Studio XPS 16 - Keyboard Issue / Duplicate Characters

I have the same problem on the same machine. Same attempted remedies do not work.

- Michael

The original keyboard was replaced by Dell. The problem of un-wanted repetitions remains, although perhaps it is slightly diminished. It seems it is a design problem with the anti-bounce filtering for this keyboard. Probably not a problem for someone typing slowly and gently, but in the end is an unacceptable overhead (in post typing editing) if you write a lot, rapidly and with a strong strike. I would recommend against this machine for serious typing.

Same problem here...mine was purchased around July 1, 2009.  The problem may have diminished, but just when I think I'm out of the woods, it jumps back at me.  Presently, it appears that the Alt key is periodically getting stuck... there's no physical/mechanical evidence of this, but I get the effect of it...for instance, typing an uppercase P (capital P) suddenly Windows Media Player launches.  I've confirmed StickyKeys and all other similar features are turned off.  The trick to solving that one is to jam on the shift and alt keys a number of times to clear it out.  Then everything is back to normal.

--Mike

My sympathies are with you. The problem does seem to come and go. Just when I was getting used to the odd random repeat, there is a spate of more frequent repeats. I wonder whether the problem is temperature-related? 

In my case a second repair was attempted by Dell on the machine, replacing the motherboard. However, due to loss of confidence in the performance (of the keyboard) the machine has been permanently relieved of its duty as tool for report-writing and demoted to being a standby in my company.

Yes, I experience a similar variableness to the problem. Sometimes it's just one word in twenty and maybe auto-spell will correct it as I type. Other times it's practically EVERY word, many of which are not ppicked up bby auto-corrrect which I then have to go back over and manually correct.

As you say Joe-Nninety, sadly this makes an otherwise great (if a tad hot!) laptop useless for extensive writing, which I also do a lot.  I have 4 other Dell laptops (as well as a Vaio laptop and a Tower PC with Logitech ergo keyboard) and have never had a problem llike this before - in fact never on ANY PC or laptop in 20 yrs for that matter!

Interestingly, I've had my wife (who can touch-type) test it extensively, reading out very long passages of text rapidly for her to transcribe, and it NEVER occurs even once with her using it. The heat may well have something to do with it getting worse, but I think the primary cause is perhaps the sensitivity of the ballistics of the keys. When I type (4-6 fingers, fast,) my hands are "hovering" above the keyboard, wrists not really resting in place, and my right hand crossing left & vice versa to find keys in a way I've learnt to type fast using poor technique!  But I suspect due to being a bloke with biggish hands, hitting keys with full weight of hovering forearm, and doing this fast, is contributing to / causing the problem. Whereas the Mrs, resting her delicate little wrists on the rest and just tapping keys with all 10 fingertips in bullet-time - problem never manifests!

Perhaps also the reason why there seem to be relatively few complaints about this pretty seriously debilitating (from an efficient use perspective) problem on the web. Most fast typers are touch-typers?, and most 2-4 finger self-taught typers do so relatively sllowly - But then there are a few of us who can manage around 50 -70 wpm avg using 4-6 fingers (which is in the range of an average touch typist), who are sort of "haammeering away" at an over-sentive keyboard? - Plus I wwonder if this is also a male oriented problem, due to weight and strength of hands / arms?

I'm wondering whether a new / different keyboard softwaree driver from Dell / Microsoft or Logitech would do the trick. I would hate to have to relegate this laptop to, I don't know what!? - a paperweight ! - after spending $2,500 on it just a couple of months ago. But, having read both your expeeriences, I'm a 99.999% sure it's not a hardware issue and haven't the time to waste with a Dell hardware fix or swap out, which soounds like it would achieve nothing.

Any thoughts on software keyboard drivers or further utilities which coould help create a "software" damping effect without adding undue llatency?

Just out of interest, does this happpen on EVERY keyboard character and numbber? - would be interesting for us all to test by typing out manay paragraphs from newspaapers into say MS Notepadd (which doesn't have auto-correct), and/or just drafting using all the charaaccters, multiple times.

