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Widespread Keyboard Failures on OLPC's XO-1
otakuj462 writes "Many participants in OLPC's 'Give 1 Get 1' program of last November are now encountering what has come to be known as the 'stuck key' problem, in which one or more of the keys on their XO-1 laptop's built-in keyboard become stuck in an activated position, or are activated when adjacent keys are pressed. As of January 30th, the official word from OLPC is that the root cause of this problem is unknown because '[t]here are several manufacturers of the keyboards.' ('So far we don't know of any _reliable_ method of fixing the keyboard or the exact root cause.') It is unknown just how widespread this problem currently is, as the 30-day manufacturer's warranty has already expired for most G1G1 participants. However, the OLPC forums are full of reports. OLPC is currently deploying the XO-1 to children in Mongolia and Peru, as well as other developing nations. If OLPC is actively deploying units with known, critical hardware bugs, without a dedicated support infrastructure in place, to children who have never seen a computer before, should they still be considered to be a responsible organization? Did OLPC deploy their hardware too soon?"
"$100 doesnt buy much these days...there is a reason that laptops dont sell for under $450...they cost money" My 4gb Asus Eee cost me £240 (about $490), I've been using it regularly for over 5 months now and it's still going strong, several scratches on the outside because I've not felt the need to be gentle with it because there's no spinning disc inside that's suseptable to shock damage, I find the keyboard absolutely fine to touch-type with and some of the keys are getting more shiny as they're used.
If the trend of manufacturers to keep coming up with the next best "Eee killer" is anything to go by then the prices will over time drop and one day you will be able to buy a brand new $100 laptop that performs as well as the Eee but I can't see that happening anytime within the next year or so.
To do something right, you often have to roll up your sleeves and get busy.
Agreed. And the competition is going to make as much hay with this as possible.
While this kind of thing happens to the major manufactures, having had this happen right out the gate is going to be a permanent black mark that intel, asus and the rest are going to use in their advertising. OLPC should have been more careful to ensure that faults could be repaired. After all, these are going to the third world, and over there they fix all kinds of things we would throw away.
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No it's not normal. Almost everything here comes with at least a one year warranty. A lot of computers and computer parts come with a three year warranty.
They are not required by law to have a three year warranty here or even a one year but I have never seen a new computer have under a one year warranty.
Gone!
Not quite sure what is meant by "we don't know of any _reliable_ method", unless perhaps it means something that works for everyone the same way 100% of the time, and there's some small number of units that can't be fixed by disassembly and wiping the area under the affected key with isopropyl alcohol. I didn't even go that far with mine, I just pried up the edge of the keyboard mat near my stuck alt key just enough to get the q-tip in.
The XO is designed to be like the old Volkswagen Beetle -- cheap and easily fixable by non-experts in the field. Yes, it would have been nice if they weren't prone to stuck key syndrome, but it's not the end of the world, and these are fricken amazing devices at twice the price.
Loose lips lose spit.
They are not required by law to have a three year warranty here or even a one year but I have never seen a new computer have under a one year warranty.
Actually in Europe consumer goods are required to last for a reasonable length of time. Two years is the minimum period mentioned in the consumer sales directive but member states are free to institute their own (longer) periods and higher consumer standards.
Perhaps this is the reason why the OLPC wasn't sold in Europe ...
Rich.
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The whole point of having the sealed membrane keyboard design is that it's a lot harder for dirt to get into it. The whole top of the keyboard is a rubber membrane with no openings, so there's nowhere for dirt to get in. Also, unlike other membrane keypad designs, the membrane itself does not provide one of the contacts for the key. It merely applies pressure to the underlying plastic layers that actually have the contacts. The top plastic layer also has very few openings. It would be very difficult to get enough dirt into the keyboard through normal use (even in dirty conditions) to cause the keys to stick.
Mine developed a sticky control key after a few months. Opening up the laptop (compared to most laptops, it's easy to get into) and peeling back the top rubber membrane (it's lightly glued down to the plastic layers), rubbing the affected area to make sure the contacts were not sticking together, and reassembling the laptop seems to solve the issue; I haven't seen the control key stick since.
Which will have the same problem.
This sounds pretty much like the Vaio syndrome. It is a common design pattern in most laptops to position a big heatsink under the keyboard. If the heatsink runs too hot the keyboard membrane gets "nice and crispy" and these are the exact symptoms in that case. I would have expected this too happen in a year or two of heavy use (especially with a closed lid).
I have seen it on plenty of 1200$+ laptops so the price is not the deciding factor by any means.
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My 2-year old son uses his XO several times a week and we haven't had any failures. It has been dropped a couple of times and has lived up to its rugged design promises for us.
No, the real problem is that you seem to be considering it a consumer product. It isn't. OLPC set the thirty-day warranty to give G1G1 recipients a chance to make sure the computer works. It's basically a DOA-prevention warranty. I paid in for G1G1, and I got my laptop, and then I got excited about the project and volunteered to help.
The XO-1 is not a consumer product. It is an educational tool, and the children who receive them aren't worried about comparing its warranty to that of an xbox they've never heard of.
Your post is a useful reminder of why I shouldn't try to explain things to the internet. I don't receive a salary, jackass. The OLPC is a not-for-profit, and I am a volunteer.
We feel accountable to our target nations, and we behave accordingly. We don't feel particularly accountable to Slashdot. Sorry.
I'm not sure what the letter of the law is in the UK, but the state-of-play is that warranties on laptops last for a single year, and the retailer normally offers a 30 day return policy. Only hardware faults are covered: software fault, accidental damage, theft, acts of war and god are all excluded. The only exception to this is if you are able to prove that you are mis-sold. If you don't produce a receipt (other other proof of sale) then there is no obligation for anyone to do anything.
In short, if the keyboard issue is a software error (and, seeing as there are apparently many manufacturers of this single keyboard, and they are all failing, this seems likely), the buyer would be on their own in the UK also, assuming their minimum rights (ie; they did not buy any extra insurance).
OLPC won't find it so easy to extract a second check from donors whose laptops fail prematurely.
The underlying reality is the OPLC had to get out there as soon as it good, so that it be refined, and continue to develop, a continuing process. Along the way, there will always be for profit corporations who see the OLPC as nothing more but a source of profits and seek to take shortcuts and cheat the concept in order to increase profits.
For many countries, the ideal school notebook should be locally manufactured, as part of the education and development process. This is also necessary to ensure reliable supply in the event of any disruptive issues be that natural or man made disasters. For every child to have a notebook consistent supply becomes very important and the OLPC project as an open development process does teach a lot of lessons.
Of course the attacks on OLPC by various parties, also teaches other lessons, that corporate greed knows no bounds and billionaires remain greedy no matter how much money they have.
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Bigoted and ill-spirited posts such as this one are no credit to the other OLPC support volunteers. Please don't assume you speak for anyone but yourself. Those donating to OLPC contribute greatly to its mission, with their enthusiasm and their sharing of the projects ideals as much as with their donations; aside from which they deserve the same respect and consideration you would give to anyone.
I don't know your reasons for posting anonymously, but it seems to me this is rarely appropriate and never obvious. You should be proud to take responsibility for your statements, however controversial. Posting openly, as a long-time OLPC supporter and current staff member, I see the honest and considered feedback from the Slashdot community as important to the refinement and amplification of the project's mission.
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