Where did all the keyboards go?

[DSmaC]

So a little while ago I bought a few replacement keyboards for some macbooks (white polycarb unibody) I had acquired off of Ebay.

I got a few more this month and needed to get another stock of keyboards but I can't seem to find any US keyboards on Ebay anymore.

I contacted the previous suppliers and all (3) of them no longer have them.

I see on Aliexpress and Alibaba I could get some if I order like 500 or so (the ones that list min of 5 never seem to have any) and will take a while to get.

I'm just wondering what happened...did I miss a memo or something?

 

[Mr Rabbit]

I believe the early MacBooks are now on Apple's obsolete list. If this is true then these wholesalers have likely exhausted their supply from Apple, who is no longer manufacturing replacement parts for these models.

edit: Yep, looks like this may be the case as they have gone vintage, where production dies down. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1752

edit edit:
I'm an idiot, you said unibody, those should still be accessible from Apple. I'm not sure what the issue would be.

 

[DmbShn41]

I found one a few weeks ago on eBay, from China though. Said keyboard only and it showed with a new backlight...woohoo. I recall seeing mainly UK/French/German keyboards, and to pick through to get one that I wanted.

Have you tried searching for the Apple part number? PowerbookMedic usually has a decent stock of older items, but cost wise isn't the most friendly.

 

[DSmaC]

The white macbook didn't have backlight as far as I know.
Like I stated if I want to by something like 500 I can get them from China.
All of the ones I see on Ebay are not the US style so no good for me.
I played around with a macbook pro 13 inch and found that it will fit with a little work and it looks kind of cool with black keys. Price is good too.

 

[DmbShn41]

Will the ribbon cable line up and fit logic board?

By mentioning my story, I wasn't necessarily pushing the backlit option, but that some digging would be involved on eBay.

Let us know how it goes. If I recall, those models will involve TONS of tiny screws to free the keyboard. About 56 of them...

 

[DSmaC]

The Macbook Pro keyboard does fit and work fine.
Took a little work but for the price of the keyboard (less than the white one) it was worth it.
I did have to remove a few of the poly studs as they din't line up.
I used a soldering iron to melt the studs back on to the keyboard. Make sure it is lined up 100% as there isn't much room to play with.
The power key is routed differently but it isn't hard to channel out a new path for it.
I used double sided tape on the backside of the keyboard to help keep it in place with the backing plate. Used two part epoxy to put the backing plate back on.
I personally like the black keys on the white case.
Ribbon lined right up.
Didn't use any screws at all so now I have a ton of extras for the next project.