. That would be at the expense of being able to deliberately double click quickly though.
We've had lots of Blackberries here for years now, and people often complain about double clicking keys as the phones get older. But it's always limited to one or two keys that are used a lot, especially the trackball/pad key. I think that one's harder to fix, so I try to use the Enter key instead, where possible.

Is the replacement you did possible without voiding warranty? I'd happily pay $14 to get mine fixed quickly, rather than send it away for a few weeks and either have it come back with "no fault detected" or a refurbished replacement phone.

Re: Fixed my "double type" keyboard!
 

I upgraded from OS6.0.0.448 to 6.0.0.668 10 days ago, and have gone from many double clicks a day to near zero (see http://www.blackberryforums.com.au/f...html#post60639). I'd definitely try upgrading the OS before bothering with a hardware solution, even though it's probably caused by hardware.

Re: Fixed my "double type" keyboard!
 

2 months later and it's still mostly ok, but I've started to notice that my Back button is occasionally double clicking again.