PPCGeeks - Do your hardware buttons work?

For those with problems with the hardware buttons (specifically left/right), here's some insight into what's going on and how to make it easier to get it to do what you want. They are not all "hardware," as some of them are half-hardware-half-software buttons...

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken830

There are only five buttons in the entire key-pad area:
1) Button in the center of d-pad (select/ok button)
2) Button above the d-pad circle
3) Button below the d-pad circle
4) Button near the left edge of the device (left of the d-pad circle)
5) Button near the right edge of the device (right of the d-pad circle)

There are three separate sensors capacitive-sensor surfaces:
1) surrounding the d-pad circle (mostly left/right of it)
2) The open area to the left of the d-pad circle
3) The open area to the right of the d-pad circle

Okay... When you press up/down, it presses physical keys, and works really well...

When you press the button to the left of the d-pad, the phone determines which key you pressed by using the capacitive sensor. If your finger was higher, it's the home key. If lower, it's the send key. If in the middle, it's the left key.

Same goes for the other side... When you press the button to the right, if your finger was higher, it's the back key. If lower, it's the end key. If in the middle somewhere, it's the right key.

You can test this out yourself using the following techniques I've thought of:

1) There is only one key on the right:
- Press the very upper-right corner of the back key until you feel the button click.
- Now try to press the end key... Nothing, right? You can try the reverse too.

2) There is only one key on the left:
- Press the very upper-left corner of the home key until you feel the button click.
- Now try to press the send key... Nothing, right? You can try the reverse too.

3) The capacitive sensors on the left/right determine which key is pressed:
- lightly-touch the lower portion of the send key with your bare finger.
- use your stylus to physically press home key until it clicks. If done right, you will get the phone screen to come up even though you've physically pressed the home key.

4) You can check all of this out using the HTC test tools found in one of the threads somewhere on the forums...

So, at the end of the day, to get consistent left/right action, press well into the left and right areas of the phone, and make sure your finger is touching the middle, not too high, not too low.... Same conclusion, different explanation...