A spill on a keyboard with plate mounted Cherry switches

[Kubelecer]

Hi, I just had an accident and I spilled watermelon juice on my Filco, luckily no harm was done except three keys being ''sticky''. They are harder to press, have almost no click sound and they get up slow aswell. I tried spraying some WD-40 and it helpted to an extent, the keys feel really sluggish but they work and I am asking this: Is it possible to open the switch without demontaging the whole keyboard? Opening it would cause the ''DO NOT REMOVE O.K'' sticker to be damaged and I think that would void my warranty, which I still have on the keyboard. I am not really leaning towards sending it back at the moment due to insane cost of the shipping. Is there a liquid I could spread in the switch to make it be normal again? I got an answer on the forum that the spring is the problem and it needs to be cleaned as it is sticky due to the juice.

I got Cherry blues

Thanks in advance

Edit: 31st May

Desoldered, two keys are still sticky after being sprayed with the isopropanol. Gonna bathe them in some 75% alcohol for a night in 2 days when I get the alcohol and see if they will work. Looks like it is only the sticky sugar that keeps them wonky, nothing was found in the switches. I am however surprised that the cable was kept firm by using tape. Production quality.

[pgeiger]

You should probably sell it - to me.... but seriously - take off all the keycaps and wipe it down with alcohol - while it's unplugged.

And don't eat watermelon before July 4th - according to my grandfather.

[Kubelecer]

Yeah, well the problem is that it is IN the switch, and as it is plate mounted I literally have no idea if it possible to open them without taking the whole thing apart, the keys work, but it's the spring that is really sticky and needs to be cleaned.

[tp4tissue]

Hi, I just had an accident and I spilled watermelon juice on my Filco, luckily no harm was done except three keys being ''sticky''. They are harder to press, have almost no click sound and they get up slow aswell. I tried spraying some WD-40 and it helpted to an extent, the keys feel really sluggish but they work and I am asking this: Is it possible to open the switch without demontaging the whole keyboard? Opening it would cause the ''DO NOT REMOVE O.K'' sticker to be damaged and I think that would void my warranty, which I still have on the keyboard. I am not really leaning towards sending it back at the moment due to insane cost of the shipping. Is there a liquid I could spread in the switch to make it be normal again? I got an answer on the forum that the spring is the problem and it needs to be cleaned as it is sticky due to the juice.

I got Cherry blues

Thanks in advance

2 ways to fix.

Desolder switches, purchase new switch, resolder

Desolder switches, disassemble switch, clean, reassemble switch, resolder

choice 1 is easier, and more of a guaranteed fix.


THERE IS NOTHING you can do outside of these 2 options.. they will always come up short.

[pgeiger]

+1 for the answer above - that's the only solid way to deal with things.  If you don't solder, you could probably get a local hacker to do it.

[Kubelecer]

I'm able to solder and all that stuff, it's more the decision of making it yourself and void your warranty or send it for a fee and get a new one in return that is questioning me.

[khaangaaroo]

Break that sticker and fix that sucker.

[Thechemist]

5 Easy steps should help you with this problem ( and retain your warranty ).

1> Remove the key caps, unplug the keyboard from the computer.
2> Shoot 99% isopropyl alcohol through a syringe with a needle into the switch that is sticking through the led hole and also when you press the stem, spray there also ( fill up the switch all the way ).
3> Once the switch is full just press it multiple times ( 50 should suffice ) or till you feel like the switch is working as it used to.
4> Repeat steps 1-3 on any additional switches that are sticking.
5> let it sit for 6 hours( the isopropyl alcohol should have evaporated by now ) and place the board upside down for additional 2 hours ( as a precautionary measure ). You can probably skip the last two hours by just using a hair dryer on medium setting, moving it back and forth about 6-12'' away from the switches for about 2-3minutes.

[khaangaaroo]

Only cleaning it from the inside will guarantee that the stickiness will go away. Like TP4 said...

THERE IS NOTHING you can do outside of these 2 options.. they will always come up short.

