Thread: Dealing with Liquids

Accidental fall of liquids on keyboard may ere probably the 'most serious and dangerous keyb problem. Coffee, soda, and even tap water are hi conductive (even corrosive). Your keyboard wi almost certainly short circuit. In this situation, sh down your computer immediately (you may be a to exit your application using a mouse) an disconnect the keyboard. The popular practice simply to let the liquid dry. The problem with th practice is that most liquids contain minerals an materials that are acidic to metals. Your keyboar will never be the same unless the offending liquidB removed before it dries. Also, liquids tend to turn any dust into sticky glue that will just jam the keYl when when it dries up.



Disassemble the keyboard's main housings and remove the keyboard printed circuit assembly a; quickly as you can after the incident. Rinse the assembly thoroughly with clean, de-mineralized water (available at any pharmacy for contact lens maintenance). You can clean plastic housings separately. Do not use tap water. Let the assembly drip dry in air. Do not attempt to accelerate the drying process with a hair dryer or other such heat source. The de-mineralized water should dry clean without mineral deposits or any sticky, conductive residue. Once the assembly is dry, you may wish to spray a small amount of good-quality, electronics-grade contact cleaner into each key switch to ensure no residue remains on the contacts. Assuming that the keyboard's circuitry was not damaged by the initial liquid, you should be able to reassemble the keyboard and continue using it without problems. If the keyboard behaves erratically (or not at a11), replace the keyboard.