Trying to fix broken laptop keyboard... any suggestions?

[___]

Hi guys, trying to fix a neighbours broken laptop right now.

They must have spilled something on it and were apparently using it with an external monitor and keyboard.

I disassembled the whole thing completely to get to the fan assembly which I had to take apart and clean thoroughly. The fan now spins again after I cleansed the motor insides and applied some grease.

After cleaning and reseating everything the display also works again but I am still having trouble with the keyboard.

I bathed the keyboard thoroughly in isoprop alcohol and scrubbed the keys. I massaged the foil to get rid of the gunk inside. After the first try most keys worked, so I repeated the process and bathed the whole thing again and let it soak for a while.

I guess it might not have dried enough eventhough I used a hair dryer to evaporate all left over alcohol. Chances are that it's still contaminated... any tipps or ideas what I could try to get that keyboard clean again?

I am motivated for one more attempt, but if that fails they'll have to live with using an external keyboard. I hate people spilling their meal on their laptops... they are not meant for eating on!!! Too bad I didn't take pics...

 

[Wally]

Laptop keyboards are pretty sensitive when it comes to water, there's really no way to fix it. Best way is to get your neighbours to procure a new one.

I hope you're charging them for this service, it's not your fault they spilt liquid on their laptop!

 

[second exodous]

Laptop keyboards are pretty sensitive when it comes to water, there's really no way to fix it. Best way is to get your neighbours to procure a new one.

I second this, my sister got her notebook soaked with water and dried it out and she thought it didn't work but when I plugged in a usb keyboard it worked fine. It was a Acer or HP, can't remember, but finding a new keyboard on ebay was easy, it was like $15 is all.

I think this is a problem with keyboards in general because remember those apple keyboards that were in a clear plastic bowl? I think they came with the G5 imacs all the way through the same white body style, you spill anything on those and they're pretty much gone.

 

[slaeshjag]

Unless it's an asus laptop, it's usually work getting a replacement keyboard.

 

[drock]

I work for an IT company and everyone here is correct. Just buy a new one. They break for a number of reasons and its cheaper to just get a replacement. Many times they are just not repairable in the end anyway.

 

[Ian J]

Our laptop keyboard was losing keys at an alarming rate, a new one from ebay was £12 delivered and only took 15 minutes to install.

 

[___]

Thanks for all the input, eventhough it's not really what I was asking.

I know that most people would just buy another one, this is something we do not do here. We can't afford it and also I do not condone it. Laptops should be repaired and not replaced like some people switch their phones.

I have repaired the laptop this far, so either the keyboard fixable or not. My neighbour will have to use the machine, a new one is out of the question.

A replacement keyboard for 15 quid would be super, but I doubt that I will be lucky finding one that cheap.

@Wally not charging them for this service as it's a trade for other services (power tools and labour, we are in the process of building a workshop together)

Ok, I will continue the repair and report if I am able to fix the keyboard or not.

 

[Wally]

Keyboard circuitry is very sensitive to anything, believe me you're wasting your time trying to repair the keyboard.

If you dump the model number of the laptop, some people here might be able to get you in the right direction...
Ebay is a good start.

 

[comradekingu]

Put it in a container of isopropyl, upside down, for a long time. Proceed to do washing motions to get stuff out of it. Rince and repeat.
You could also try a cleaner made for electronics, quicker.

 

[___]

Put it in a container of isopropyl, upside down, for a long time. Proceed to do washing motions to get stuff out of it. Rince and repeat.
You could also try a cleaner made for electronics, quicker.

I have done this twice already with isopropyl, but I guess I'll give it another go. I did not remove the keycaps due to laziness and that might be worth a shot.

I found a used keyboard for 14 eur on ebay. I asked the owner if he's willing to invest that. I found the hdd to be faulty as well, windows vista (it's a clicker... oh oh. smartmon tools report it as pretty much dead). I have a replacement on hand, but I'd like a little cash for it.

Now that there definitely is a need to pay some money for replacement parts, the question becomes viable if another laptop should be bought. Maybe I'll exchange it for one of mine and replace the parts myself.

 

[levi]

Just a note, but if you're wanting to use older hardware and get off the new PC gravy train, you could do with getting off the Windows gravy train too. I've found a lot of use in older hardware by putting different flavours on Linux on things (although I've mainly ended up just dropping Arch on things, then installing whatever DE runs best - that may have to change when Arch drops x86 support).

 

[___]

lol... I have been riding the linux gravy train for over 10 years now. My computers all run nothing but linux*. Fiancee is still running windows 7, because she need to use certain adobe products, but that is the only pc in the household (and we have at least 5 computers running on a daily basis)...

Most of my laptop hardware is recycled. I also do not buy new smartphones but used devices if I need one.

so please @drock start getting on the linux gravytrain if you haven't already, and START FIXING HARDWARE instead of recommending people to buy new and shiny shit all the time...
I have fixed several notebooks that people had thrown away because of minor faults (hdd failed, battery dead or simply cmos settings messed up and of course spilled water). I use these for all kinds of jobs and tasks. I know how IT companies do business and that is horrible enough, but at least they'll try to reduce cost... consumers are way worse.

