Keyboard Autopsy

[pzycoman]

Couple of weeks ago, I gave my keyboard a drink (pepsi), it didnt like it. I decided to open it up and clean it out, here are a few pics:

Fairly expensive (I paid £60 for it!) top of the range Microsoft Wired Natural keyboard...and its back to working properly! (After a slight incident, where I had one screw left over...was looking for an hour where it was supposed to go!)

 

[Arch]

Blimey, well, done. I'd have had several screws and a few keys left over!

 

[Fnaar]

Nice.... I must admit I'd never thought about what was in there (apart from crumbs)
I'd also have been tempted to put all the letters in alphabetical order....

 

[TheDoctor]

Nice one. About 18 years back, I temped at a electronic repair company and worked up a very profitable little niche refurbishing PC Keyboards. This was when a new keyboard cost about £95, rather than 95p like they do now.
Unless you like taking things to bits (and lots of us do, nothing wrong with that) you could probably dunk it in plain water to get the pepsi out, leave it upside down on a towel to drain, then leave it on a radiator for a few days to dry out. That works well with mobile phones that have ended up in fords. Or beer, for that matter...
Oh - if you're going to remove the keys, it's a very, very good idea to photocopy the keyboard first. Trust me. [/voice of experience]

 

[Keith Oates]

Nice one. About 18 years back, I temped at a electronic repair company and worked up a very profitable little niche refurbishing PC Keyboards. This was when a new keyboard cost about £95, rather than 95p like they do now.
Unless you like taking things to bits (and lots of us do, nothing wrong with that) you could probably dunk it in plain water to get the pepsi out, leave it upside down on a towel to drain, then leave it on a radiator for a few days to dry out. That works well with mobile phones that have ended up in fords. Or beer, for that matter...
Oh - if you're going to remove the keys, it's a very, very good idea to photocopy the keyboard first. Trust me. [/voice of experience]

Sounds like another story could be from that statement, Doctor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[pzycoman]

I tried that at first, but a few of the keys had already stuck, was getting really funky typing, so I decided to take the thing apart - first time iv done it with a proper expensive keyboard (Iv done it with a cheapo crappy keyboard, took about 4 hours coz of the crappy keys) Its now working perfectly, apart from the "Warranty void if broken" label I had to attack to get at the screw undearneath

 

[Arch]

Oh - if you're going to remove the keys, it's a very, very good idea to photocopy the keyboard first. Trust me. [/voice of experience]

Nah, stick 'em back any old how, and give it to someone you don't like. Who has a deadline coming up....

Reminds me of that scene in Amelie, when she sneaks in and does all that stuff to make the nasty grocer think he's going barmy...

 

[Trillian]

I once dropped my keyboard and most of the letters came off, guess they were loose due to being used a lot.

got f and j back in the correct place and spelled out something random accross the top, possibly 'turnips' and then just stuck keys back in random places

I was the only person who could type on it, everyone else in the house glances at the keyboard while touch typing, I evidently do it by feel.

 

[Maz]

I'm tempted to do that to my keyboard at work...just so everyone realises how feckin bored I am.

 

[Over The Hill]

I did see a vid of someone who washed his keyboard in the dishwasher. I think he just left it to dry for a week before using it and it was fine. It is probably on youtube now.

 

[punkypossum]

Indeed! Quite a few of them actually, here's one:

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqq46Jms4cE

 

[pzycoman]

You shouldnt wash a keyb in a dish washer - the detergents arnt much good for the electronic gubbins inside...