Just to say that since seeing your post one of my keys suddenly required gigantic pressure for it to work. In a fit of sheer masochism I decided to take the whole thing apart and overhaul it. The results are 100% and I'm using it to type this. My typo count has definitely decreased. It does take a while to make a good job of it but if you happen to like the feel of your old keyboard and therefore prefer not to replace it I can assure you it can be brought back to total perfection. It's a fairly long story so I'll not post it unless you, or someone, is particularly interested. I'm well aware how cheap new keyboards can be, so most folks would go for that option. Derek.W

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Derek, >I'm well aware how cheap new keyboards can be, This is a laptop keyboard, which (generally speaking) is not so cheap to replace. The keyboard on my laptop is easily removed (just 4 screws), but cleaning it could be a challenge, even with it removed. Mesich had a similar problem a while ago, which resulted in buying a new laptop. Corona on Laptop Good luck Steve. HTH Dave The word 'politics' is made up of the words 'poli' meaning 'many' in Latin, and 'tics' as in 'bloodsucking creatures’

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Aha, somehow I overlooked the laptop bit when I came back. What I did was with a standard separate keyboard. As I say, can spell it out if anyone is interested.... Apologies for error. Derek.W

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Well I wanna know....... I want to compare tactics/procedures on ~seperate~ keyboards as that is what I've done for people.

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This is what I did (standard keyboard - NOT laptop). First I upturned the keyboard and supported it at each end with some books, so that the keys were clear of the working surface. I then removed the multitude of screws and carefully eased the metal back plate off. The first thing I was confronted with was the circuit membrane. Mine lifted off, apart from a slight sticking where it connects the electronics for the lights (conductive rubber strip). Each key position contained a flexible upturned cap with a conductive rubber blob at its centre. My keyboard had 105 of them. Each one was lifted out and cleaned using meths on a cotton bud, paying particular attention to the conductive rubber centre. I put the caps in a pot then cleaned all the conductive rubber strips on the membrane using the same method (including those for the electronics board, and the board edge itself). You can get "canned air" which is handy for drying off the components. I happened to have a watchmakers bellow device and used that. Good old-fashioned blow would probably be OK but there is a theoretical risk due to moisture from the breath getting left on components. I regard this risk as low because there are no metal components to corrode. Less critical components were dusted with a small brush. I then lifted out the electronics board (for number lock lights etc) and was left with they keyboard itself - only plastic components. I toyed with the idea of taking out all 105 keys in order to thoroughly clean underneath the keys. They appeared to be held in by plastic clips at the side and I assumed that there was a slight risk of breakage unless I was careful. In the event I elected to duck out of all that and clean the plastics using a brush and washing up liquid, finally dunking the thing up and down (both ways up) in a bath of clean warm water. Stacks of fluff floated out from beneath the keys and everything looked nice and clean afterwards. Having dried everything with tissue I used a hair dryer, followed by a long wait in case there was still water trapped underneath the keys. After re-assembling the lot I tested all the keys and they were fine. The old "feel" returned, just like new. So it just depends whether one considers that a couple of hours work is worth the low cost of a replacement keyboard. The results were very satisfying. I would add that some websites say you should only use pure alcohol or water for cleaning the critical parts. I've used meths before for similar devices (TV remotes, calculators, etc) and there was no sign of any reaction. If available, white meths is slightly better because it leaves no residue. RadioShack cotton buds (for tape head cleaning) are preferable to medical ones because they are less fluffy. If you remove all the keys it's worth noting down the positions of any you might not be able to remember, or taking a digi-cam photo of the keyboard before starting. So maybe keyboards and water do mix, so long as you do it right LOL. Derek.W

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I've had good results with 'contact & head cleaner' - a solvent spray available @Radio Shack - good stuff, use it on all sorts of switches & similar mechanisms, cleans out the gunk. The information on Computing.Net is the opinions of its users. Such opinions may not be accurate and they are to be used at your own risk.

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Thanks Derek. My methods have been pretty well the same except I just use warm water with a "bit" of dish soap for the cleaning of all the part other than the conductive film surfaces. Warm water only on a damp lint free cloth on those. The keys I just dump into a large mixing bowl of dish soap and hot water and let it sit for a couple of hours, then pull them out and wipe, and let dry on a towel. Re-assemble and it's like a new keyboard. I've always been a bit leary of using solvent or alcohol based cleaners on the carbon "touch pads" of various devices. Just paranoid I guess.