Cheers

Hal

PS - I've deliberately not corrected all double-strikes in the above, just to further illustrate the point! - But this one is not bad by normal standards!, however, not had much caffine yet, so probbably not up to full typing steam!, and laptop only been on about 30 mins, so not quite ready to fry my breakfast eggs on it yet! ;-)

Hal: I think you are on to something re. typing technique. I was taught to play the piano with strong emphasis on 'proper' technique with the outcome that I hit the computer KB keys with a hammer-like action relatively quickly, using perhaps 7 or 8 fingers. But I am far from a touch typist (the strike is neither soft, nor can I type without looking at the KB). After the KB was replaced by Dell, I demonstrated that the problem persisted to the engineer. He remarked that it was not surprising the problem had not been reported extensively elsewhere because most people do not hit the KB in such a manner.

I did keep a log of keys that were double-striking to see if there was a pattern. Rather than this being something to do with a particular area of the KB, it might be that it has more to do with which keys I am prone to strike more forcefully.

BTW, I am not sending this from the Dell, hence the absence of repeated characters. It is a Eurocom D900F, which has probably the best computer KB I have ever used. The Dell KB has the feel of a cell-phone by comparison.

My thoughts on a fix are that the problem is in the keystroke 'bounce'. All switches bounce to some degree, as can be demonstrated on a single-sweep storage oscilloscope. There may be many tens of discernible bounces on a 'scope trace per key stroke with perhaps a few milliseconds between each bounce. Hence it would be quite an overhead to have any filter operation performed in software, i.e. where every bounce is recorded faithfully by the hardware and then only one strike selected by the software. I expect therefore that the KB / switch output is fed to electronic 'filters' that introduce hysteresis (latches, flip-flops, D-type triggers, ...) right at the front end of the electronics, close (diagrammatically speaking) to the switch output.

Assuming the above, the problem would be difficult but not impossible to solve in software.
The best would be if the KB electronics has already built some facility for altering the hysteresis of the front-end electronic filters that could be better tuned by a new driver.

Or, if not, then Dell could supply a new driver with a routine that removed double occurances of any characters that were separated by a sufficiently short time interval. This would have the advantage of not altering the responsiveness of the KB to legitimate rapid typing. If Michael Dell is reading this, perhaps he can give it some thought.

Cheers,

Michael  / Joe 90

You had me at "Hysteresis"... ;)

I think you're right.  I know a little about this from tinkering and I think they'd benefit from a Schmitt trigger on each key.  It's unnerving at times.  For me it's the T key that most commonly repeats...but really all do every now and then.  But since your post, I'm thinking a lot more about how hard a bang each key down.

Here's hoping Dell can fix this IN HARDWARE at some point in the near future!

--Mike

Hi I had a similar problem with Dell Studio XPS 13.

What should I do about it?

Regards

Riscy

Dear Riscy

I was waiting to see if you got a reply from a Dell tech person that might be monitoring this thread before giving youj my 2c worth.

The consensus (frankly mostly by me) is that the Dell KB has a design hardware problem that will be noticed only by 'firm typists'. When I contacted Dell they insisted the problem was in faulty assembly etc and replaced a ton of parts. Of course this did not fix the underlying problem. It requires that they write a new driver for the keyboard. Or (more costly): build some new electronics.

During my exchanges with Dell tech support, I did alert them to this web page to point out I was not the only one with problems. They looked and responded that there were only a couple of complainants (me & 1 other). Since then though there have been a few more. So my suggestion to you is this:

Get onto Dell tech support with the online chat facility.

Tell them you are have problems with the keyboard.

Copy and paste the link to this page in the chat window.

Tell them you think there is a design problem with keystroke anti-bounce filtering that needs a new keyboard driver or perhaps even a more substantial re-design.

I recommend you resist offers to replace the keyboard, since it will not fix the kind of problem some of us are having (though of course it might fix other problems).

The folks you 'chat to' appear to have little authority of their own, but they might start to flag the problem to the Michael Dell Hotline if they start to see enough people reporting problems.

Option #2: Ask for a replacement machine with a different keyboard. If you are passed 30 days since purchase though, then they appear to be programmed to say no.

Option #3: (if you are lucky like me): donate the machine to someone else in your company with a lighter touch, and get your company to buy you a machine with a better keyboard.

