Don't Throw Out That Old Keyboard, Fix Up It Up Instead

There is nary consciousness successful throwing distant thing that mightiness conscionable request a small TLC to get successful tip-top signifier again. Keyboards are nary exception—most of the clip a small rubbing intoxicant and a Q-Tip volition get the occupation done. Here are the steps to instrumentality and troubleshoot that aged keyboard you've got.

Determine How Dirty oregon Damaged the Keyboard Is

Before I get started moving connected immoderate PC parts, determination are a fewer things I ever person connected hand.

• A precision screwdriver set
• Q-Tips
• Isopropyl intoxicant
• A magnetic bowl

In this case, the precision screwdriver acceptable is simply a must-have item, and you’ll besides privation immoderate mild crockery soap, toothpicks, canned air, and a keycap puller connected manus too.

Once you person your materials connected hand, the archetypal happening you request to bash is find conscionable however dinged up the keyboard is. Always cheque the cablegram for harm earlier thing else. Is it conscionable gummed up with soda and dust? Is thing mechanically broken? Is determination an electrical problem?

The easiest archetypal measurement to diagnosing the problems is conscionable to open up Notepad (or different plain substance editor) and propulsion each cardinal connected the keyboard, making definite that it shows up successful Notepad similar it should. Make enactment of immoderate keys that aren’t working, that are hard to press, oregon are sticking.

Be definite to cheque each the Ctrl, Alt, and Shift keys connected the keyboard too. I usually usage Ctrl+Shift+Esc and Ctrl+Alt+Delete to cheque those, since those shortcuts are burned into my memory.

A Quick Cleanup

If the keyboard you’re fixing lone has cosmetic problems, you’re successful luck: you lone request a spot of elbow grease and time.

Start by utilizing your keycap puller to region each the keys connected the keyboard.

If the keys person a ton of gunk stuck connected them (usually the sides), flip them successful a vessel with a spot of crockery soap and lukewarm (not hot!) water. The crockery soap and h2o volition loosen up the worldly stuck to the sides of the keys portion you decorativeness cleaning retired the remainder of the keyboard.

On the keyboard I was refurbishing, the keys each had immoderate worldly stuck to the side.

Once each the keys are off, you person to woody with the remainder of the keyboard. It is important to region adust debris earlier you use immoderate liquids, different you’ll conscionable marque a paste. I usually conscionable instrumentality it outside, crook it upside down, and springiness it a fewer bully smacks to region immoderate escaped debris that was stuck nether the keys. You could usage a vacuum, but if you’re cleaning a mechanical keyboard with removable switches, you mightiness vacuum 1 off. Be cautious if you effort it.

Once that has been done, I usually usage Q-tips dipped successful h2o oregon isopropyl to region immoderate worldly that is inactive stuck. If you had immoderate keys that were hard to property oregon sticking, wage cautious attraction to cleaning astir them too. Just beryllium definite not to usage excessively overmuch liquid—you don’t privation thing dripping down int o the keyboard.

If thing is pugnacious to remove, conscionable usage a toothpick to mildly scrape it off.

Once that is each done, springiness the keys you had soaking a gentle stir, rinse them, past laic them retired to try. Avoid utilizing nonstop vigor (like a hairdryer) to velocity up the drying process—you could melt them. A instrumentality is fine, though.

The Cleaning Deep-Dive

If you had keys that weren’t moving astatine all, you’re going to person to excavation successful a spot deeper. Follow the aforesaid basal steps you would if you were conscionable cleaning it to start, but what you bash from determination varies a spot depending connected your keyboard.

Hot Swappable Mechanical Keyboards

Some mechanical keyboards are “hot swappable,” which conscionable means that you tin easy regenerate a switch. In immoderate cases, corrosion oregon gunk astir the interaction connected either the power oregon the keyboard PCB could effect successful a cardinal not working.

Fully region the power and analyse the contacts. Ideally, the contacts connected some the PCB and the power volition beryllium shiny. If the contacts connected the power are bent, mildly crook it backmost into position. If it has snapped off, you’re retired of luck. You’ll request to regenerate the switch.

The contacts of swappable switches are usually gold, which is highly resistant to corrosion, but I person seen non-gold contacts before. Additionally, adjacent though golden is resistant to corrosion, a sticky liquid (like Mountain Dew) could adust and enactment arsenic an insulator.

In immoderate case, if they aren’t shiny, usage rubbing intoxicant to cleanable the contacts connected the switch, past effort it again. If it inactive doesn’t work, usage the tiniest magnitude of rubbing intoxicant imaginable to cleanable the interaction connected the keyboard’s PCB—you privation to minimize however overmuch gets into the keyboard itself

Cleaning Every Keyboard

Unfortunately, if thing has worked truthful far, you’re going to person to instrumentality the full happening apart.

To disassemble the keyboard, flip it implicit and look for tiny screws. You should expect to spot astatine slightest 8 screws. Use the precision screwdriver acceptable to region them and spot them determination that you won’t suffer them. I person a magnetic bowl from Radio Shack, but thing similar that volition work.

If determination are screws of antithetic sizes (and determination precise good whitethorn be) marque definite you enactment wherever they came from.

Sometimes screws are concealed nether rubbed feet oregon stickers, truthful if you can’t find any, cheque there. Other times, the keyboard assemblage conscionable snaps together. In that case, you indispensable usage integrative (not metal) tools to pry the keyboard apart. Be careful. They’re casual to crack.

Once you person everything apart, you’re looking for evident signs of damage: breached traces, atrocious solder joints, oregon dried liquids blocking contacts.

Membrane keyboards person a brushed (usually achromatic oregon translucent) membrane that sits nether the keys. Gently propulsion it disconnected and cleanable some sides with isopropyl alcohol.

You should besides mildly hitch down the country wherever the membrane makes interaction with the PCB. If sticky liquid got this acold into the keyboard, the membrane mightiness really beryllium sticking to the PCB, which would marque the cardinal enactment strangely.

Repairing Broken Keyboards

If you’ve cleaned everything thoroughly and your keyboard inactive isn’t working, the likelihood of fixing it aren’t great.

The USB cablegram is the easiest happening to fix, since you tin usually bargain a replacement online somewhere. One extremity volition beryllium a USB plug, portion the different volition beryllium immoderate smaller connector that connects to the PCB. If it is soldered, you’ll request to bargain an unterminated USB cable.

If thing has gone incorrect with the electrical components connected the PCB oregon the traces themselves, repairing the keyboard would astir apt beryllium acold much costly than simply replacing it.

In those situations, it is champion conscionable to chopped your losses. However, keyboards are comparatively simple, and an electronics repair store should beryllium capable to hole astir thing incorrect with 1 if you’re consenting to wage for it.