Re: Cleaning keyboards

[musjndx@gsusgi2.gsu.edu (Jonathan N. Deitch)]

cstadbg@csv.warwick.ac.uk (Mr M J Brown) writes:

>Jonathan.Deitch@gisatl.fidonet.org (Jonathan Deitch) writes:

>>
>>Please note this :
>>
>>Do not *ever* use electronic cleaner on a keyboard !
>Why ?

Because on *//c* (I should have stated this ...) keyboards, the keyswitch leafs
react very, very badly to standard cleaner solvents.  This includes zero
residue cleaner used in computer repair houses.  You keyswitch leafs essentialy
curl up into little balls, rendering your keys useless.

>>Spraying cleaning fluid on the keyboard causes the keyswitches to short out
>>and they are *no longer usable* !

>This is a bit of a generalisation.....however I have never found a cleaning
>fluid designed for use on switches etc. which shorts out keyboards. True, some
>of them contain nasty solvents which can soften plastics, but they won't
>short keyboards.

See note above ... they didn't short ... they self destructed.

>>This, of course, requires complete replacement of the keyboard.

>Hmmmm....

>replacement of the faulty switches maybe, but not the whole keyboard. What
>*did* you clean it with ??? (Brand Name and contents please.....maybe we can
>avoid using this stuff ... )

Right ... 75% of the keyswitches went bad or worked intermittently and it
would have cost more to buy 55 keyswitches than to buy a new keyboard.  The
cleaner I used was standard zero residue freon-TF cleaner.  And it only does
this to *//c* keyboards.  It does *not* do this to //e keyboards.  I don't
know about gs keyboards.  In short, use a Q-tip and a vaccuum cleaner to get
the gunk out and compressed air to rid the switches of any dust.

>>Note that this is contrary to Apple's own service doctrines ... I cleaned my
>>keyboard in this manner after my local service tech told me that this was the
>>preferred way ... (I know this guy, he was not stinging me ...) and I had to
>>order a new one.  I ordered it from Shreve systems, though ...

>I wonder if you were either (a) ... using the wrong sort of cleaner, or (b)
>if you tried to use it while it was still "wet" as it were.

Apple's service doctrines state you clean keyboards with zero residue cleaner
after removing the keycaps.  They don't state, however, that this ruins //c
keyboards.  The guy at Shreve systems told me they sell an awful lot of //c
keyboards to people who buy new keyboars after cleaning their old ones ...

>My Apple II required a clean a while back. Like with most keyboards on 
>computers of mine, I flood the switches with an aerosol cleaner and then
>operate them frantically. This usually cleans up most of them. Never had
>any problems since, except one key which failed mechanically and had to be 
>replaced. This was not the cleaner though, but metal fatigue in the contacts.

You obviously were much luckier than I.  I did get 9 years of service from my
old keyboard, though.  It probably would have kept on going had I not decided
to clean it.

- Jonathan
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