Sorry for the little rant but I just can't tolerate that attitude. @Wally I believe you, but I will still try. If you google any laptop hardware fault, the answer you'll mostly find is: get a new one. Not an acceptable solution.

EDIT: * That was a lie... I am running a hackintosh system on my lenovo edge thinkpad for video production. Just remembered that.

And I just found my first linux distro while sorting out old cd-roms. Suse 6.1! I have the original package including hard copy manuals. That came out in 1999 so I guess I have been a linux user for over 17 years now. But I went pure linux some 10 years ago, except for the occasional win7 install to use some proprietary software... but those partitions tend to be replaced quickly in my workflow and a windows installation never lasts as I am usually getting rid of it quick.

 

[drock]

@xnopasaranx I use Linux, Windows, and osx pretty much daily. The only major os I don't work with often if Unix. (Guess that's a lie because I use osx...)

I never said throw the laptop away and I never said I just buy new things whenever there is a problem. I try to fix as many things as I can. All of my laptop's were purchased non working and repaired. HDD replacement and battery replacement are pretty low on the totem pole of repairs compared to water damage.

My servers are mostly strung together recycled parts from businesses that offloaded to new machines.

The particular problem of a water damaged keyboard is an issue I see very often. I wish there was a way to fix them but nearly every time it's just not possible. They are very sensitive.

I wasn't telling you to replace the keyboard because I'm just lazy and wasteful, I was trying to give you advice based on your particular situation and my experience with that problem. Hope you get to where you need to with it.

Option 2 is to just disconnect it and plug in a USB keyboard. Not elegant but it will work.

Edit: typo

 

[___]

@drock Thank you for clarifying this! I didn't want to be a prick, but I read your post as "buy a new one" meaning a new laptop. Glad to hear, that you are encouraging hardware recycling in your company as well!

The linux gravy train remark was aimed at levi, I just used you there to combine my polemics.

So yeah, sorry for lashing out, but I think I clarified very well in my OP what my question was (any other tipps on what I could try) and that it was the last time I'd attempt to fix the keyboard, otherwise I'd leave it like it is. So pretty much everyone who answered except for Ian and comrade kingu provided redundant information... (well and what could be considered patronizing lecturing... which I am probably guilty of myself, since I like to discuss things at length ^^)

Anyway: I have given it one more go and more keys are working then before. So that is good news. Bad news is, that there is still a key being continuously triggered which causes real annoying side effects. So yeah, I have done what was possible, the rest is up to them.

 

[Grench]

@drock Thank you for clarifying this! I didn't want to be a prick, but I read your post as "buy a new one" meaning a new laptop. Glad to hear, that you are encouraging hardware recycling in your company as well!

The linux gravy train remark was aimed at levi, I just used you there to combine my polemics.

So yeah, sorry for lashing out, but I think I clarified very well in my OP what my question was (any other tipps on what I could try) and that it was the last time I'd attempt to fix the keyboard, otherwise I'd leave it like it is. So pretty much everyone who answered except for Ian and comrade kingu provided redundant information... (well and what could be considered patronizing lecturing... which I am probably guilty of myself, since I like to discuss things at length ^^)

Anyway: I have given it one more go and more keys are working then before. So that is good news. Bad news is, that there is still a key being continuously triggered which causes real annoying side effects. So yeah, I have done what was possible, the rest is up to them.

If we had the make and model of the laptop - and the part number for the keyboard component within it - that would potentially help. Without this basic information, we're all just speculating and guessing.

Parts for IBM and Lenovo laptops are pretty easy finds.
HP and Dell parts can be found too.

Finding a non-working example of the same laptop on an auction site to use as a donor may be an inexpensive path too.

Kudos to you for attempting repair. Keep in mind, though, that repair often means replacing components. Usually the keyboard itself is a component.

 

[___]

yes, as I mentioned before in the thread, I have already removed the components several time, including the keyboard. Also I know the exact model number of the part and I have as mentioned above already found several offers on ebay, the lowest being offered for 14euros. Also this was not the question.

 

[levi]

In terms of solvents for cleaning the keyboard, I reckon alcohol is probably the best there is that isn't likely to start dissolving the plastic membrane also. If your desperate to try to recover this keyboard the best I can suggest it bathing it again and massaging any troublesome key spots.

Sooner or later if your bathing though, you'll have burned through the cost of a new keyboard, if that's of any concern to you. If your more concerned about your carbon footprint, you also have to consider the cost of producing that isopropanol or ethanol, which takes a lot of heat.

 

[___]

Yeah that's what I figured as well. It's not the eco aspect per se, but I don't want to waste more isopropanol beccause of the cost.

But I can at least say that I tried everything.

 

[Kippykip]

I had a lenovo laptop where certain keyboard keys no longer worked, turns out on the bottom of the ribbon cable one of the traces cracked/missing slightly. So I just trimmed the bottom of the cable slightly and it fixed the non working keys, but in the process I also broke some of the other keys that were working beforehand as I probably trimmed another bit too short.

rip