Keyboard cleaning what you can put in water?
I recently bought an Apple keyboard II (M0487) that is in need of a thorough cleaning. If I remove pcb and membrane can I simply throw the rest to soak in water and dish washing detergent? Or should I separate the key caps from the shafts and leave them out?
AMIGA 4000 060/50, AMIGA 1200 030/50, AMIGA 500, C128D, C128, C64C, C64, C16, Vic-20, Atari 520 STE, Atari 65 XE, Philips NMS-8250 MSX2, Sinclair Spectrum +3e, Sinclair Spectrum 48k, Amstrad CPC 6128, Amstrad CPC464, Oric Atmos, Apple Macintosh Classic, Apple IIGS, BBC Master, Memotech MTX500
Is there any springs under the caps that can rust?
I know some people say about rust etc, but surely this would only be if it was exposed to moisture for a prolonged period.
I have all kinds of keyboards and PCBs that I've soaked in regular water over the years (after drying thoroughly), and none of them have ever rusted. Unlike Amiga top shields which seem to corrode all on their own!
I'm sure at a molecular level there is some reason, but my own personal experience says it's not a big deal.
The main water problem I've had is with membranes. Some membranes on some equipment is fixed together with heat stakes, meaning you cant remove them and moisture could take days or weeks to remove.
Last edited by sputnik; 27th June 2014 at 20:26.
Good point. I'd suspect there to be springs. Have to try to find out how the caps come off.
AMIGA 4000 060/50, AMIGA 1200 030/50, AMIGA 500, C128D, C128, C64C, C64, C16, Vic-20, Atari 520 STE, Atari 65 XE, Philips NMS-8250 MSX2, Sinclair Spectrum +3e, Sinclair Spectrum 48k, Amstrad CPC 6128, Amstrad CPC464, Oric Atmos, Apple Macintosh Classic, Apple IIGS, BBC Master, Memotech MTX500
I opened up the keyboard and based on its condition I decided to go the whole nine yards. Off with the keycaps it is! Chip extractor turned out to be a very handy tool in removing the caps.
As you can see the amount of grime between the keys is just overwhelming, so I decided to remove also the membrane and shafts so that I can give it a good scrub.
Here's the back of the keyboard with the shafts exposed. Shafts go into one drawer and the rubber springs into another.
I used Fairy Platinum hand dish washing detergent and a dish brush to clean both the frame and keycaps. They turned out pretty nicely. I'm going to let them dry thoroughly before reassembling.
Last edited by protek; 2nd July 2014 at 06:56.
AMIGA 4000 060/50, AMIGA 1200 030/50, AMIGA 500, C128D, C128, C64C, C64, C16, Vic-20, Atari 520 STE, Atari 65 XE, Philips NMS-8250 MSX2, Sinclair Spectrum +3e, Sinclair Spectrum 48k, Amstrad CPC 6128, Amstrad CPC464, Oric Atmos, Apple Macintosh Classic, Apple IIGS, BBC Master, Memotech MTX500
The keyboard is now reassembled. I'd say it turned out quite fine. I also replaced two missing pads from my other Apple Keyboard II.
Here is the keyboard connected to my Apple IIGS. It's not the exact keyboard that was shipped with the IIGS but it's close. The M0487 was actually shipped with Mac Classic but I prefer to use the Apple Extended keyboard II with it.
AMIGA 4000 060/50, AMIGA 1200 030/50, AMIGA 500, C128D, C128, C64C, C64, C16, Vic-20, Atari 520 STE, Atari 65 XE, Philips NMS-8250 MSX2, Sinclair Spectrum +3e, Sinclair Spectrum 48k, Amstrad CPC 6128, Amstrad CPC464, Oric Atmos, Apple Macintosh Classic, Apple IIGS, BBC Master, Memotech MTX500
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