Laptop Keyboard Cleaning And Improved Keyboard Performance

[tutsiwarrior]

I've got an Acer laptop that has seen 18 months of hard duty in filthy construction site office conditions and the keyboard no longer responds well to key strokes, ie., the space bar doesn't seem to work and other problems...is it worth it to have the keyboard professionally cleaned or are the key contacts expected to wear out and the only option is to use an external keyboard?

external keyboards are cheap and a thorough cleaning (removal of the keyboard and boiling in acid, etc) probably more expensive and maybe would have no effect...the rest of the machine is OK...

any advice?...thanks in advance...

[MunterHunter]

you will probably find that getting yourself a cheap small usb keyboard will be cheaper and easier than trying to get the laptops built in keyboard fixed up. Might be worth getting a quote tho

I have a similar problem on my old gaming laptop, half the keyboard is dead, i haven't done anything with it yet, as the GF can still play the Sim's and hasn't complained yet

[Spoonman]

If you get the keyboard removed and boiled in acid can you please put up some before and after pics.

[bendejo]

Any recommendations for less-severe cases? Some of my laptop keys have some crud on the edges and just trying to scratch it off doesn't do a sufficient job, so I guess I need some kind of cleanser. Being in SEA should I try Windex, like they clean everything with here?

[tutsiwarrior]

If you get the keyboard removed and boiled in acid can you please put up some before and after pics.

my Acer laptop keyboard is made of high alloy steel, suitable for utility boiler conditions and highly resistant to cleaning with corrosives...as a matter of fack, if they had done an acid clean as a pre-commissioning exercise I wouldn't have the present problem...not a bad little machine otherwise although an assistant with a handcart is required for routine handling...

[tutsiwarrior]

well...I give up: the keyboard is a mess and repair/recovery doesn't seem to be an option...looks like new laptop time...the kids at home can attach a new keyboard and use it for games, etc...

but, I'm curious...can one expect a cheap acer laptop keyboard to fail after 18 months duty in harsh conditions?...I would think not...mechanical or a software problem?

[astral]

A replacement keyboard could cost you more than the laptop is worth

so go easy on the cleaning.

External may be the best option.

[BangkokImages]

You can often find replacement keyboards for laptops in the $15-$30 range in a number of places, Pantip, Chinatown, Amazon, Ebay Thailand... they are very easy to replace, instructions are probably available on the manufacturers website. Basically a few screws from the bottom (usually have small keyboard icons next to the screw holes) and ribbon cable under the keyboard itself. This is an easy DIY project, but most any shop in Pantip can do it for you for a few baht.

[bendejo]

Yeah, my dirty keyboard problem was solved when I spilled coffee on the laptop. Luckily I was able to dry out the innards but needed a new keyboard. It was 800 baht, not bad. Did it myself, but the lad in the shop would have done the replacement for another 200 b.

[ETatBKK]

get a part replacement and fix it yourself is a complete solution.

otherwise, external wireless keyboard is a lazy man fix too. you won't get the clumsy cable and you will enjoy the flexibility of the wireless keyboard.

[tutsiwarrior]

so...would it be possible to go to Panthip in BKK and hand over the acer laptop with the wonky keyboard to a repairman there and expect him to obtain and install a new keyboard and pick it later on in the afternoon?

almost too good to imagine...if true any Panthip repairman recommendations?

[bino]

Not a specific recommendation, and not about Pantip (I hate that place) but I know that there are about 3 shops in Fortune Center that sell laptop parts- screens, batteries, adapters, and keyboards. I'd imagine that if you spent half an hour walking around all of them to find a place that has your keyboard in stock, that they would change it right there on the spot for you. I'd imagine that there are similar places in Pantip.

Failing those shops, there is an Acer service center in Fortune. I remember suggesting this service center to another member who was looking to fix his Acer laptop, and he replied with thanks saying that they were good - solved his problems with no drama.

If you end up going the new laptop route- I'd look at a brand other than Acer for durability in harsh environments (or for durability, period). Do a search for "Panasonic Toughbook" if you want the ultimate in durability.

[bendejo]

The places in Panthip that have replacement keyboards will be pretty obvious. I case you haven't figured it out, the higher the floor and the further back you go the better the prices get. I do all my business on the two top sales floors, the rest is just siightseeing and having to dodge the hawkers on the lower floors. People up there are pretty polite in my experience.

Bring the laptop with you. It'll take just a few minutes to do the deed. If you want to be cheap you can go to one of the guys with all the salvaged parts and see it they have a used one.

You might want to look up the price on the net to get an idea of what to expect. When I did for mine I expected it would cost around US$40, and when I found a place in Khon Kaen that asked 800b (new) I went for it.

[Pib]

You can often find replacement keyboards for laptops in the $15-$30 range in a number of places, Pantip, Chinatown, Amazon, Ebay Thailand... they are very easy to replace, instructions are probably available on the manufacturers website. Basically a few screws from the bottom (usually have small keyboard icons next to the screw holes) and ribbon cable under the keyboard itself. This is an easy DIY project, but most any shop in Pantip can do it for you for a few baht.

Regarding the Ebay approach, within the last two months I bought for $13.24 each (including shipping) new keyboards for my A100/A105 Toshiba laptops which are around 4-5 years old. One laptop had one frequently used key (the s key) which I had to press about twice as hard as normal...guess I pressed that "s" key too hard/too many times over the years. The other laptop keyboard was still working fine but I decided to just replace it after easily replacing the keyboard on the laptop with the keyboard problem...guess I thought the keyboard might go bad in the near future. Both keyboards had always been used with a plastic cover protection which kept them clean/dirt out. I did try some air pressure cleaning on the keyboard with the s key problem but it didn't help...expect there was contact corrison within the s key electrical switch...that really all keyboard keys are...you press them to make electrical contact/short and don't press them to open the electrical contact....pretty much like a light switch....switch on; switch off.

