"sum1" wiped keyboard w/ windex - keys all jumbled

[irfanj]

So, someone close to me decided to clean my keyboard with windex. I have a wired apple keyboard w/ numpad: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Keyboard-Compatible-v-10-6-8-Versions/dp/B07K7V1FWC

The following keys now show up as 2 characters on the screen:
8 shows up as 8-
i shows up as i[
k shows up as k'
, shows up as ,(space)
(space) shows up as ,(space)

the same thing happens on the far right of the keyboard as well (numpad 4 shows up as 4+, numpad 7 is 7-)

I left it to dry for awhile (1 month, since I switched to a diff keyboard) but no change

Is there anything i can do to fix this? I know how to remove the caps, but not much more than that (and the scissor clips underneath seem to be stuck in place)

Thanks

[fohat.digs]

Is that a rare or expensive keyboard? Just replace it.

[Leslieann]

They didn't wipe it, they probably didn't even just spray it, they either dunked or doused it in cleaner.
(HINT: With the item powered off, spray a rag while pointing away from delicate objects then wipe!)

If you are lucky, turning it off (NOW!) and letting it dry may allow it function again, at least for a bit. However, it has been damaged, how bad is hard to say and it could take weeks to dry depending on where and how much fluid got into it.


If it's a new super thin aluminum jobber, just toss the thing. It's not worth the effort especially considering how fragile and difficult to repair they can be (thanks Apple!). Just replace it with another on Ebay (they're pretty cheap) or as Apple people tend to do, make yet another pilgrimage to the Apple store and pray to your god, Steve by making a donation.


If it's an old Apple keyboard, or if it's a newer one and you are desperate to save it, power it off, disassemble it as far as possible then dunk it into a tub of isopropyl alcohol then allowing it to dry, this displaces the water and evaporates faster. Putting it into a warm oven (NOT HOT, as it can light the alcohol on fire) can also speed this up a bit. A bit of contact cleaner to clean up any corrosion is also a good idea, then reassemble and cross your fingers. Chances are the old one will work fine, the newer one, well you probably just made a mess that needs to be cleaned up because there's almost zero chance this went back together nicely, much less still functions as they were designed to be disposable (like almost everything modern Apple).

[tp4tissue]

If it's sentimental,

You can get a few bottles of 99.9% alcohol and soak the whole board in a shallow tub/ plasti-bag.

Then let that air out.

This doesn't work with 70% or 90%, it will rust


Even this method is not 100% safe, because there could be material in the board that could mildly dissolve in alcohol or plastic parts that may harden/discolor/embrittle

[Maledicted]

I'll just further emphasize removal of corrosion, immediately. Unplug it now, keep it unplugged until you've torn the entire thing down and carefully remove any and all of the corrosion with high concentrations of isopropyl, either with a rag, paper towel, or toothbrush (those really help getting in tiny crevices between SMD components on circuit boards). Once you've triple-checked that no corrosion remains, leave it to dry a few hours before reassembly. I have seen circuit boards that would not function at all come to life after I've done my due diligence in removing the corrosion completely. I think that the corrosion itself can conduct enough to cause further damage.

Source: Many, many, many student laptops.

I would hope that since that's probably just using a membrane, that disassembly should be pretty easy, but as Leslieann touched on, Apple has always put their best effort into making service as backwards as possible (with the exception of their old Mac Pros).

Those are just cheap (not by end-user cost, of course) scissor switch boards, aren't they? If it were me, I would just toss it and get a proper keyboard for a fraction of the cost. I know some people like that switch type though. Worst case, if you do prefer that type of switch, those are amongst the cheapest types of keyboard available, so long as they don't have the Apple logo on them.

[Leslieann]

Those are just cheap (not by end-user cost, of course) scissor switch boards, aren't they? If it were me, I would just toss it and get a proper keyboard for a fraction of the cost. I know some people like that switch type though. Worst case, if you do prefer that type of switch, those are amongst the cheapest types of keyboard available, so long as they don't have the Apple logo on them.

Good scissor switches are not cheap or easy to find, it's a near non-existent market on desktop.

You would think that but really there's only about 3 companies who can make them right for desktop, Logitech, Apple and Lenovo, and the good ones start at around $80.

[Maledicted]

Good scissor switches are not cheap or easy to find, it's a near non-existent market on desktop.

You would think that but really there's only about 3 companies who can make them right for desktop, Logitech, Apple and Lenovo, and the good ones start at around $80.

We may have to agree to disagree, unless I have miraculously never used bad ones for desktops. I have a random old Compaq keyboard (from my first desktop computer) with scissor switches, I have a random old wireless Lenovo keyboard with scissor switches, I have a random old wireless Logitech keyboard with scissor switches, and at least one or two Chinese/generic offbrands, we have dozens of Apple ones in our labs. None of them seem to feel particularly great at all, or significantly different from each other. I used the Logitech one for 3-4+ years straight, daily, for an HTPC role (it has a trackpad) until I upgraded to a TG3 cop keyboard recently. It doesn't feel much better than the average random laptop. On some laptops, I have noticed differences, but I think that was mostly small variations in key travel and slightly varying degrees of mushiness, besides those newer Macbook keyboards (if they're even scissor switches). Those are literal garbage in my opinion. Might as well be typing on a desk with a laser keyboard, or that dumb glass keyboard.

I don't have a high opinion of anything made by Lenovo (outside of their business class), even though I own and daily use one of their higher-end consumer grade laptops at home (I got it second-hand for almost nothing). Maybe thousands of terrible student laptops have soured my opinion though.

That was another thing I meant by superior for cheaper as well though. I can't see any justification for an $80 price tag on cheaply-made rubber dome scissor mechanisms when you can get a decent Chinese mechanical for $35.

To each their own though. I'm certainly not a scissor switch connoisseur. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Addendum: I came across some water damage today at the middle school, and it made me think of this thread:



That corrosion is bone dry. The student obviously jacked this thing up some time ago. There was no cursor at all prior to my having cleaned the corrosion off of the board. It no longer tracked properly, even after thorough cleaning (and is now in the trash), but just the act of removing it did bring the trackpad back to life.

Simple submersion won't remove things like this. I figured that may be a helpful anecdote.