the keyboard of my bb 8900 not working

**heme36** · 06-30-2009, 01:52 AM

i need someone to gide me how to fix it....none of the bottons are working i want to know if is problem with the software or hardware

unfortunatetly i don't have insurance so i'll try to fix it

**JoeyMoose** · 06-30-2009, 01:54 AM

Try a battery pull, if that doesn't work reload the os, then change the keyboard

**AZBBFAN** · 06-30-2009, 01:57 AM

try a batter pull, if that doesn't work, reload the OS or upgrade the OS(if you feel lucky!)

**AZBBFAN** · 06-30-2009, 01:58 AM

OH, sorry Joey already provided the same advice. Any water damage with your 8900?

**lilro** · 06-30-2009, 04:06 AM

When did it stop working? Was it randomly or did you drop it, get it wet, etc.? are ALL the buttons not responding or just the letters? Does clicking yout trackball work? I'm not sure how to get to the hardware test with a non functioning keyboard, google it. If all else fails, buy yourself a T6 screwdriver and use the guide at the top of this section to disassemble your berry. Check for dirt, dust,etc. And put your phone back together. If it still doesn't work, you may have to replace the device. I'm not sure of a place that has mainboard replacements.

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**lilro** · 06-30-2009, 04:07 AM

Also, considering when the 8900 came out, you should still be under warranty with RIM

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**heme36** · 06-30-2009, 09:12 AM

thanx for helping me out .....well i have the same problem with the two blackberrys my wifes and mines.... ok on mines the keyboard workes sometime but this morning all of the bottoms i press apears letter N and the other one not working at all ...

**heme36** · 06-30-2009, 09:13 AM

i took the battery off started working for a bit but still with problems i'll try taking it apart and see if that can solve the problem

**aristile** · 06-30-2009, 09:52 AM

Sorry to hear about this, it really sounds like the problem is water damage. You can try to replace the keyboard if you like just keep in mind that taking the device apart will void the warranty - but so will water damage. If you are lucky then changing the keyboard will resolve the problem but I think its very possible that will not work or it will work for some time and then you will notice the same or additional problems weeks or months down the road. Good Luck.

**Miz.Michele** · 07-01-2009, 11:53 PM

Some of my keys on the bb stopped working after like a month and tmo sent me another. Only some pressed and some did not register. It was weird and I had no water damage and did not drop it. My replacement refurb (grr) phone got dropped in a full bucket of water and works perfectly (after keeping it in rice) so go figure.

**ram9** · 07-14-2009, 09:26 PM

This is exactly what just happened to me. I was talking over 1 hour then lost the call and suddenly I couldn't use the phone anymore. Also the battery was almost drained.

Pulled the battery and the problem continues. I pulled the battery now 4 times.

No water damage whatsoever.

I have the phone charging but cannot use it - I am calling TMO right now

**needforspd** · 07-15-2009, 03:07 AM

I have a water damaged 8900. (Its my roommates, it was dropped in water fully submerged). It turns on fine, LCD works fine but the KB and Trackball wont work when clicked but it does roll the selection.
Is it a total loss or is there a way to fix?

**fixit_steve** · 10-27-2009, 05:11 PM

My BB got wet when some water spilled on it in the stroller. Now I can't use the 1, 4, P, L, H, G, $ or DEL keys. I disassembled the unit entirely and dried it out. Seems that some of the keyboard lines may be more susceptible to damage from shorting due to water than others... Hmmm...

**dn15mell0** · 12-10-2009, 09:18 AM

I slept near my phone and when i woke up it was under me which sometimes happens and i went to look at my messages and my trackball wasnt working then i took the battery out then put the phone under the fan and when i turned it on again it worked.... but my keyboard will not work any suggestions??

**execubrand** · 12-17-2009, 11:32 AM

Phone was working fine, then suddenly it froze. Did a battery pull, everything reloaded, but then froze on the home screen. I've tried wiping it and reinstalling the OS. Called tmo and they are sending me a replacement phone. Very frustrating.

**lsallen1988** · 12-17-2009, 04:24 PM

message me for keypad solution, i just fix my 8900 after it fell in bath of water
the keys would depress but no responce

works like a charm now

**snatch2266** · 12-21-2009, 02:06 AM

Originally Posted by lsallen1988

message me for keypad solution, i just fix my 8900 after it fell in bath of water
the keys would depress but no responce

works like a charm now

i would love to know how you did this as i dropped mine for like 2 seconds in some snow and now KB wont work either , the trackball sometimes works but not often

any chance you could post solution here to save people messaging you ?

**MicheletDiez** · 12-23-2009, 11:36 AM

Hi, I'm new to the site but looks like the problem is not, well, truth to be told I had 3 8320 before my current 8900, I changed the other 3 because with my carrier here in colombia, you can get a new one for a very cheap price if you meet the requirements, anyway, I no longer meet those and I can't pull the warranty on it, because I once opened it up to clean the trackball, so isallen, if you could share this "magic solution" I would really appreciate it.

Well, I have tried the battery pull, but not the reruning os, how do I do that?

**snatch2266** · 12-23-2009, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by MicheletDiez

Hi, I'm new to the site but looks like the problem is not, well, truth to be told I had 3 8320 before my current 8900, I changed the other 3 because with my carrier here in colombia, you can get a new one for a very cheap price if you meet the requirements, anyway, I no longer meet those and I can't pull the warranty on it, because I once opened it up to clean the trackball, so isallen, if you could share this "magic solution" I would really appreciate it.

