Fairly simple fix for dv6000 power button, microphone, internal speaker problems

Question

I have a dv6000 notebook computer, S/N CNF6380XM1, P/N EZ829AV.
Over time (I've had the computer for almost 4 years) the power button, internal speakers, and microphone became increasingly flaky and eventually stopped working altogether.  Classic signs of a bad connection.  I could still turn on the computer by touching the QuickPlay button to the right of the power button.
I used the Maintenance and Service Guide, HP Pavilion dv6000 Notebook PC, Document number 416618-003 (PDF can be found online from HP) to get the removal/replacement procedures for the switch cover (the piece of the case above the keyboard that has the power button, the Quick Play buttons, and the speakers) and the power button board.  Remove three silver screws inside the battery compartment, pop loose some snaps along the top edge of the switch cover, and carefully fold the switch cover back over the keyboard.  The power button board is pretty obvious other than knowing you need to slide the latch ears on the ZIF connector away from the connector body (towards the flex cable) in order to release the flat flex cable.
The power button board has flat flex cable that connects to the motherboard.  In addition to having the power switch, this board is used as a breakout board for the microphone and the internal speakers.  I looked at the contacts of the ZIF flat flex connector under a microscope and aha!, just as I suspected, they are gold plated.  You might think this is a good thing, and it would be if the mating contacts on the flat flex cable were also gold plated.  But alas they are tin plated.  Gold + tin + vibration + time = bad connection.   For those interested in the technical details of this, do a search for "fretting corrosion".
Since I'm pretty miserly and like to fix stuff, I decided to try simply cleaning the contacts.  I cut a strip of carborundum paper (very fine abrasive coated paper) the same width as the flex cable, insert it into the ZIF connector, close the latch, and pull the paper out.  I repeated this 3 times, then shot some compressed air into it to remove any gritty dust.  I then rubbed the contacts of the flat flex cable with the carborundum paper and wiped them off with a clean static-free cloth.
After reassembly, everything is working again!  Since this didn't address the root cause of the problem, it will probably eventually start acting up again, but maybe by that time I'll be ready for a new computer anyway.  A proper fix would be to replace the ZIF connector with one that has tin contacts, and to replace the flat flex cable.
This is a design flaw on the power button board.  A ZIF connector with tin contacts should have been used.  Ironically, I learned about fretting corrosion over 20 years ago from an old HP reliability guru named Ed Aoki when I was an engineer in the HP medical electronics business.
After doing an internet search on "dv6000 power button", I saw that there seem to be quite a few frustrated people out there that are having similar problems with internal speakers and microphone.  The troubleshooting flow chart in the service manual does not help to properly identify the problem component (the power button board and flat flex cable).  Hopefully this info will be helpful.

Answer 1

No, its too expensive for HP to plate the zif connectors with something that doesn't corrode....rolleyes.
Thanks nice tutorial.
The DV 6000 series was plagued with motherboard issues
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&dlc=en&cc=ca&docname=c01087277