Fixing non-clicky Cherry MX Blue and chattering switches

[phoenix1234]

Hello GH,

Most of us already had fixed non-clicky Cherry MX or chattering switches before. However, I would like to share some of my experiences on fixing non-clicky Cherry MX and chattering switches (with pictures) in order to help who are looking for a solution especially new members.



When dealing with keyboards, we may accidentally or intentionally face some troubles with clicky switches like Cherry MX Blue. Something like dust, moisture, cooking oil, high viscosity lubricant... may result a lost of clicky on Cherry MX Blue.



For example, if we spray or drop high viscosity lube like Lubriplate FMO 350 or Super Lube Silicone Oil to Cherry MX Blue, it is very high chance to make the switch no longer clicky.



Heavy solutions (after desoldering switches)

Solution 1:
Using WD40 (try to use the original one - Made in USA - there are many counterfeit if you are living in Vietnam like me)

Well, WD 40 is good enough to fix the problem but it is not perfect because it still has lube. The Cherry MX Blue will have clicky again but the switch is like a mess with a lot of low viscosity lube inside and outside. And that will only attract dust particle.

Solution 2(better one)
Using 3M High Power Brake cleaner

I tried this several times. It is very good on cleaning grease and oil. It can clean WD 40, RP7, SuperLube oil, Lubriplate oil, Silicone oil, ATF oil ... perfectly.  For Dupont Krytox, I only tried on Dupont Krytox 205 but I need to use a brush in order to clean it, so I'm not 100% sure if it really works on all types of Krytox.


In order to wash it, I use a small inox dish. The 3M High Power Brake cleaner is safe for Cherry MX plastic (POM?) so we don't need to worry about it.


After waiting for about 5 minutes, I use hot air at 100oC to dry it (if you don't have hot air, you can wait for about 10-15 minutes)



The result is pretty good, all grease and oil are gone.
Everything is clean and dry. The contact-leaf is even shinier than before.



* Indeed, you can spray  3M High Power Brake directly to your keyboard without desoldering but I would not recommend because it is not safe for ABS plastic.

Light solutions (without desoldering switches)

This solution is only for fixing small issues. For that, we can use authentic lighter fluid (you can also use other light solvent like isopropyl 70-95% unless it is unsafe for plastic) . This one is easy to find anywhere in the world. A few drops of lighter fluid to key switch can fix some minor issues like random key chattering or non-clicky Cherry MX Blue with dust or moiture.




Hope these solutions can help you to clean and recover the clicky of your Cherry MX Blue. 

Edit: adding close-up images

[berserkfan]

This is incredible, Phoenix! Another brilliant and simple fix it?!

[dannejanne]

Cherry MX Blues are the ones with the most obviously flawed construction of all Cherry switches if you ask me.

Out of 5 MX Blue keyboards that I have bought in the last year, I think only one of them came with all switched like they should be... clicky. On 4 of the boards one or several switches were non clicky, much less clicky or not clicky at all and different in feeling. On a few switches I could fix that by using air pressure into the switch. Some could not be fixed that way and I returned the keyboards. It were several different brands that had this issue. CM & Ducky to name just two.

I might be just very unlucky or very sensitive to uneven performance but I would expect each switch to act and feel the same way. Blues are not very good at this in my experience. Hence I have cheap thoughts about them.

[rowdy]

An excellent write-up!

I have noticed that most non-clicking problems are with new keyboards, rather than old keyboards that stop clicking.  In that case you should definitely see if it is covered under warranty, as desoldering a switch will definitely void warranty, and spraying chemicals into the switches might void warranty.

[phoenix1234]

This is incredible, Phoenix! Another brilliant and simple fix it?!

Nothing fancy actually, it is just a simple fix.
After harvesting several Cherry MX Blue keyboards and dealing with non-clicky issue, I got tired of soldering & desoldering due to the ridiculous problem. Besides, some of the keyboards are pre-owned, so the pre-owners may already did something wrongly with the Cherry MX Blue switches in the ways that we cannot imagine (high viscosity motor oil, high concentrated silicone oil...)

I might be just very unlucky or very sensitive to uneven performance but I would expect each switch to act and feel the same way. Blues are not very good at this in my experience. Hence I have cheap thoughts about them.

Without a doubt, the fault tolerant of clicky Cherry MX switches (blue, white and green) is the lowest in Cherry MX family. A bit of bending on contact leaf, a dust particle, a drop of sweat or milk, or something that prevent the stem and contact leaf have enough friction to form a clicky event may case the switch become non-clicky.

An excellent write-up!

I have noticed that most non-clicking problems are with new keyboards, rather than old keyboards that stop clicking.  In that case you should definitely see if it is covered under warranty, as desoldering a switch will definitely void warranty, and spraying chemicals into the switches might void warranty.

I see it happened quite randomly and unpredictably.
For sure, desoldering switch will void warranty but I believe in normal condition and reasonably, non-evasive chemicals, the ones that do not create any impact on the keyboard material, will not void the warranty unless the seller can prove it. Of course, we must exclude the awkward policies from some ridiculous manufacturers like removing keycap may also void warranty (Logitech?) )