EDAboard.com | EDAboard.eu | EDAboard.de | EDAboard.co.uk | RTV forum PL | NewsGroups PL

Cleaning a notebook keyboard

elektroda.net NewsGroups Forum Index - Electronics Design - Cleaning a notebook keyboard

Charlie E.
Guest

Wed Sep 01, 2010 4:52 pm   



Hi All,
I know we have discussed cleaning stand alone keyboards before, but
how about notebook keyboards? Pam spilled a small glass of grape
juice on hers! She is getting unwanted 'sticky keys!'

Charlie

Tim Wescott
Guest

Wed Sep 01, 2010 5:23 pm   



On 09/01/2010 08:52 AM, Charlie E. wrote:
Quote:
Hi All,
I know we have discussed cleaning stand alone keyboards before, but
how about notebook keyboards? Pam spilled a small glass of grape
juice on hers! She is getting unwanted 'sticky keys!'

On all the notebooks I've had you can pop the key tops off and clean
underneath. You have to pry hard, and it feels like you're breaking
them, but they come off.

I live in fear that one day I'll get a notebook where instead of prying
you push sideways and cross your eyes or something -- 'cause then I'll
break the damn keys!

Try googling on "laptop keyboard cleaning", or google on your specific
laptop brand and model. If worst comes to worst a decent technician
ought to be able to take the thing apart, clean the keyboard, and put it
all together. That's a pretty big job, though.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html

Phil Hobbs
Guest

Wed Sep 01, 2010 5:52 pm   



Tim Wescott wrote:
Quote:
On 09/01/2010 08:52 AM, Charlie E. wrote:
Hi All,
I know we have discussed cleaning stand alone keyboards before, but
how about notebook keyboards? Pam spilled a small glass of grape
juice on hers! She is getting unwanted 'sticky keys!'

On all the notebooks I've had you can pop the key tops off and clean
underneath. You have to pry hard, and it feels like you're breaking
them, but they come off.

I live in fear that one day I'll get a notebook where instead of prying
you push sideways and cross your eyes or something -- 'cause then I'll
break the damn keys!

Try googling on "laptop keyboard cleaning", or google on your specific
laptop brand and model. If worst comes to worst a decent technician
ought to be able to take the thing apart, clean the keyboard, and put it
all together. That's a pretty big job, though.



Or you could do it by the 10-seconds-of-high-adventure method, i.e. CO2
snow from a fire extinguisher. ;)

CO2 snow is about the best organic cleaner there is.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal
ElectroOptical Innovations
55 Orchard Rd
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
845-480-2058
hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net

Jon Kirwan
Guest

Wed Sep 01, 2010 8:32 pm   



On Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:52:19 -0700, Charlie E.
<edmondson_at_ieee.org> wrote:

Quote:
I know we have discussed cleaning stand alone keyboards before, but
how about notebook keyboards? Pam spilled a small glass of grape
juice on hers! She is getting unwanted 'sticky keys!'

Just so people know, the Lenovo (IBM) laptop keyboards (at
least, for the T-series Thinkpads I have experience with) can
take spills pretty well. My wife just spilled coffee and
cream into hers (cat jumped up to be petted) and had to tip
it over to drain. Yesterday. I wasn't around to help, but
came back home by car about 30 minutes after the event and
there was almost nothing to do. It's almost as though they
use a hydrophobic plastic. Just a few tiny, bunched-up
droplets under a few of the keys, when I got a chance to pull
off keys and look around. Everything worked before and after
I messed around with it.

Under the keyboard perimeter is a beveled lip that helps
direct any fluids out and away from sensitive areas
underneath.

I've often had to clean out cat/dog hair, dandruff, and other
dry accumulations, as well, in cases where a vacuum or duster
can didn't seem to deal with it well enough. And although
the mechanisms "look" to the eye to be tiny and breakable,
I've been lucky over this last decade or so using them (first
unit was a T20 and an A21, most recently two T510's) to never
break any of them. So I'm a believer in these laptops.

