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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Lorizean on Thu, 07 November 2013, 05:10:53
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Hi geekhack!
I'm new to the whole mechanical keyboard thing and I fear I may have harmed my precious keyboard.
I recently got a WASD v2 keyboard (tenkeyless) with Cherry MX Brown switches.
The day before yesterday I cleaned it for the first time (removed all caps, held it under running water and let it dry for 24 hours).
Since then, one key (specifically the 'R' key in Colemak, or 'S' in QWERTY) is misbehaving - it only registers the keypress 40-50% of the time.
I blew compressed air in the switch and it worked fine for a short while but now it's back to being stubborn.
Some other keys feel like they need a higher actuation force now, but that may just be my imagination and it's not as big a deal as the R key.
I do have a spare switch lying around, do I have to desolder and switch the old one or is there something else I could try?
Thanks for any help!
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The day before yesterday I cleaned it for the first time (removed all caps, held it under running water and let it dry for 24 hours).
What exactly made you think that would be a good idea?
Check if any of the traces for the key are somehow damaged, if not, desolder it and solder in the spare one. Not a guaranteed fix but might as well try.
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The day before yesterday I cleaned it for the first time (removed all caps, held it under running water and let it dry for 24 hours).
What exactly made you think that would be a good idea?
I read on numerous interne sites that it would be okay to do that.
I guess I should've done it differently.
I will try your suggestion, thanks.
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I read on numerous interne sites that it would be okay to do that.
I guess I should've done it differently.
Welp you know have proof for those people that it is not... Washing keycaps is fine though.
It maybe would have been fine if you let it dry longer - no gurantee. My guess is that there was still some water somewhere that didn't dry completly or even that some dirt got with the water flow into a switch.
Generally, using compressed air is enough if you don't spill anything over your keyboard. I would also recommend not eating near your keyboard and it should stay clean for a while.
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hahahahahaha.... You just took the board and ran water over it?
I guess it wouldn't kill it but it's kinda hard to dry without taking it apart..
24 hours is def not enough....
Stop using it.. take the bezel apart, and really let it dry in a "warm area" NOT too close to the house-radiator or it might melt...
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Stop using it.. take the bezel apart, and really let it dry in a "warm area" NOT too close to the house-radiator or it might melt...
It doesn't need to be warm, just dry. Also putting it upside down on rice could help making the drying process faster.
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Stop using it.. take the bezel apart, and really let it dry in a "warm area" NOT too close to the house-radiator or it might melt...
Are doesn't need to be warm, just dry. Also putting it upside down on rice could help making the drying process faster.
pretty sure the rice only works if you put it in a "bag" with the rice..
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it's gotta be sealed into the bag with the rice.
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What the hell??? You don't put the KEYBOARD under water, you only wash the KEYCAPS with water.
What if I told you that I tried to clean my cell phone by running it through the dish washer? You'd think I was crazy. That's how you look right now.
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What the hell??? You don't put the KEYBOARD under water, you only wash the KEYCAPS with water.
What if I told you that I tried to clean my cell phone by running it through the dish washer? You'd think I was crazy. That's how you look right now.
I don't think it's crazy... it's unconventional.. and CAN BE DONE....
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That soap and water thing is common and accepted for rubber dome keyboards. As long as the electronics don't corrode it is OK.
Anybody who has actually disassembled or studied a mechanical switch realizes that it is a delicate and finely tuned device.
Any water with the exception of distilled water (and then it will not be pure because it will have dissolved the dirt you were trying to get rid of!) will leave traces of residue that will play hell with close tolerances.
I ruined a couple of Alps keyboards that way before I thought it through in my mind's eye.
Now I disassemble a used keyboard as completely as I dare, wash anything that can take it with soap and water, vacuum (suck, never blow, as the old saying goes) as much as possible, and wipe everything else with alcohol.
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Doesn't WASD lube all but the Blues? If you ran it under water, lube probably got washed off.
Also 24 hours is never enough time. On rubber domes, the least amount of time I have ever seen recommended was 3 days. Most of the time, closer to a week. Still that is on rubber domes which have no real moving parts and are 99% plastic or rubber.
Sounds to me like you hosed it, literally and figuratively.
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Doesn't WASD lube all but the Blues? If you ran it under water, lube probably got washed off.
Also 24 hours is never enough time. On rubber domes, the least amount of time I have ever seen recommended was 3 days. Most of the time, closer to a week. Still that is on rubber domes which have no real moving parts and are 99% plastic or rubber.
Sounds to me like you hosed it, literally and figuratively.
it's probably not broken..
just needs more dry time.
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I'm the type that never says something is broken. Just question is will it require more skill than the OP can give?
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I'm the type that never says something is broken.
Neil Young: "Rust Never Sleeps"