Fitting a HP 2530p keyboard onto 2540p
As I mentioned in my previous post, I personally do not like the new HP 2540p keyboard at all. I like the keyboard from HP 2530p (previous model), so I went ahead and ordered a 2530p keyboard and tried to put it onto my HP 2540p laptop.
Short version - it didn't work. But, if you have enough time and tools, it probably will.
I am posting my experience anyway hoping it might save you some bucks.
This is what I did.
1. I removed the battery (one screw is only accessible when battery is removed).
2. I unscrewed all screws marked with the keyboard sign (that would be almost all screws on the bottom). Important note: do not remove screws, they are not supposed to be completely removed. This is a nice feature of all HP laptops; all user-removable screws are not completely removable (unless forced), thus you cannot misplace one.
3. I removed the hard drive/memory cover and wireless adapter cover and there were more screws to remove.
4. Now there's a tricky part. I took some pictures to make it more clear what to do. First, I put the lid in vertical position:
Then, I pulled the edge of the bezel up until it came off:
5. Now I could easily remove the keyboard:
Note that you will have to detach two cables under keyboard before you can take it off. The connector on left opens by pulling the black tab up; small connector on right opens by pulling the white (bottom) part towards touchpad. On this picture both of them are open:
HP 2540p keyboard:
HP 2530p keyboard:
Here's why you cannot fit 2530p keyboard onto 2540p laptop:
1) Wide cable on 2530p keyboard is shorter - it will not reach the connector on the motherboard. I am not sure if the pinout is same on both keyboards, but I would assume it is. Therefore, you would need to somehow extend the cable, which could be a challenge.
2) Standoff positions do not match. However, you can probably cut them off and then just use some padding underneath the keyboard.
3) Cosmetic issue: Arrow key block on 2530p is a little bit smaller, which would result in a minor cosmetic issue.
If you find an easy solution to the issue 1 - please leave a comment.
Keyboard
Before I ordered my HP 2540p, I've read many times that its new keyboard is nothing but awesome. However, when I got my laptop, I was very disappointed.
HP 2540p keyboard:
I personally liked keyboards on all my previous HP laptops, but I certainly have no idea how can anyone like the one in HP 2540p. It looks and feels very cheap and flimsy, spacing between keys is not even, and function keys are very small and uncomfortable to use.
Furthermore, each key seems to have its own trigger point, which is extremely annoying. After a while I've got used to it, but believe me, first couple of weeks I really struggled... Well, maybe it is just me. But I would still strongly advise trying out the new HP 2540p keyboard before you go ahead and buy the laptop (if you are thinking of replacing the stock 2540p keyboard with an older and more convenient 2530p model, please look here).
On the other side, ESC key is in the right spot (contrary to the Lenovo X201) and trackpoint is much more accurate than on my previous HP 8530p.
Here's Lenovo X201s keyboard:
This is the first time I used Lenovo, and I must tell you that its keyboard is more comfortable than any laptop keyboard I tried before. Trackpoint is great (I always preferred touchpad until recently), scrolling with trackpoint is very convenient (you cannot scroll with trackpoint on HP laptops).
There are couple issues with this keyboard though:
1) ESC key is above F1. This gives more room for function keys, so they are bigger than on HP 2540p. However, I always hit F1 instead of ESC, and this is annoying. I am starting to get used to it, but keep in mind that you would probably need couple of weeks to adapt.
2) Fn instead of Left CTRL key. I never really understood why they are doing this for so long... Fortunately, you can swap Left CTRL and Fn key in BIOS, so this should not be an issue.
Keyboard light is available on both laptops, and is equally good.