Also, just as an aside, Lenovo sells insurance on them. I
just purchased a T510 in late June and received it about 3
weeks later. Because I have a profoundly autistic adult
living with me and because she 'loves' laptops too much, I
also bought the extra coverage (no-fault.) Turned out, I
left my laptop on the (usually) unused side of the living
room couch while seeing my oldest son off, after he visited
us. Gone only 5 minutes, or so. But she'd been so happy
that she almost immediately went into the living room while I
was gone and started bouncing on the couch as she clapped her
hands. My NEW laptop was a causality, since it flipped over
flatwise and she must of sat on it while bouncing. Broken
screen. Bad news. I had a shipment box on my doorstep the
very next morning and a repaired unit back in my hands in
about 3 working days. I'm using it now. No questions, no
cost. Just fixed and back in service. The insurance cost is
about $50 per year and I picked up 3 years to start. I'm
told I can buy another two, later on. I'll probably pick
that up, as well, considering my situation. I know whose
getting the better deal!

I don't know where I can buy that kind of service, elsewhere.
If someone does know, I'm listening.

Jon

Wanderer
Guest

Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:01 pm   



On Sep 1, 12:23 pm, Tim Wescott <t...@seemywebsite.com> wrote:
Quote:
On 09/01/2010 08:52 AM, Charlie E. wrote:

Hi All,
I know we have discussed cleaning stand alone keyboards before, but
how about notebook keyboards?  Pam spilled a small glass of grape
juice on hers!  She is getting unwanted 'sticky keys!'

On all the notebooks I've had you can pop the key tops off and clean
underneath.  You have to pry hard, and it feels like you're breaking
them, but they come off.

I live in fear that one day I'll get a notebook where instead of prying
you push sideways and cross your eyes or something -- 'cause then I'll
break the damn keys!

Try googling on "laptop keyboard cleaning", or google on your specific
laptop brand and model.  If worst comes to worst a decent technician
ought to be able to take the thing apart, clean the keyboard, and put it
all together.  That's a pretty big job, though.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Serviceshttp://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you.
See details athttp://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html

I have an HP Pavilion and I couldn't pry the keys off. I have a funky
F7 for trying after spilling beer.

Jon Kirwan
Guest

Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:29 pm   



On Wed, 1 Sep 2010 12:51:27 -0700 (PDT), "langwadt_at_fonz.dk"
<langwadt_at_fonz.dk> wrote:

Quote:
snip
all the electronics stores here seems to spend more time trying to
sell you insurance than electronics, because they make so much money
on it.

Yes, I'm always on edge about that. It's rarely worth it.

In this unique case, however, and simply because I happen to
have a very risky situation at home... well, it was well
worth the cost. Paid for itself, almost immediately.

The nice thing about Lenovo's offering is that their support
is extremely fast (as I mentioned) and they don't give me
trouble if my daughter destroys it. That fact allows me to
remain 'calm and collected' when my daughter comes over and
tries to grab it from me. Which is very good for my sanity
and her sense of love and acceptance.

Quote:
recently one of the "real" insurance companies started offering
a similar insurance for _all_ your electronics for about the same
as the stores want for one gadget

Hmm. Haven't seen that one.

Jon

langwadt@fonz.dk
Guest

Wed Sep 01, 2010 10:51 pm   



On 1 Sep., 21:32, Jon Kirwan <j...@infinitefactors.org> wrote:
Quote:
On Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:52:19 -0700, Charlie E.

edmond...@ieee.org> wrote:
I know we have discussed cleaning stand alone keyboards before, but
how about notebook keyboards?  Pam spilled a small glass of grape
juice on hers!  She is getting unwanted 'sticky keys!'

Just so people know, the Lenovo (IBM) laptop keyboards (at
least, for the T-series Thinkpads I have experience with) can
take spills pretty well.  My wife just spilled coffee and
cream into hers (cat jumped up to be petted) and had to tip
it over to drain.  Yesterday.  I wasn't around to help, but
came back home by car about 30 minutes after the event and
there was almost nothing to do.  It's almost as though they
use a hydrophobic plastic.  Just a few tiny, bunched-up
droplets under a few of the keys, when I got a chance to pull
off keys and look around.  Everything worked before and after
I messed around with it.