Plus, it's way easy just to just take it apart. If you RMA it, there's a chance they'll find out you spilled juice on it, and just send it right back to you. Time and shipping money wasted.

[Kubelecer]

Thanks for the answers!

I'll first try what chemist said as that was what I was looking for, after that I'll desolder.
Is a transformer soldering iron too hot though? Since it's the only one I currently have.

[WhiteFireDragon]

Flood the affected switches with isopropyl alcohol several times. Use the 99% stuff, not the cheap stuff from walmart. Dry it and it should be fine.

Fastest way to fix is to desolder and solder in new switches. Warranty doesn't matter at this point, you already voided once you spilled juice on it. That's just dishonest if you try to get it replaced. Warranty is for factory defects, not your own doing to it. But if you are going to RMA it, just don't post about it lol. I'm not going to go much further into the ethics about it.

[khaangaaroo]

Is a transformer soldering iron too hot though? Since it's the only one I currently have.

Not ideal, but should be fine as long are you're careful not to leave it in contact with the switch for too long.

[Thechemist]

You want to purchase the 99% isorpopyl alcohol since it will evaporate faster and cleaner, if you are having hard time to locate one try your local small drug store or walgreens since I think walmart only carriers 70% and 91%.

If you still can't locate one, here is one.

Edit: not sure where you live though. 

[pgeiger]

From experience - don't use a transformer iron.  Use a good quality small-tipped iron and a solder-sucker gun or desoldering-rope, both available from a place like sparkfun.com.  I prefer a sucker-gun, but they sometimes don't get things as clean.

[Kubelecer]

Okay, I finally recieved my 95%isopropanol. Sprayed the **** out of those switches several times and one of them is more sticky than it was. I'll desolder this thing and see what **** got into the switches. I believe that it is something else that blocks them.

Thanks for tips everyone and I'll post any updates so that anyone else who gets this problems can just see what I did.

[Kubelecer]

Okay so I bathed them in isopropanol for 12 hours, took them out in boiling water for 15 minutes and put into alcohol again. The whole switch is now pretty ''not sticky'' but I hear almost no click on almost all of those, after some brushing inside I made 1 to click with about 60% effectivity. Does anyone know any other tips I can use?

If not, are there any switch sellers which can ship to Europe?

The links on the Ripster guide are outdated.

[bazemk1979]

out of all juices out there you did it with the watermelon.....

[Photoelectric]

Okay so I bathed them in isopropanol for 12 hours, took them out in boiling water for 15 minutes and put into alcohol again. The whole switch is now pretty ''not sticky'' but I hear almost no click on almost all of those, after some brushing inside I made 1 to click with about 60% effectivity. Does anyone know any other tips I can use?

If not, are there any switch sellers which can ship to Europe?

The links on the Ripster guide are outdated.

Boiling water?  How much heat can the plastic in the switches withstand?  It's possible they were affected by such heating.

[Kubelecer]

Okay so I bathed them in isopropanol for 12 hours, took them out in boiling water for 15 minutes and put into alcohol again. The whole switch is now pretty ''not sticky'' but I hear almost no click on almost all of those, after some brushing inside I made 1 to click with about 60% effectivity. Does anyone know any other tips I can use?

If not, are there any switch sellers which can ship to Europe?

The links on the Ripster guide are outdated.

Boiling water?  How much heat can the plastic in the switches withstand?  It's possible they were affected by such heating.

No harm was done. I tested with a sample beforehand. It got rid of the juice fairly well, but not enough.

I am now choosing between a new keyboard or buying new switches.

[thefunkyprimer]

New keyboard versus three new switches?

Let me know if you want to get rid of the Filco. 

[Kubelecer]

After several more tries I decided it is best to get new switches. Found them cheap on wasdkeyboards and ordered 15 switches.

After the boiling treatment, the Numlock key became the Nunlock key though. Other keys were kinda weared down a bit, but only if seen from extremely close distances.

Thanks everyone for your help, I appreciate it.