Install Classic Keyboard on xx30 Series ThinkPads

You can have your cake, and eat it, too!

The Lenovo Thinkpad xx30 series (T430, X230, T530) was the first generation to use chiclet style keys. The keys generally feel the same in regards to actuation, but they use a new "chiclet" style shape, and the new 6-row layout is missing keys compared to the 7-row layout used on the T420. (Comparison: T430 | T420)

Many ThinkPad fans end up recommending the xx20 series (T420, X220, T520), because they were the last Thinkpads to feature the classic keyboard. However, the xx30 series uses Intel Ivy Bridge processors, with greater power savings and the vastly improved Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU.

Since the xx20 classic keyboards fit into the xx30 chassis, you can have your cake, and eat it, too!

This guide will explain exactly how to replace your xx30's keyboard with an xx20 Classic keyboard. (Personally, I used a T410/T410p keyboard, but the T420/X220 keyboards share the same FRU and are known to work as well.)

Please experiment, and if you get it working, feel free to email me.

Required Components

A compatible ThinkPad

The disassembly process below is designed for the T430. The rest of the xx30 series (X230, T530, W530, etc.) use the same T410/T420 keyboard, but the disassembly process will differ, so check the Lenovo Hardware Maintenence Manual for those.

I will only help you with issues if you're using a T430, because that's all I have experience with.

The T440 is not supported, since the chassis, palmrest, touchpad and Trackpoint keys were completely redesigned. Thus, there is no room for the lip on the bottom of the T410/T430 keyboard that houses the TrackPoint's clickers.

A compatible keyboard

ThinkPad T410/T420 Keyboard

FRU	45N2071
approx. cost	$45 + $4.99 shipping (Amazon)
suppliers	IBM/Laptop Parts Plus (USA)

I used the T410/T420 U.S. English keyboard, model number 45N2071. Please be sure to look at the part numbers here in order to assure you buy the right region-specific keyboard.

Use the first model number listed - for example, the first model number for the Polish region is 45N2092, NOT 45N2162. If you use the second or third model numbers, you'll get the correct region keyboard, but it will be made by a different manufacturer, and will use different key switches.

The T400 keyboard won't work. It fits to a different footprint in the chassis, has different screw holes, and it's overlay keys (Mute, Power) lack LEDs. The additional power being sent to the power/mute keys in order to power the LED would go nowhere. The feedback might actually cause an error.

Warning

Key Functionality

Please note that after installing the keyboard hardware it will not be perfect - unless you also re-flash the Embedded Controller firmware, some keys are not detected at all, others have different functions and all Fn commands are the original ones (listed on the T430 keyboard) instead of those shown on the T420 keyboard.

• The T410's keyboard is printed to have Fn+PageUp activate the Thinklight.
  • However, because this action is actually bound to Fn+Space on the T430 keyboard, you will need to press Fn+Space to activate the ThinkLight after installing the T410 keyboard.
• Fn+F8 does not toggle the TrackPoint/touchpad input, it actually dims the brightness.
• Fn+F4 makes the computer sleep, as that is the combo on both keyboards.

Re-flashing the Embedded Controller

It is possible to modify the Embedded Controller to enable all these keys and switch (most of) the Fn commands around. However, it is important to be aware that flashing the Embedded Controller is a critical process and if something goes wrong, you could end up with a brick instead of a laptop.

On a more positive note, during the development of these modifications, no x230 laptops were bricked and there were never any problems or failures.

Keymap Table

A full table of keys and their compatibility is listed below.

DNF means Does Not Function.

