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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: gilgam on Sat, 23 April 2011, 04:35:02

Title: Cleaning old and dirty keyboard
Post by: gilgam on Sat, 23 April 2011, 04:35:02
Hi

So i get two old cherry keyboards, dirty as hell with stinky keycaps

I dropped keycaps overnight in a dental minty fresh solution, and rubbed them gently in water + soap.
-> they are very nice (cherry double shot :-) , Deutsch layout :-(
I cleaned the cases with soap and hot water
-> quite fine, not as clean as expected, maybe the dishwasher ...

But what about the PCB
In the Wiki there is a link to OCN. They use distilled water ... Is it really fine ?

Thanks
Title: Cleaning old and dirty keyboard
Post by: What is X? on Sat, 23 April 2011, 06:11:28
well distilled water isn't even conductive in its pure state, but it doesn't matter how conductive something is if there's no power going through the PCB. As long as the PCB is dry when you plug it back in it will be fine.
Title: Cleaning old and dirty keyboard
Post by: MartZink on Sat, 23 April 2011, 09:24:09
Put it in the washing machine :)
Title: Cleaning old and dirty keyboard
Post by: Ascaii on Sat, 23 April 2011, 11:42:39
Did the boards get there yet? :)
Title: Cleaning old and dirty keyboard
Post by: gilgam on Sat, 23 April 2011, 15:57:18
Quote from: ripster;336135
I posted the OCN cleaning guide in my All About Keys Wiki because I consider it the best on the Internet.

Distilled water for PCBs is the classic answer.  Although frankly once you deal with some 20 year old dirty ALPS keyboard it doesn't really matter - the water will become less pure than sewer water in seconds.

Yes it's a cherry old board from 1988-1989 (g80-1000 HFD blue cherry). I'm not a OCD man but i put my gloves on on that one ;-) and the water is grayish (5 liters of good ol distilled water).


@Ascaii

yes i got it, first time i touch blue cherry switches. I thought i won't like them, but they're quite nice.

I plan to paint it in pink / purple / green. (don't laught it's my daughter order...)  any SP mass order of flower keycaps ?  :-P