I have two Lenovo Thinkpad Compact/Slim keyboards. One if them is USB and the other is Bluetooth. I really really like them because they have almost the same keyboard as my x230. But what I like most is the trackpoint/thinkpoint. Avoiding mouse usage is great. Also more space in the table :).
BUT… in both of them my trackpoint was broken. I noticed that it was due to a very small black plastic that was broken.
But don’t worry, there’s a fix. I’m writing this tutorial in case you are in the same place and you look for complete replacements. The tutorial is super silly, but I hope that with this the solution becomes a bit more findable on the net!
WARNING: My keyboard is a bit dirty :D.
In this plastic there are 4 small pieces that hold the cap and help the structure to go into a given direction. In my case, one of the corners was broken, leading to be unable to go into that direction.
The keyboards sat broken for months and I had to use… A MOUSE. At least it was thinkpad too :P.
Luckily I found my savior, SaotoTech. In his Etsy website you can buy an new adapter for the trackpoint (3D printed adapter - Trackpoint keyboard model) and a new cap (SoftRim for TrackPoint - 5mm or 5.5mm).
The shipment took a couple of weeks from Japan but it arrived today and I tried it. The process is simple. Gently pry with a tool such a flat screwdriver on the sides until it comes out and the inner plastic will be revealed.
Then, simply fit the new adapter in there and put your old or new cap.
And done! Super simple, super easy. With that you can have your trackpoint fixed and running in a minute. 10 more years of keyboard! (Hopefully!)