Key	Function after install	Function with new firmware	Notes
A-Z	A-Z	A-Z
0-9	0-9	0-9
PrtScr/SysRq	DNF	PrtScr/SysRq	The Menu Key functions as PrtScr
ScrLk/NumLk	DNF	ScrLk/NumLk
Pause/Break	DNF	Pause/Break
Insert	DNF	Insert	Can be rebound to a combo if needed
Delete	Home	Delete	Can be rebound to Delete using SharpKeys
Home	DNF	Home	Can be rebound to a combo if needed
End	End	End
PgUp	Delete	PgUp	Can be rebound to PgUp using SharpKeys
PgDown	Insert	PgDown	Can be rebound to PgDown using SharpKeys
F1-F9	F1-F9	F1-F9
F10	DNF	F10	Can be rebound to a combo if needed, but will never work in the BIOS
F11-F12	F11-F12	F11-F12
Esc	Esc	Esc
Tilde	Tilde	Tilde
Tab	Tab	Tab
CapsLk	CapsLk	CapsLk	The T410's LED indicator does not work - uses the T430's built-in onscreen indicator. The new firmware also does not fix the indicator light
R&L Shift	R&L Shift	R&L Shift
Fn	Fn	Fn	The BIOS LCtrl & Fn swap does work (The swap was not tested with the new firmware)
R&L Ctrl	R&L Ctrl	R&L Ctrl	The BIOS LCtrl & Fn swap does work (The swap was not tested with the new firmware)
R&L Windows	R&L Windows	R&L Windows
R&L Alt	R&L Alt	R&L Alt
Space	Space	Space
Menu	PrtScr	Menu	This key is actually PrtScr on the T430 keyboard, and functions as such when the T410 keyboard is installed. Because of this, there is no Menu key. For me, it appears that this causes the Menu Key to turn on and off at will. Please see this section for more detail.
PgLeft	PgUp	PgLeft	Can be rebound to PgLeft using SharpKeys
PgRight	PgDown	PgRight	Can be rebound to PgRight using SharpKeys
Enter	Enter	Enter
Backspace	Backspace	Backspace
Punctuation	Punctuation	Punctuation	Too excessive to list, but all work normally
Power/Mute/MicMute/VolUp/VolDown/ThinkVantage	All work	All work	All of the overlay keys work, as well as their LEDs
TrackPoint/left/middle/right	All work	All work	The TrackPoint works perfectly on the X230. It should work on the T430, but wasn't tested; the original author's T430 had soda spilled on it, shorting out his TrackPoint socket.
Fn+F3 (Lock Screen)	Labelled as "Battery", works	Does not Work
Fn+F4 (Sleep)	Works the same	Works the same
Fn+F5 (Wifi)	Works the same	Works the same
Fn+F6 (Camera/Audio)	Works the same	Works the same
Fn+F7 (Display Switch)	Works the same	Works the same
Fn+F8 (Dim)	Labelled as "Mouse Switch", but dims	Fn+F8 now works as Mouse Switch
Fn+F9 (Brighten)	Unlabelled, but brightens	Fn+F9 now does nothing
Fn+F10 (Prev track)	Unlabelled, but works	Fn+F10 now does nothing
Fn+F11 (Pause)	Unlabelled, but works	Fn+F11 now does nothing
Fn+F12 (Next track)	Labelled as "Hibernate", does nothing	does nothing	It is theoretically possible that this key could be made to work. Fr technical reasons, it was considered risky to make this change - and hopefully a little used key.
Fn+Home	DNF	Works as Brighten
Fn+End	DNF	Works as Dim
Fn+PgUp	DNF	Works as Thinklight
Fn+Left	DNF	Works as Prev Track
Fn+Down	DNF	Works as Pause
Fn+Right	DNF	Works as Next Track
Fn+Up	DNF	Works as Stop

The replacement (T430)

Removing the old keyboard

Removing the old keyboard will require you to remove the memory module cover (RAM cover), after which you must unscrew two long screws above and below the mSATA slot. From there, you just need to push the keyboard up, and remove it from its place. You should follow the official instructions in order to do this.

• 

  The memory cover

• 

  Removing the keyboard screws

• 

  Removing the T430 keyboard

Method 1: Replace the xx30 Palmrest with a xx20 Palmrest

The least invasive method is to replace the entire xx30 (T430/X230/W530) Palmrest with the xx20 (T420/X220/W520) Palmrest. The palmrest costs about $10-20 on eBay, search for these FRU numbers:

• T420 Palmrest
  • No fingerprint reader - 04W1371, 04W1372
• X220 Palmrest
  • No fingerprint reader - 04W1411
  • With fingerprint reader - 04W1410

It's pretty simple:

1. Remove and unplug the original palmrest.
2. Install and plug in the xx20 palmrest.
3. Then insert the keyboard; it should fit perfectly.

Method 2: Sand down the nubs to fit in the T430 Palmrest

A comparison of the nubs from the T430 and T410 keyboards

A comparison of the nubs from the T430 and T410 trackpoints

If you're a cheapskate, you can modify the keyboard to fit your T430 palmrest instead.

