After seeing the tons of threads regarding how to solve the keypad stutter on 9780's and worn down 9700's, I decided to do this write up. Ive done it about 4 times on my 9700, each time getting better at it. Done properly, it will COMPLETELY stop all keypad stuttering or at least improve it to barely any at all. The stuttering issue is either caused by misaligned membranes (manufacturing errors), normal wear (the "domes" begin to flatten over time) or just plain bad or dirty metal contacts.
Keep in mind, the following will void your warranty. For people who cannot get a replacement device or are out of warranty, this is for you. Do not attempt unless you are confident in repairing the phone or are familiar with this.
For this, you will need....
1.) Torx T5 screwdriver
2.) A plastic separating tool
3.) Razor Blade
4.) New PCB Keypad membranes -
Blackberry Bold 9700 Keyboard Membrane 2 pcs
The needed tools can also be purchased on the above website as well (i prefer dealsishop as they are US based).
A video of the disassembly can be seen here -
Bold 9700/9780 Dissassembly Video
Once you get the carrier logo piece, outer bezel and keyboard removed, just remove the two more screws circled in red in the below pic. Now you are ready for the membrane replacement.
1.) Find a corner of the membrane you can begin peeling away at. Use a razor blade to carefully separate the membrane from the other white membrane thats stuck to the circuit board.
2.) Carefully start peeling back evenly from one corner. If you start to pull up some of the other membrane, STOP and use the razor to unstick it, and replace it back onto the circuit board.
3.) Continue peeling evenly until the whole membrane is removed. You will now see the exposed circuit board side of the membrane metal tabs. If they are dirty, maybe clean them with alcohol and a cotton swab or pencil eraser if needed. I chose not to.
4.) Peel a new membrane off the sheet of new ones. Carefully hold it with both hands. I find that by holding it in the lower corners (where the "alt" and "enter" keys are, is easiest.
5.) Start by lining up the membrane where it goes around the trackpad near the LCD. Its VERY important that the membrane is properly aligned. You can see circled in blue in the pic, where i didnt line it up well. This caused more stuttering problems. Try not to have any of it be off from where the membrane on the phone is. Carefully apply the rest of it to the phone (its kind of like lining up and putting on a ZAGG Shield or other similar screen protector).
6.) Once the membrane is applied and you verify its alignment, use a pencil eraser to press it firmly into place and get all creases out. At this point, you can test its functionality if you want to boot the phone up and place the keypad over it.
7.) Now that things are working normal again, drive those two small screws back in from earlier. Make sure you dont make them too tight, they will spin, crease or tear the membrane once they are driven far down. Use the plastic separator tool to ensure the membrane is flush up under the LCD. There are two little tabs on the LCD it may get hung up on.
8.) Put the keypad back on and then reassemble the phone.
9.) Fully test functionality.
At this point, as long as everything was aligned properly, your phone shouldnt "stutter" anymore or at least less. But as I stated, it all depends on how well you aligned everything. Its a 15 minute fix, and membranes are $5.99 a pair. I always keep a couple in case my 9700 or 9780 begin to show signs of wear.
5Likes
Thread Author
#
How To: Fix the 9780/9700 Keypad Stutter (with pics) 
Linear Mode