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- eh - haven't 'melted' anything yet, and it actually dries out contacts that have been exposed to moisture. The information on Computing.Net is the opinions of its users. Such opinions may not be accurate and they are to be used at your own risk.

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As a related aside to all this, I have often seen it suggested in DIY TV programs that pouring meths all over TV remotes will fix them. Well, might work sometimes I suppose but looking at their structure I think it must be pure chance if the stuff happens to get in the right place. I feel the same about keyboards. To me cleaning the actual contact surfaces with fluid and a cotton bud is far more likely to work. Normal mechanical switches are a different matter. In my TV repair days contact cleaner solved many problems. MYE- keebo3red * ist fein% sins Imendit it -notruble y attall %*)ßDZ("*^%^€¾¿¢«² Derek.W

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.. a switch is a switch - but I've used isopropynol as well. heh - ok - took me a second to interpret that last bit ; ) The information on Computing.Net is the opinions of its users. Such opinions may not be accurate and they are to be used at your own risk.

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jboy Ah yes but there is a vast difference between two pieces of conductive rubber making contact by just "pushing together" than the sliding brass/copper blades inside a mechanical switch. The sliding action of a conventional switch results in the fluid being readily spread over the contact surfaces. A piece of debris on a conductive rubber pad can embed there more solidly, hence I feel it is better to actually "rub it away". Because of the physical design it is quite difficult, other than by total immersion, to be certain that the pads themselves actually get wetted with the cleaning fluid at all. On conventional switches I've used all sorts of things, carbon tetrachloride was once a favorite. Ha Ha - glad you worked out the translation. Derek.W

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Conductive rubber? Heh - I know what you mean. Depends how bad it's mucked up, I suppose (oops - should read isopropanol, as in propane - been away from chemistry class too long) The information on Computing.Net is the opinions of its users. Such opinions may not be accurate and they are to be used at your own risk.

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In my keyboard, underneath each key is a bell shaped rubber-like cap. Up inside this cap is a conductive rubber blob. When you hit the key it pushes the top of the cap down so that the blob hits a conductive rubber pad on the plastic membrane. These pads are noticeably raised above the surface of the membrane. If you can imagine the above (pics are better than words) then it would require a flood in order for the fluid to get on top of the pad. It might just happen, helped by banging the key up and down. Taking it apart and cleaning it has a much greater chance I reckon, but it does take time. In the case of a TV remote or calculator there is a complete upper membrane containing the conductive rubber blobs (not individual caps like my keyboard). To my mind you would need total immersion to get the cleaning fluid underneath this membrane in order to do anything to help the contact. That's why I query what these DIY TV guys suggest. Way off topic now - all good fun for the kiddies.... Derek.W

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Derek - I know all of that - been repairing those things for years now. I'm not sure what unique composite the actual contacts are made of, but rubber is nonconductive - they are rubbery though ; ) .. but we digress The information on Computing.Net is the opinions of its users. Such opinions may not be accurate and they are to be used at your own risk.

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Just had to jump in here on this. It's a "rubbery" membrane impregnated with carbon on the contact areas is it not? (Talking about remote controls, phone keypads etc. here.) In the keyboards I've cleaned it's a plastic film with conductive "contacts" which mate when the key is pressed. One set of linear contacts being 90 degrees opposed to the other set. I may be way off here, it's not late but I'm tired (very busy week @ work) and I may be gibberishing here..... Is that a word? ;>)

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I'd always suspected carbon (that non-metallic conductor) in those types of keypads. Haven't had any newer keyboards apart, but the ones I've seen had the traces etc on PVC board (laptops have the 'film'). Much like automobiles, more and more plastic & other 'material' seems to be the trend. Really old IBMs had that nice solid feel - 'cause they were pretty much all metal (and would last forever). The information on Computing.Net is the opinions of its users. Such opinions may not be accurate and they are to be used at your own risk.

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Yes, I daresay the impregnation in rubber is carbon (or something similar) because the oft used term "conductive rubber" is clearly a misnomer. I only know about my own keyboard. I kinda assumed it was typical but I could be wrong on that. I suspect there are many variants. Now the old upright typewriters with spools were quite a different matter. Worked fine without that new fangled electricity too ...... Derek.W

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Sure, that's where I gained my 'keyboarding' skills. Topic of construction is extensively covered at PCGuide - carbon it is. Thinking - it's a habit.