Under the keyboard perimeter is a beveled lip that helps
direct any fluids out and away from sensitive areas
underneath.

I've often had to clean out cat/dog hair, dandruff, and other
dry accumulations, as well, in cases where a vacuum or duster
can didn't seem to deal with it well enough.  And although
the mechanisms "look" to the eye to be tiny and breakable,
I've been lucky over this last decade or so using them (first
unit was a T20 and an A21, most recently two T510's) to never
break any of them.  So I'm a believer in these laptops.

Also, just as an aside, Lenovo sells insurance on them.  I
just purchased a T510 in late June and received it about 3
weeks later.  Because I have a profoundly autistic adult
living with me and because she 'loves' laptops too much, I
also bought the extra coverage (no-fault.)  Turned out, I
left my laptop on the (usually) unused side of the living
room couch while seeing my oldest son off, after he visited
us.  Gone only 5 minutes, or so.  But she'd been so happy
that she almost immediately went into the living room while I
was gone and started bouncing on the couch as she clapped her
hands.  My NEW laptop was a causality, since it flipped over
flatwise and she must of sat on it while bouncing.  Broken
screen.  Bad news.  I had a shipment box on my doorstep the
very next morning and a repaired unit back in my hands in
about 3 working days.  I'm using it now.  No questions, no
cost.  Just fixed and back in service.  The insurance cost is
about $50 per year and I picked up 3 years to start.  I'm
told I can buy another two, later on.  I'll probably pick
that up, as well, considering my situation.  I know whose
getting the better deal!

I don't know where I can buy that kind of service, elsewhere.
If someone does know, I'm listening.

Jon

all the electronics stores here seems to spend more time trying to
sell you insurance than electronics, because they make so much money
on it.

recently one of the "real" insurance companies started offering
a similar insurance for _all_ your electronics for about the same
as the stores want for one gadget

-Lasse

whit3rd
Guest

Thu Sep 02, 2010 8:51 am   



On Sep 1, 8:52 am, Charlie E. <edmond...@ieee.org> wrote:

Quote:
I know we have discussed cleaning stand alone keyboards before, but
how about notebook keyboards?  Pam spilled a small glass of grape
juice on hers!  She is getting unwanted 'sticky keys!'

If you can disassemble the laptop and remove the keyboard, do it (that
grape juice has acids and sugar, it's NOT nice to let it get into
connectors and such). Then, with the keyboard held upside down, mist
the
key surface with a plant mister (distilled water, or deionized water,
is best).

Keep misting until the water starts to drip off. Hopefully, that will
dissolve
the goo, and by gently working the keys and applying more water, you
can
rinse away the solvent.

Blot the edges of the keyboard, wipe the surfaces with a damp cloth,
but DON'T spray water above the sandwich of mylar sheets (if the
keyboard has
those). After removing any loose water, set the keyboard on edge on
a
blotter or towel, it'll have to air-dry a few days to a week.

The usual laptop/netbook keyboards are well sealed from above, EXCEPT
around
the edges.

elektroda.net NewsGroups Forum Index - Electronics Design - Cleaning a notebook keyboard

Arabic versionBulgarian versionCatalan versionCzech versionDanish versionGerman versionGreek versionEnglish versionSpanish versionFinnish versionFrench versionHindi versionCroatian versionIndonesian versionItalian versionHebrew versionJapanese versionKorean versionLithuanian versionLatvian versionDutch versionNorwegian versionPolish versionPortuguese versionRomanian versionRussian versionSlovak versionSlovenian versionSerbian versionSwedish versionTagalog versionUkrainian versionVietnamese versionChinese version
RTV map EDAboard.com map News map EDAboard.eu map EDAboard.de map EDAboard.co.uk map Opony