Fortunately, the keyboard is pretty easy to replace on my Toshiba laptops....pop off a piece of plastic between the keyboard and screen which covers the speakers, remove two philips screws securing the keyboard, lift-up and unplug the keyboard ribbon cable...and reverse the process to install the new keyboard. Getting the piece of plastic off without breaking it is the hardest part (I didn't break either)...after I got the first one off I knew the technique/exact places to pry on the plastic piece...and I got the second one off easily. From Googling there are sites that give overview/pictures of how to replace the keyboards on many different types of laptops.

Summary: to replace the keyboards on my Toshiba A100/A105 laptops it was cheap,quick, and I did it myself in about 10 minutes per laptop (well, truthfully the first one took about 30 minutes as I figured out how to remove that one plastic piece without breaking it; the second laptop only took 10 minutes).

[elwood]

You can often find replacement keyboards for laptops in the $15-$30 range in a number of places, Pantip, Chinatown, Amazon, Ebay Thailand... they are very easy to replace, instructions are probably available on the manufacturers website. Basically a few screws from the bottom (usually have small keyboard icons next to the screw holes) and ribbon cable under the keyboard itself. This is an easy DIY project, but most any shop in Pantip can do it for you for a few baht.

Regarding the Ebay approach, within the last two months I bought for $13.24 each (including shipping) new keyboards for my A100/A105 Toshiba laptops which are around 4-5 years old. One laptop had one frequently used key (the s key) which I had to press about twice as hard as normal...guess I pressed that "s" key too hard/too many times over the years. The other laptop keyboard was still working fine but I decided to just replace it after easily replacing the keyboard on the laptop with the keyboard problem...guess I thought the keyboard might go bad in the near future. Both keyboards had always been used with a plastic cover protection which kept them clean/dirt out. I did try some air pressure cleaning on the keyboard with the s key problem but it didn't help...expect there was contact corrison within the s key electrical switch...that really all keyboard keys are...you press them to make electrical contact/short and don't press them to open the electrical contact....pretty much like a light switch....switch on; switch off.

Fortunately, the keyboard is pretty easy to replace on my Toshiba laptops....pop off a piece of plastic between the keyboard and screen which covers the speakers, remove two philips screws securing the keyboard, lift-up and unplug the keyboard ribbon cable...and reverse the process to install the new keyboard. Getting the piece of plastic off without breaking it is the hardest part (I didn't break either)...after I got the first one off I knew the technique/exact places to pry on the plastic piece...and I got the second one off easily. From Googling there are sites that give overview/pictures of how to replace the keyboards on many different types of laptops.

Summary: to replace the keyboards on my Toshiba A100/A105 laptops it was cheap,quick, and I did it myself in about 10 minutes per laptop (well, truthfully the first one took about 30 minutes as I figured out how to remove that one plastic piece without breaking it; the second laptop only took 10 minutes).

Pib, my apologies if this is a dumb question.

You mentioned that you use a plastic cover protection; when I bought my laptop I was given one, but then read on some website that they aren't recommended - something to do with heat retention or whatever!. I have seen soft and hard plastic covers, can you advise which is the better?

Thanks very much.

Elwood

[Pib]

Mine is soft and sometimes referred to as a skin cover...dirt cheap to buy usually in the $5 ballpark....image of the kind I have is below. I leave it on the keyboard 24/7. Keeps your keyboard protected from dust, liquids, etc. Yeap, it nice just to remove the cover and shake it like a rag or wipe it with a damp cloth to get the dust/dirt/food/beer droplets/bugs off; without a cover the dust/dirt/food/beer droplets can find their way into the keyboard which is not a good thing. I thought the cover would possibly dry-out/get hard over the years but it's still just as pliable as the day I bought it many years ago.

Can't see how heat retention would be in play as the bottom of the keyboard is a solid piece of metal/foil which does not allow any air flow upward and the keyboard itself don't generate any heat, so the cover ain't going to cause heat retention. On a laptop the bulk of the heat is blown out the CPU fan exhaust and absorbed/transmitted to the laptop casing where the casing radiates the heat to the air...and even your wrists laying on the laptop when typing.

[elwood]

Mine is soft and sometimes referred to as a skin cover...dirt cheap to buy usually in the $5 ballpark....image of the kind I have is below. I leave it on the keyboard 24/7. Keeps your keyboard protected from dust, liquids, etc. Yeap, it nice just to remove the cover and shake it like a rag or wipe it with a damp cloth to get the dust/dirt/food/beer droplets/bugs off; without a cover the dust/dirt/food/beer droplets can find their way into the keyboard which is not a good thing. I thought the cover would possibly dry-out/get hard over the years but it's still just as pliable as the day I bought it many years ago.

Can't see how heat retention would be in play as the bottom of the keyboard is a solid piece of metal/foil which does not allow any air flow upward and the keyboard itself don't generate any heat, so the cover ain't going to cause heat retention. On a laptop the bulk of the heat is blown out the CPU fan exhaust and absorbed/transmitted to the laptop casing where the casing radiates the heat to the air...and even your wrists laying on the laptop when typing.

Thanks very much, great reply.

Elwood

[bendejo]

Get a piece of plastic sheeting, maybe even from a plastic shopping bag if you can't find anything thicker, cut it to shape and lay it over the keyboard.

Leave it there for a while when not using the computer, and notice how hot the plastic gets.