Well, I have tried the battery pull, but not the reruning os, how do I do that?

I have sent a pm to him aswell as the forum message but as yet he hasn't replied

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**MicheletDiez** · 12-23-2009, 01:34 PM

Well I wanna add to the problem description that my "press" on the trackball works whenever it wants to, I started using enter, that key, luckily, still works, but I've noticed that I have to type REALLY slow in order to get some keys to work, but the alt+esc to change applications doesn't work anymore

**Ryan.1979** · 06-08-2010, 01:15 PM

got the same kind of problem with my bb 8900 feel asleep with it next to me and now it seems to have a mind of it own really annoying. the this is i bought it to replace my broken 9000 two months ago and now this one is playing up. every time i use the trackerball and scroll right or left all i get is hlhlhlhlhlhlhlhlhlhlhlhlh across the screen...... i really dont know what to do. any help would be greatful. thanks guys

**edyb** · 07-05-2010, 07:55 AM

Hi folks,

I fixed my Blackberry 8900 with a keyboard not working problem. I will explain below. First, here are the causes and symptoms.

I think my 1 year old used my Blackberry as a chew toy, and perhaps my wife wiped it with a wet cloth after too. No visible water and the stickers show no water has touched the unit or battery. However, it is >1 year old and so out of warranty with my carrier.

Last night I went to set my alarm on the Blackberry and noticed the wheelmouse scrolled ok but wouldn't click and none of the other buttons would click on the keyboard, or the top lock/mute or side buttons! This rendered my blackberry useless because without clicking I couldn't access any function. It still responded by turning off when inserted in the case, and going to the clock screen when inserting the wall charger.

I figured it was a software issue so I did the battery pull several times but it didn't help. Frustrating because my blackberry takes about 8 minutes to "boot" each time. I plugged it into USB on my computer and did a backup just in case.

Then I came on this forum and noticed some suggestions, like reinstalling the OS, wiping the blackberry, opening it up, etc. I didn't want to go to that extreme yet without trying simpler things. I assumed it was related to humidity/water as that is the only suspected cause, and other people had success with their recovery dealing with the humidity.

I left the blackberry open without a battery all night on top of the air-conditioner vent. However, 5 hours later it didn't help. Then on my way driving to work I dangled my blackberry over my car's air vents and turned my air conditioner ALL THE WAY UP but on HOT!!!! So it would be like a hair dryer but with as little humidity as possible. This was with the back off and the battery removed. I drove for about 45 minutes boiling myself and the blackberry (on the hottest day of the summer).

When I got to work, I popped in the battery and powered up and everything worked again! What a miracle! HOPE THIS HELPS people out there who have frozen keyboards!!! Don't waste your money swapping parts or damage your blackberry by opening it up! Try your car air vent on HOT with air-conditioner or leave the battery out and let it dry up in the sun for a while first!

Sincerely,
Edy

**kamkam07** · 07-15-2010, 10:38 PM

I have no insurance, mine is doing the exact same thing. i have no water damage what so ever either. when i pull the battery and put it back in, it will turn on by itself, and none of the buttons will work. the LED light works and i can still hear it receiving messages. grrrr.

what is going on? software or hardware? can i fix it? is it dead?

**kamkam07** · 07-15-2010, 10:40 PM

you just described all my problems. i'm going to try all this. hope it works!

**edyb** · 08-02-2010, 04:00 PM

Just a follow-up on my previous post! The heat solution stopped working, so I had to take drastic measures! Opened up the Blackberry (using a special Torx-type screw-driver). Follow instructions on YouTube! Look for "How to take the Blackberry Curve 8900 apart (Disassembly)".

No signs of visible damage when I opened mine. Right? WRONG!!!! Keyboard on 8900 is stuck on as part of the main board!!! So you can't easily swap it in and out! Probably so they can make the Curve 8900 thinner! So I peel back the white sticker layer that sticks the clickable "domes" to the keyboard... and can see corrosion damage on the main keyboard circuit-board. I can't post images, but if you go to twitpic slash "2b1l9u" it will show the picture.

What happened? Saliva (baby drool) got in the Blackberry... somehow it seeped under the white sticker (even though you think it's stuck on well, it's NOT!!!). Liquids can still penetrate through the sticker glue! Saliva may be more damaging than regular water, due to dissolved salts!!!

SOLUTION: After peeling back the white sticker, identify corroded parts, rubbed the corroded board contacts with a metal instrument (my screwdriver), probably scratched away some of the corrosion film and also any part that was short-circuiting the keys (which is why the trackball started working when I unplugged the keyboard, yet stopped working when I plugged the keyboard back in). Assembled it all back together and now it works again!!!!!

MORAL of the story: Not a software problem, battery pulls won't help. It is physical damage due to water/moisture/salt and YOU CANNOT SEE IT unless you pull back the white sticker holding down the "clicky-domes" on the circuit board. With some luck you can get it working again by randomly scratching the corrosion off where it looks to be shorting contacts or interfering with the dome bridging the contact.

Why did heat make it work temporarily? Possibly the heat altered the conducting properties of corrosion bridge which was short-circuiting the board. Either that, or heat expanded the contact just enough to break the short, since the corrosion product may have had a lower coefficient of thermal expansion! Just my theories!!! HAPPY TO HAVE SOLVED (TEMPORARILY) MY BLACKBERRY FRUSTRATIONS! (I hope this helps other people)