# Keyboard typing random sequence on some keypresses

## JelteF

I've installed Gentoo on my IdeaPad Y500 and it's built-in keyboard is not functioning very well.

During most boots  it randomly generates sequences of presses on some keypresses. Sometimes there is a lucky boot when this doesn't occur, but if it's not it's clear quite fast.

USB connected keyboards don't have the same problems.

I already sent the laptop back to Lenovo to replace the keyboard, but that didn't work.

I'm hoping for any software fixes that might work.

This is a dmesg output with my input devices.

```
# dmesg | grep input

[    1.624668] input: Power Button as /devices/LNXSYSTM:00/LNXSYBUS:00/PNP0A08:00/device:01/PNP0C0C:00/input/input0

[    1.625461] input: Sleep Button as /devices/LNXSYSTM:00/LNXSYBUS:00/PNP0A08:00/device:01/PNP0C0E:00/input/input1

[    1.626263] input: Lid Switch as /devices/LNXSYSTM:00/LNXSYBUS:00/PNP0C0D:00/input/input2

[    1.627076] input: Power Button as /devices/LNXSYSTM:00/LNXPWRBN:00/input/input3

[    1.677490] input: Video Bus as /devices/LNXSYSTM:00/LNXSYBUS:00/PNP0A08:00/device:3a/LNXVIDEO:00/input/input4

[    2.907854] input: AT Translated Set 2 keyboard as /devices/platform/i8042/serio0/input/input5

[    2.911684] input: Ideapad extra buttons as /devices/platform/ideapad/input/input6

[    3.386444] input: SynPS/2 Synaptics TouchPad as /devices/platform/i8042/serio1/input/input7

```

If more info is needed, like parts of my kernel config, please reply.

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## yoshi314

check if that's not the touchpad generating those events, maybe you are brushing it with your hands and it's considered a keyboard input for some reason.

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## JelteF

 *yoshi314 wrote:*   

> check if that's not the touchpad generating those events, maybe you are brushing it with your hands and it's considered a keyboard input for some reason.

 

I will try this with a disabled touchpad and report back. Just removing synaptics from make.conf and rebuilding should do the trick right.

PS it also occurs in TTY, so it doesn't have anything to do with X.

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## khayyam

 *JelteF wrote:*   

>  *yoshi314 wrote:*   check if that's not the touchpad generating those events, maybe you are brushing it with your hands and it's considered a keyboard input for some reason. 
> 
> I will try this with a disabled touchpad and report back. Just removing synaptics from make.conf and rebuilding should do the trick right. PS it also occurs in TTY, so it doesn't have anything to do with X.

 

JelteF ... the trackpad can be disabled without having to remove the package you can run 'synclient TouchpadOff=1'. Perhaps the following "toggle_trackpad" script will be of some use.

```
#!/bin/sh

if [ $(synclient -l | awk '/TouchpadOff/{print $3}') = "0" ] ; then

    synclient TouchpadOff=1

else

    synclient TouchpadOff=0

fi
```

As for your problem you might also look at how fast repeat is set, see the 'xset' manpage, specificly the 'r' switch. Also, have you checked that the driver in use is the one for this hardware, as I remember there are a number of drivers available for ALPS so perhaps there is some conflict there (wild guess, but worth checking none the less).

best ... khay

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## JelteF

I tried disabling the touchpad like you said, it had no effect. Since it also happens in tty mode I doubt any X related settings would help and it is not that keys are repeated to often. It just starts typing some random sequences of keys.

I also tried disabling the synaptic driver, that didn't work as well. So I'm quite sure it is not something touchpad related.

Right now I'm trying to debug my kepresses using the evbug kernel module to try and find out what keys are being pressed.

Any other tips or options would be greatly appreciated.

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