Aargh! Cooked MS Natural KB Pro (literally)

[Avatar28]

Okay, I was bored today and decided that my keyboard needed cleaning. I've had this one for a couple of years now and it had a bunch of scum built up on it. With the keys being so small, it was a pain to try and get all the grime off them. So I got and idea and thought I'd be smart.

So I took it apart, dropped all the keys into a pot. I cleaned the internals off with a bit of water, then filled the pot with a mixture of water, soap, and a bit of pine sol. I figured if that didn't get it clean nothing would. Well, hot water I decided wasn't good enough. So I put the whole mixture on the stove and brought it to a boil for a few seconds (couldn't leave it cause the soap would foam over). I let it set for a couple of hours while I went out shopping. I came back home, dried the keys off and tried to put it all back together. Some keys worked just fine. But a LOT of them would almost not go on at all. And then they would stick, tight. :-(

I would guess that the heat must have deformed the keys slightly. So now I'm stuck on this el cheapo cruddy keyboard until I can afford to get a better one to replace it. :-(

AARGH, why didn't I just leave well enough alone and settle for scrubbing all the keys.

[SUPER BIG MAN]

lol sorry gotta laugh
how good have you memorized the key board??

[deathstar13]

i had someone tell me to clean a keyboard to put it in the dishwasher.
of course i didnt try this.i guess if u use low soap and low heat it might work but i wouldnt suffest it.
i manualy take mine apart and clean by hand or just buy a new one for $10

[ArBiTaL 24]

A little while back when my old IBM keyboard got all clogged up, i removed all the keys, and started cleaning them by hand. Course, they started pinging everywhere. Then my niece (sp) came past and dropped a cup of juice on it.
Well. That was it. Streight into the garden pond it went, keys and all :D. Funny thing was, i washed the thing under the tap, put the keys back on, and it worked fine!

Lol what's that about older keyboards being more hardwearing ;)

[Avatar28]

Well, I really think that it was the heat from boiling the keys that did it. LOL! I still can't believe that I cooked it. I've got the keyboard memorized well enough. It's just that the keys don't seem to want to fit back on. :-( If I DO force them in, they're incredibly tight and just stick, won't move. But some of them are fine, which is kinda weird. Nothing LOOKS deformed, but they won't go back on. :-( Might mess with it tomorrow for a bit while watching the Titans/Jags game (go Titans!).

[JML]

That sux man :(

At least keyboards aren't expensive to replace

[Avatar28]

Yeah, but $60 is still a good chunk of change. So it really sux.

[JML]

What is it the MS Natural KB Pro has that makes it worth getting over a $17 Basic MS Natural Keyboard

[Ghost68]

What is it the MS Natural KB Pro has that makes it worth getting over a $17 Basic MS Natural Keyboard
by far better key layout...
i heard you can just put your keyboard in your dishwasher and it would be fine just dont use a newer keyboard (the kind of keyboard with usb hub/internet buttons) because they have delicate circutry inside... but old keyboards will be fine going thru the dishwasher oh and on a side not if you ard going to try putting your keyboard make sure it is not in the dishwasher when the heating(drying) coil comes on unless you wan a melted keyboard

[Maximouse]

Originally posted by Avatar28
So I took it apart, dropped all the keys into a pot. then filled the pot with a mixture of water, soap, and a bit of pine sol. So I put the whole mixture on the stove and brought it to a boil for a few seconds

Lol

High Tech Alphabet Soup:p

[Tbird man]

lol that was a good one...alphabet soup...lol

[SBeaver]

Let's face it, there is no good way to clean a keyboard so don't even try it.
Get a new one :santa2:

[Maximouse]

Originally posted by SBeaver
Let's face it, there is no good way to clean a keyboard so don't even try it.
Get a new one :santa2:

I dont know about that.

My son spilled pop on my cordless keyboard a couple of months ago. I took it apart and washed everything non electronic off in the bathtub with warm soapy water, rinsed them off with water and then some alcohol. Set everything in front of a fan overnight and put it back together the next day.

I'm typing on it now. Works flawlessly:)

Al

[Ben721]

I clean my keyboard with windex, it works out great. Anyway you can get great Microsoft keyboards from Best Buy as open boxes for $5. That right there is worth it. :)

[Avatar28]

Originally posted by JML
What is it the MS Natural KB Pro has that makes it worth getting over a $17 Basic MS Natural Keyboard

Well, first of all, it has full size keys (I'm assuming here that you're referring to the Natural Keyboard Elite). For another, the feel is just better (I have the Elite at work).

High Tech Alphabet Soup

Pretty much exactly the joke I made when my friend came over (so we could go Christmas shopping) and asked what I was doing.

[Diggrr]

If I remember correctly, Pine-Sol has gum spirits in it, and will be absorbed by, and swell many plastics...plastic isn't as waterproof as one might think.
PVC piping actually has a humongus bunch of holes in it, try vacuuming a section of it once, I did. The oil inside it looked like it was boilding from all the air coming through the sides of the PVC, yet without vacuum, it wouldn't leak a drop.

Anyway, they might just return to their origional size after some dry heat (just theory, I've not done this), like sitting in front of a furnace vent for a few days. That may let the gum spirits evaporate away. Worth a try for a $40 keyboard.

Yeah, I know I'm crazy (as if I've never heard that before, stupid groups of taunting children :p ) but it couldn't hurt anything.

[tsintse]

Hmmm if the fit is just tight on some of the keys maybe you can sand them a bit to reduce the circumfrence of the connectors :)

[Avatar28]

Hmm, maybe that's what it was then. don't really have a furnace though. :-( Maybe just letting them sit for awhile will fix it. I'll see if I can do it again in a week or so.

[ArBiTaL 24]

I doubt letting it just sit will help a lot....:)

[RangerJoe]

natural keyboard? is that the split one? that hurts my wrists type on one of those.... oh and the "pro" generally have lots of hotkey buttons and my internet pro keyboard has 2 usb ports on it...well worth the $26 i paid for it.

[Avatar28]

Yeah, it's the ergonomic. Which I need because I also spend much of my day typing on the computer at work too, and it helps my wrist. I was starting to get a lot of pain in my wrists, and then switched to an ergo keyboard at work and home and it did wonders for me. I've had MUCH less discomfort since then.

[ArBiTaL 24]

I personally don't like "natural" keyboards that much, but they ARE quite easy to get used to. (i used to have one which i got for fre somehow-can't remember- but i gave it a go out of intrest)