Option #4: Pour yourself a large vodka with freshly-procured fruit juice - or some other chemical distraction perhaps. Put on some high quality headphones. Play yourself some nice music at high volume. Recall the Zen Saying that "It is already Broken" applies to everything, new and old alike. Nothing is perfect. Certainly not the Dell XPS series keyboard. Come back with better Karma next time.

Hey Folks

I've been experimenting with various combos of the Dell keyboard filter settings and have come up with one which I think mitigates 90% of the problem. It's not perfect, but I've found that the character duplicates that get missed are, by and large, then corrected by auto-spell as I type in Outlook and Word etc (though doesn't help with apps and chat forum message boxes without inline auto-corrrect).

But all said and done, reduces the amount of erroneous duplicates to low single percentage (so far, after 3 solid days of testing). Still not perfect, but for those of who really don't want to (yet!) or don't have an option to swap out / swap the Studio XPS for an alt laptop with someone who types lighter, it's certainly better than the 50%+ of words typed having dupes that I was experiencing before.

If anyone finds an even better combination I'd love to know. And if anyone from DELL actually has the decency to read this forum and post a useful reply on what you are doing about the keyboard drivers we would all really appreciate it and might then buy another DELL in the future and actually be able to still recommend the brand.

Assuming using Vista (not sure of the menu chain for XP) - Go to Control Panel / Ease of Access Centre / "Make the keyboard easier to use" option.

Select the "Setup Filter Keys" hyperlink

Next page - click "Turn On Filter Keys"

Select the "Turn on repeat keys and slow keys" radio button

Select the "Setup repeat keys and slow keys" hyperlink

Next Page

Select the "Slow down keyboard repeat rates" radio button

Choose 0.5 secs for first option, and 0.7 secs for second option.

Do not click any other options.

I didn't find the "Anti-Bounce" filter worked at all (despite this being the most obvious utility to use). But if anyone else has, either in isolattion or any combo with other filters. Please advise.

Cheers

Hal

Folks,

The only thing I cann say is that I'm glad to find out that I'm not alone.  I have bought 9 laptops from Dell for my company down through the years.  The last two I've had problems with the keyboards.  On both I replaced the keyboard to no avaial.  I slowed the repeat reate and delay and made sure the sticky keys were off.

The problem IS a hardware problem.  I believe it has to do withi typing too fast and too hard.  Notice the "i" on the word "with" in the last sentence.  the repeat on the keystrike is happening 3 letters later! This happens to me all the time.  Just like another blogger, I too am nont fixing the typing problems in this message for the sake of exammple.

The one thing I've noticed is that over time, the keyboard seems to break in.  I think the only real fix is to:

1. Try a different brannd of computer.

2. intentionally try to slow down your typinng and the force of the keystroke.

3. Attach an external USB keyboard (great idea since the purpose of the laptop was to minimize clutter...)  :(

Unfortunately, this will be the last Dell I buy.  Dell guys, I hope you are are monitoringg these commmunications.  There are a bunch of us out there that arae not happy.

Brad

Dear dell people - this problem is real! I'm experiencing it too, please do something about it.Furthermore, my : key seems to be resisting being pressed, which is _EXTREMELY_ annooying (the double o ii (and the double i) is the keyboard acting out).

This problem is really annoying, having in mind that otherwise the studio xps 16 laptop is awesome.

It seem Dell technical has turning a blind eye on this problem. No helpful advise or solution given.

I have updated the BIOS to A11 for M1340 but no lucks. I'm now running out of time.

I have to consider Dell repuation a serious issue, as we have plan to buy 10 high spec desktop PC for our office and possibly more laptop such as Dell Studio XPS 16.

Keyboard is fundamental operation of the system, it is defective and annoying, it seems technical experts perfer to drink tea than trying to fix the problem. I shall write to PWC or Computer Shopper and ask for advice.

A real shame, they make good PC/Laptop but not any more.....bye bye Dell.

R.

Hi at all!

Mine has the problem, too. The Keys that are affected are i,o,k,l and space.
The technical support sent me two keyboard replacements but everyone has the same problem.
I also think, that it is a design problem of the Studio XPS's keyboard.
Directly behind the keys i,o,k,l is a little screw to connect keyboard and chassis.

For me, this notebook is completly useless.
It was bought because I wanted to write my PhD-Thesis on this thing. But if I have to correct evry 20th character is more than annoying!
My first Dell will be my last!