Damaged Keyboard (external, not a laptop kb)

[ChrisPbass]

I have an MS sculpt comfort keyboard. Not cheap....
I spilled soda on it and did my best to clean it. Used windex. It did not work well after that.
It's been a good month or so and it is very dry where I am so its as dry as its going to get....
It works much better now but certain keys don't work at all (ctrl on the left side) and one key 'r' types 't' instead.

Is there anything I can do to try and save this KB? I suppose if there is no general fix then maybe I should remove all the keys and clean it again and make sure it dries completely.

 

[Layback Bear]

Sorry for you bad luck.
At this stage of the game, extreme measures (IMHO) could be done.

Soda has a lot of chemicals in it, including sugar in most cases. These chemicals gum the workings of a keyboard. If your very lucky you could dissemble the keyboard and wash everything several time with clean water and dry in front of a fan.
The chemicals not only make keys stick, they also can short out the electronics and circuity of the keyboard.

Wish you luck

Jack

 

[Lance1]

If you do disassemble the keyboard Do Not use water to clean the the board. Water is dangerous for all kinds of electronics, as it can damage circuitry at the slightest contact. If the keyboard is expensive as you say. I recommend isopropyl alcohol for cleaning electronics. There is less danger of any moisture coming into contact with circuit components on the board when using isopropyl alcohol for cleaning. Just my two cents.

 

[Megahertz07]

Did it many times.

I'm supposing is a membrane keyboard.
At this point, I don't agree with Lance.
-Take the keyboard from the computer, turn it upside down and remove all screws.
- Put it upside up.
- Take the front cover off.
- You going to see a kind of silicon membrane with the buttons on it.
- Remove it carefully.
- Underneath there are 3 plastic membranes with the circuit on 1 and 3.

Now, if the soda glue is only on the silicon membrane, just leave it (and the front cover) on clean water for some hours.
Then wash the front cover with water and soap. You can also gently wash the silicon membrane.
Take the soap off with running water and hang them to dry. After one day you can use a warm hair dryer on them.

If the the soda glue is also on the plastic membranes:
- Mark the plastic membranes with a permanent soft pen as 1, 2, and 3 (same order you see them)
- On the right up side there is a circuit board with a connector where the membranes are inserted in.
- On the connector there is a locking device ( a little plastic stick). Pull it gently till it releases the membranes.
- Once the membranes are released, you can take the circuit board from the back cover.
- Wash the plastic cover and the membranes the same way.

Once all parts are dry, you can assemble them back:
- Attach the circuit boar to the back plane.
- Put the plastic membranes (3-2-1). There are guide pins. Insert them into the connector and push the locking stick.
- Put over the silicon membrane.
- Put over all the front cover.

Now there is a tricky part.
Once you have the front cover on, you have to turn it upside down, and put on the screws without pressing the keys.
You can ask for someone to hold the keyboard by the edges on use one book at each side to lean on.

 

[Wandering one]

One rather important addendum to the above posts. Use DISTILLED water for cleaning. In an emergency if soda or coffee is spilled on a keyboard you can rinse with distilled water, drain, and dry wth hair dryer on lo temp. All done with keyboard disconnected. Patient recovery probably better than 99%.

 

[Megahertz07]

If you put water on a assembled keyboard, water will go between membranes, will oxide the circuits and you will loose it.

 

[Layback Bear]

Yes distilled water is a good idea.
Who knows the tap water might be like Flint Michigan tap water.

Jack

 

[Lance1]

I hold to my recommendation to isopropyl alcohol. I used it for many years cleaning hardware and also messed up keyboards. I found it to be the best product when working in the field with its quick evaporation and limited conductivity.

 

[Mellon Head]

As someone who works with electronics every day, I agree with Lance1 on the use of Isopropyl alcohol. Just make sure to use anhydrous (99% alcohol). It's available at electronics and craft shops. It is fast drying and leaves no residue. Alcohol is also an excellent solvent for removing things like soda and gummy liquids from circuits. Just make sure to clean and rinse the circuit effectively to get all of the sticky solution off of the keyboard.

The problem with water is drying out the circuits completely before you power them up again. Water can take a long time to dry, particularly in little nooks and crannies in a keyboard. This can cause shorting on power up. Also, water is not as effective a solvent as alcohol, and will not wash away the gunk as well.

Just my $0.02

 

[Layback Bear]

I do agree that Isopropyl alcohol (99%) would do the job. It also dries very fast.
I just have never used it for the purpose.
What I have use is Dawn dish soap and tap water. For me drying time was no problem because I have several keyboards to use during this time.

I also use Dawn dish soap to clean my glasses. As far as I can see, when rinsed well, I can't see any left over residue.

Jack

 

[Mellon Head]

I do agree that Isopropyl alcohol (99%) would do the job. It also dries very fast.
I just have never used it for the purpose.
What I have use is Dawn dish soap and tap water. For me drying time was no problem because I have several keyboards to use during this time.

I also use Dawn dish soap to clean my glasses. As far as I can see, when rinsed well, I can't see any left over residue.

Jack

Good point about the dish soap. My only concern is drying time. I would leave the keyboard to dry for a week before plugging it in.

 

[Layback Bear]

Putting the pieces/part in front of a fan will help.

Jack