Hey all,
<<So my ctrl key popped off of my 15" Powerbook and I'm not sure on how to put it back on. I searched Apple.com/support but couldn't find anything. Does anybody know how to pop the key back on?>>
I have a 15" aluminum PowerBook. My cat managed to pry 3 keys off. Curiously, all 3 came off in slightly different ways from the 2-piece key hinge below. After a little fiddling, I found a way to reattach them. Be forewarned, these parts are small and fragile and you will need small tools to help. I used a dental pick and needle nosed pliers. Tweezers might also help. Also, my eyes aren't what they used to be. These pieces are tiny!
The key attaches to a 2-pice white plastic "hinge" with the key return pressure being provided by a silicone nub below. Where the key popped off and the hinge was still in place, I was able to lift the lower edge of the hinge (furthest away from the screen) with my finger nail. This causes the back of the hinge to lift. I was then able to line up the two tiny slots at the top of the key with the tiny pegs at the top of the hinge, gently pressing the key back onto the hinge. Then I let go of the hinge and pressed the whole key down, seating the bottom pegs as well.
For the key that came off with the hinge attached to it, I found I had to first remove the hinge from the key so I could get it back onto the PowerBook. There are two small metal holes at the top and a small metal lip at the bottom that all stick up to hold the hinge for each key. I first put the bottom of the hinge under the lip and then used a dental pick to guide the plastic pins into the top holes one by one. Check that the bottom metal clip has not been bent upward. Its lip should be relatively parallel to the PowerBook body. Once the hinge was in place, I could use the first procedure to put the key back on.
The third key came off with half the hinge attached to it and the other half still attached to the PowerBook. I found I needed to remove the hinge pieces and re-attach them to each other first. This was the hardest part. Both pieces get oriented with their flatter/smoother sides facing up. The outer piece get oriented with the wider pins at the top and the side holes' raised nubby edges down into the PowerBook. The inner hinge piece fits inside with its two prongs at the top (away from you) and above the outer ring, with the flat receptacle for the metal tab lower than the outer ring and toward you (away from the screen). I carefully pulled the outer ring wider to make room for the tiny pins of the inner ring (very delicate!). Once the hinge was re-assembled, the hinge should lie flat. I then attached it to the PowerBook as above and then re-attached the key.
And no more cat walking on my PowerBook allowed! He has to go back to reading the newspaper.
