Debugging Keyboard events in Sony Laptop

Diagnosing and Checking Key Events in My Old Sony Laptop

It wasn’t even a day—actually just a few hours—after I finally gave a purpose to my old Sony Laptop and updated its kernel for daily use when I noticed that the up arrow key wasn’t working.

At first, I thought I’d wasted all that time on a machine that I should probably just condemn. But there was something more at play—this wasn’t just any laptop. It was a gift from my mom, my pink laptop with my name engraved on it. The emotional value was enough to keep me going. I couldn’t give up on it that easily!

Debugging the Problem

Since I’d spent so much time already, I figured I’d start debugging. I created an event notifier for keyboard events using the following kernel module:

static int notifier(struct notifier_block *nblock, unsigned long code, void *_param) {
    struct keyboard_notifier_param *param = _param;

    if (code == KBD_KEYCODE) {
        printk(KERN_INFO "Key press: scancode = %d\n", param->value);
    }

    return NOTIFY_OK;
}

static struct notifier_block nb = {
    .notifier_call = notifier
};

The idea was to capture and log any key events. Pressing the up arrow…nothing. Sigh.

Physical Troubleshooting

I tried something else. I removed the key, dusted it off, cleaned everything, and reattached it. Still no events. Another sigh.

Then, in what felt like a desperate attempt, I removed the key once again. At this point, I was sure I’d broken something—both the key and my heart. But before giving up completely, I tried pressing the actual rubber underneath the key that triggers the event.

Success! Events were detected, but only when pressing the rubber directly—not with the key attached.

The Final (Temporary) Fix

With a bit of cello tape (yes, you read that right), I reattached the key to the keyboard. It’s not perfect, but it works—kind of. In the end, I’m using SSH to access my Sony laptop, but at least I know the up key is functional. And even if I don’t use it, just knowing it’s working gives me a sense of relief.

What do you think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.