Along the bottom edge of the T430 keyboard are four small nubs that fit into place along four idents in the chassis. These nubs help secure the keyboard into place, and make sure it is aligned correctly. The classic keyboard, however, has five nubs - and they're much thicker. Whereas the T430 nubs are only extensions of the metal plate covering the back of the keyboard, the classic nubs actually extend upwards and fit the entire thickness of the keyboard. The classic's fifth nub is located under the TrackPoint keys.

I was able to flatten these nubs enough that my classic keyboard slides into place, although it is a very ugly seam.

An alternative method is to clip off the nub near the TrackPoint key, and sand away the extra thickness off the other four nubs using a $20 Dremel. Then, use a black Sharpie to color the exposed metal.

Installing the T410 keyboard

Installing the new keyboard

After the nubs have been taken care of, the rest of the keyboard installation should be very simple. Just follow the instructions from the Lenovo official guide in reverse, being sure to bend the keyboard connector back the way it was done on the T430's, and NOT twisting it to match. You'll know your keyboard was installed correctly when you can actually install both screws completely.

Re-Flashing the Embedded Controller

It is now possible to modify the firmware on your Thinkpad x230 (and it seems several other models, but untested) to correctly use the classic keyboard.

• git repository with patches https://github.com/hamishcoleman/thinkpad-ec
• the thread on the thinkpads forum [1]

(I'm looking for for people to repeat this process - and help improve it, or test models that I do not have access to. You can get a message to Hamish either by adding a message to the thread on the thinkpads forum or by emailing me)

The capslock light is missing and the Fn+F3, Fn+F12 and Fn+Space key combinations do not work, however it is perfectly usable like this.

Steps to patch your Firmware

To repeat this yourself, follow these steps:

1. get the latest EC firmware for your laptop (See links below) and extract the EC firmware file out of the FL2 file (This step is automated in the git repository)
2. apply the roll-up patch for your specific firmware file (See links below)
3. re-embed the patched firmware into the FL2 update file
4. boot to a DOS environment and use the flash tools from the firmware update to re-flash the EC firmware. eg:

   dosflash /sd /ipf ec /file $01D3000.FL2

Model	Bios Update	EC Firmware Version	EC Patch	Notes
x230	g2uj23us.iso	G2HT35WW	[2]	tested and working
t430	g1uj38us.iso	G1HT35WW	[3]	untested
t430s	g7uj18us.iso	G7HT39WW	[4]	untested

Future Work

While I am slowly continuing to look for a table that can fix the remaining four Fn-X key combinations, all the easy changes have been done, so I dont expect any improvements here.

I am working on streamlining the process of applying the patches, which can be improved a lot from this point. I am also looking at other models firmware updates and adding them to the repository.

Handling mismatched keys in software

Not all of the keys work correctly, as detailed in the Keymap Table. However, if a key performs an action, that action can be rebound on a system-wide level to any other action.

Linux

This can be done using udev keymap. I don't use Linux, and so I won't provide instructions for that here, but that page should give all the information you need to get it working, along with the Keymap Table's stock remaps. Note that keys that are labelled DNF will never work - this is a BIOS-level issue and no operating system tweaks will fix it.

Windows

Remapping with SharpKeys

On Windows, we can use a nifty program called SharpKeys to rebind keys. The program is creates a registry entry in order to remap. Despite the fact that it is portable and does not run upon starting the machine, I suggest you keep the application handy in case Windows overwrites the remap key - this has only happened a few times for me while tweaking things, but it's enough reason to keep the 500kb application installed.
Once you've installed SharpKeys, add four remaps corresponding to the ones on the right, and then click "Write to Registry". Log out of Windows, and when you log back in, your PgUp, Delete, and PgDown keys should be functioning as normal.

Menu Key

The last remap in SharpKeys, Unknown > Turn Key Off, corresponds to disabling the Menu key (key 0x0075). Without this entry, my keyboard was making all left clicks act as though the Menu key was being held down. You may not need this entry, but if you do, be sure to add it. I believe this stems from the fact that there is no Menu Key on the T430 keyboard, but I'm not sure why it was constantly signalling itself as on.

Conclusion

The T430 master race.

While some keys won't work, it is completely possible to transplant a T410/T420 keyboard into a T430 and use it almost as if nothing ever changed. Now you too can have an Ivy Bridge ThinkPad with a classic keyboard.

If this guide helped you at all, feel free to send me an email, and if you have any comments or criticism, be sure to send that, too! I'll try and keep this guide up to date as best I can in order to support users looking to make the switch.