Stabilizer issue

[Nitromatic]

Received a new keyboard today with cherry blues, and I'm having issues with some sticky keys. It mainly affects big keys with stabilizers, and it's worst on space, backspace, enter, shift, and num+. The keys are sticky on the upstroke, the downstroke is heavier as well, and on bottoming out it almost feels like I have o-rings installed. There's some visible goop inside some of the stabilizers. I'm wondering if this could be caused by the keyboard sitting in storage for too long, or by use of old/bad lubricant. The other keys feel completely normal so far. It's a ducky shine 7.

I've seen posts on this issue before, but was wondering if there's consensus about a best fix for it. Does it sort itself over time, should I use 99% alcohol and re-lubricate, or should I just buy some new stabilizers? I'd prefer to fix it myself rather than needing to RMA.

Thanks in advance

[Maledicted]

I don't personally care about stabilizers beyond making sure that they function, myself. I can't think of a reason why it would hurt to use isopropyl to clean the goop off and see what it does. You make it sound like they're nearly unusable as is, so what is there to lose?

I just stole some stabilizer inserts from an old Rosewill board last night, since Das apparently feels the need to super glue theirs into their caps, so the new set I put in is using a mix of Das inserts and whatever random crap Rosewill used. I've already cleaned every inch of this board with isopropyl at least twice now since I got it used, and assembled without lube (since I don't care about that). Works for me.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Rob27shred]

Does it have PBT caps? Sounds to me like the longer caps are warped causing the stabilizers to bind. If you have some known straight caps you can try on them, that'll let you know for sure if it's the stabs or the caps.

[Maledicted]

Does it have PBT caps? Sounds to me like the longer caps are warped causing the stabilizers to bind. If you have some known straight caps you can try on them, that'll let you know for sure if it's the stabs or the caps.

How common is that? Is it a manufacturing defect, or the result of external factors?

[Nitromatic]

I don't personally care about stabilizers beyond making sure that they function, myself. I can't think of a reason why it would hurt to use isopropyl to clean the goop off and see what it does. You make it sound like they're nearly unusable as is, so what is there to lose?

Yeah, I wouldn't mind, but it's making enough of an impact on my typing that something needs to be done. If isopropyl alcohol won't damage the pcb or anything I'll try that.

Does it have PBT caps? Sounds to me like the longer caps are warped causing the stabilizers to bind. If you have some known straight caps you can try on them, that'll let you know for sure if it's the stabs or the caps.

Yes, they are PBT. Tried some keycaps, mainly spacebars from other boards (ABS and PBT), and the key still feels the same. The spacebar switch itself is fine, and when the keycap is straight I figured it had to be the stabilizers.

[Maledicted]

Yeah, I wouldn't mind, but it's making enough of an impact on my typing that something needs to be done. If isopropyl alcohol won't damage the pcb or anything I'll try that.

Isopropyl certainly will not harm the board. You just want the highest concentration you can find, for quicker evaporation, and give it a good 15 minutes or so after applying it before you plug it in (so long as you don't bathe the board in it). I use it often to clean corrosion off of water-damaged student laptop motherboards. It has saved quite a few of them.

[Venaros]

Desolder--if the stabs are plate mount you only need to desolder the switch it surrounds, otherwise you'll have to desolder all the switches--take out the stabs, remove the factory lube (which is what the goop is), then clip and relube them. That should help, at least with the mushy feel.

[Nitromatic]

Desolder--if the stabs are plate mount you only need to desolder the switch it surrounds, otherwise you'll have to desolder all the switches--take out the stabs, remove the factory lube (which is what the goop is), then clip and relube them. That should help, at least with the mushy feel.

Thanks
The stabilizers are plate mounted, so I won't have to desolder anything else than the switches, fortunately. I'll try just dropping in some isopropyl first, and if that doesn't work, I'll desolder and clean them properly. Think I'll have to do that anyways though, because of the amount of stuff that's in there.

[jacethesaltsculptor]

I don't personally care about stabilizers beyond making sure that they function, myself. I can't think of a reason why it would hurt to use isopropyl to clean the goop off and see what it does. You make it sound like they're nearly unusable as is, so what is there to lose?

Yeah, I wouldn't mind, but it's making enough of an impact on my typing that something needs to be done. If isopropyl alcohol won't damage the pcb or anything I'll try that.

Does it have PBT caps? Sounds to me like the longer caps are warped causing the stabilizers to bind. If you have some known straight caps you can try on them, that'll let you know for sure if it's the stabs or the caps.

Yes, they are PBT. Tried some keycaps, mainly spacebars from other boards (ABS and PBT), and the key still feels the same. The spacebar switch itself is fine, and when the keycap is straight I figured it had to be the stabilizers.

At my job, we clean boards frequently with Iso at 90%, or less if the board is given time to dry.

You can also use vinegar on REALLY stubborn gunk on PCB's, just make sure that neither touches plastic, as depending on the plastic that can be bad. (water down the vinegar a bit, and cleanse after with water. This is great for cleaning up corrosion