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Hi everybody- Here's the best laptop keyboard reconditioning article I ever found, using of all things, on an A*L 'help' search. My keyboard's likely toast as if noticed the keys mostly are cross circuited. d=dx, x=xd, e=es, s=es and as for the other oddities, likely more than the keyboard is involved. If I have the time and don't trash it first, I'll try dissassebly, the if no soap (ha-ha), I might even try the shortcut reassigning of keys to what they should be. Cleaning materials: Cotton swabs Cosmetic foam rubber cleaning pads ( use only with naptha (lighter fluid), NOT alcohol) Paper towels Rubbing alcohol Water Lighter fluid (naptha) Fine tipped tweezers Scissors Kitchen strainer Household cleaner, Windex or equivalent Super Lube Dry Film spray (critical - DO NOT SUBSTUTUTE !) K-Mart automotive. This is a PTFE (teflon) based lubricant which dries perfectly DRY and is ideally suited for this application. Proceed as follows: DISASSEMBLE IMPORTANT: Make a keyboard map so you know where each key goes. Carefully pry each key loose with a small screwdriver and place in a container. They pop off. DO NOT use excessive force. There may be a small rubber piece for each key. Remove all of these and place in a separate container. CAREFUL, these are small and like to jump away. CLEAN KEYBOARD ( do this well...... you will be wonderfully rewarded ) Clean the keyboard with cotton swabs SLIGHTLY DAMPENED with water. Replace these often and BE SURE they are only slightly damp. If they are too wet the excess water will contaminate the keyboard through capillary action. This will clean all water soluble contaminants like Coca-Cola, coffee, and sugar residue. For the very small places, cut the foam rubber into small pieces and use the tweezers, again SLIGHTLY DAMPENED, for cleaning. You must clean each and every key space, inside and out, this is critical since this is where the key touches and moves. Repeat this procedure again using rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs but NOT the foam rubber as it disintegrates when used with alcohol. Finally repeat this procedure using naptha (lighter fluid) and foam rubber. You can clean even the smallest key guides with small pieces of foam rubber and tweezers. This action will remove any petroleum based contaminants as well as the grease that is sometimes used on the wider keys which may have guide wires, for example, the SCACE BAR. CLEAN KEYS Some keys may have wires attached and some grease on them, clean these first with cotton swabs and naptha (lighter fluid). Remove all traces of the grease. Place all keys in a kitchen strainer. Spray with household cleaner and let stand for 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with hot water and place keys on paper towels to dry. Let dry completely. CLEAN RUBBER COMPONENTS Place all rubber components in a kitchen strainer. Spray with household cleaner and let stand for 5 minutes. Use stopper in the sink so that you don´t lose these if they jump out of the strainer. Rinse these thoroughly with hot water and place on paper towels. Fold the towels over and press to squeeze most of the water out of the pieces. Let dry completely. LUBRICATE KEYS Place all keys bottom-up on a paper bag. Lightly coat the keys, at a 45 degree angle with Super Lube Dry Film lubricant. Do this from all 4 sides to assure penetration and coverage into the small and critical guide spaces inside each key. Let dry ( this happens nearly instantly). DO NOT overdue this step as the carrier solvent may affect the plastic. LUBRICATE KEYBOARD Mask off the laptop with paper and scotch tape. Apply lubricant (as above in LUBRICATE KEYS) to the keyboard and let dry. All right, you now have perfectly cleaned and lubricated keys, keyboard, and rubber components. REASSEMBLE Place all rubber components into the keyboard. Install keys with wires. Make sure wire is secured in the key, usually snapped into place. Place ends of wire in the guide slots adjacent to the key location as you align the key. Firmly press down to snap the key into place. Install the rest of the keys by aligning and firmly pressing down. Regards and hap' e-trails, Steve Hopper

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Steve Aha, nice one - maybe I should have searched Google first. In principle it's not "that" far adrift from what I did. The main difference is that I elected not to remove the keys which would have been more thorough but take longer. I missed out on the lubricant too but so far it seems fine without it. I agree that your problem sounds more complex. Derek.W

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jboy No problem at all, hope you got my reply. I can never be sure they have actually gone anywhere LOL. Derek.W

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