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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: FrostyToast on Tue, 04 February 2014, 17:40:23
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I don't know if my math is right, so I would like it if you guys could check my work for me.
I recently spilled some of my coffee on my Corsair K90 and it went bat**** crazy so I unplugged it and flipped it upside down.
Could you guys suggest an effective solution to the problem?
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Open it up and sop up as much as possible, then use 99% alcohol to clean up any reside, especially if you take sugar in your coffee. Make sure it is 100% dry before plug it in again. DO NOT put a mechanical in the dishwasher.
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I don't currently have alcohol right now. How important would it be for cleaning?
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Very important. Water + metal = rust. Alcohol evaporates quickly and cleans better, and is much much safer.
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LOL, dishwasher. That was a joke, right? Denatured alcohol is for cleaning any of the electronics.
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Would I need to clean the front of the PCB as well? I don't want to solder if at all possible.
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Not necessarily need to take it apart that far. If some switch got too gummed up, it might be necessary on some perhaps. One of my friend spilled some kind of juice on keyboard and only unplugged it... let it get all sticky. I took out pcb of case and submerged the whole pcb with switches in 99% alcohol. After it was thoroughly cleaned and dried it was like new again. Alcohol is cheap in the drug store.
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LOL, dishwasher. That was a joke, right?
I see that recommendation on other forums all the time. I dunno if it actually worked for the posters (cleaning a rubber dome keyboard) or if they are just trolling.
I suppose that many rubber dome keyboards could survive being hosed down with sprays of 70°C water during two hours. It is not as if they are submerged, or if the water is hot enough to melt plastic. The plastic membrane is clamped tight with a rubber sheet on top, thus sealing those circuits in, with the actual electronics on a pretty small circuit board.
I wouldn't recommend it, even with a rubber dome keyboard.
There are also keyboards made to be waterproof, which dishwashing is a real recommended method for cleaning, but they are a small minority.
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That's silly to think you should clean any electronic device in a dishwasher.
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I don't know about you guys but I recommend a solution of one part corn syrup two parts sulfuric acid
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you don't necessary need to use alcohol to wash the keyboard... water is actually fine if you dry it up in reasonable time.
I have a deck keyboard with black switch.. for the first three years of college, due to the lack of space, I always eat on my desk. I believe I have spilled coffee, ice tea, all kinds of juice, coke, etc on my deck black cherry key.
But you know what, I just dissamble the whole thing and wash it under hot water.
I generally keep the water running for roughly five minute while pressing/tapping all the buttons that has been spilled to make sure the inside is clean as well....
Then wipe it down, Q-tip all the little creeks, then follow up with hair dryer on high for half an hour...
for as many times I have done it... it still comes out and work just like before the spill
8 years later, that keyboard is now still server as the living room entertainment center's keyboard
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Like others have said... Alcohol and let it dry.
That or buy another K90... I have one in it's box...
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The keyboard is fully functional in terms of the circuits. However I still have some problems with a few sticky switches. What would be the most effective method. I don't want to desolder or submerge the thing in alcohol either because that would be a bit expensive.
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I doubt you can really clean inside a switch without desoldering it. I think that is going to be your only option.
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I thought of running some warm water through the switch to wash out the residue and then using alcohol to wash out all the water so that it can dry quicker and not rust the components.
Would this be viable or effective?
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I thought of running some warm water through the switch to wash out the residue and then using alcohol to wash out all the water so that it can dry quicker and not rust the components.
Would this be viable or effective?
ummm
Why not just desolder... and replace the switches.. ultimately it'll be 100% effective... and in terms of time will probably take less, because there won't be any drying and blowdrying..
Since you're only replacing a few switches.. You can get a cheap soldering iron and some soldering braids..
You don't really need a pump for small jobs either.
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I thought of running some warm water through the switch to wash out the residue and then using alcohol to wash out all the water so that it can dry quicker and not rust the components.
Would this be viable or effective?
ummm
Why not just desolder... and replace the switches.. ultimately it'll be 100% effective... and in terms of time will probably take less, because there won't be any drying and blowdrying..
Since you're only replacing a few switches.. You can get a cheap soldering iron and some soldering braids..
You don't really need a pump for small jobs either.
If I were to desolder, the plate mounted design would make me have to desolder all of the switches and LEDs then resolder them in order to clean just a few switches. This would take more time and effort than running hot water and then washing out the water with alcohol. This would still take a couple of hours to evaporate, however I don't have to actively do anything in those hours.
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I thought of running some warm water through the switch to wash out the residue and then using alcohol to wash out all the water so that it can dry quicker and not rust the components.
Would this be viable or effective?
ummm
Why not just desolder... and replace the switches.. ultimately it'll be 100% effective... and in terms of time will probably take less, because there won't be any drying and blowdrying..
Since you're only replacing a few switches.. You can get a cheap soldering iron and some soldering braids..
You don't really need a pump for small jobs either.
If I were to desolder, the plate mounted design would make me have to desolder all of the switches and LEDs then resolder them in order to clean just a few switches. This would take more time and effort than running hot water and then washing out the water with alcohol. This would still take a couple of hours to evaporate, however I don't have to actively do anything in those hours.
You only need to desolder the switches that need cleaned... Unless they are all messed up? You said only a few were messed up so?..
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You don't need to take out the entire plate to take out a single switch (on a normal plate mounted board). You only have to desolder the individual switch(es), then lift both sides out with a flat headed screwdriver. It's not hard at all.
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I thought of running some warm water through the switch to wash out the residue and then using alcohol to wash out all the water so that it can dry quicker and not rust the components.
Would this be viable or effective?
Try running it under warm hot water,
then keep pressing buttons that are sticky (basically making sure water flow into the switch and washes out moving parts....
I fixed the sticky key from Arizona green tea on my old keyboard that way.....
also, just make sure they are fully dry later.
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I thought of running some warm water through the switch to wash out the residue and then using alcohol to wash out all the water so that it can dry quicker and not rust the components.
Would this be viable or effective?
Try running it under warm hot water,
then keep pressing buttons that are sticky (basically making sure water flow into the switch and washes out moving parts....
I fixed the sticky key from Arizona green tea on my old keyboard that way.....
also, just make sure they are fully dry later.
Yeah, again... bad idea. (Also, what is "warm hot" water?)