G/f removed keys from keyboard, doesn't work now.....

[EvilYoda]

Not a very technical question, but it's still kinda hardware. Anyway, she removed them, and washed the keys (not the keyboard), which should've been okay, but she probably didn't let it dry fully...so the end product is that he 'e' key registers as 'ek' and the 'u' key come out as 'uh'...

Any idea, any help? Would it be possible to RMA this thing to MS? Would they be able to tell?

Help would be greatly appreciated, since these keyboards are kind of expensive, it would suck to have to buy a new one.

 

[Barefoot]

Well...for starters, how did she remove the keys? If she just pulled 'em right off the keyboard without even opening it up, then that might have messed with some of the contacts inside. If I was home right now (Lapeer), I'd just pick it up from you and fix it myself (I've fixed numerous keyboards in my time), but since I'm so far away, my best advice would be to open it up (which may void the already-voided warranty) and to clean everything, especially the circuit sheet. I don't know if you've ever seen the inside of a keyboard before, but the circuit sheet is a thin piece of plastic with leads sandwiched in the middle of it, leading from each key contact to the controller. If that's already clean (look at it under light at an angle to make sure), and all of the contacts seem to be in place, then I think your controller may have been messed up from possible water damage. If that's the case...then you're most likely SOL. You may be able to rip the controller from another keyboard and stick it in there, but any hotkeys you may have will probably no longer function.

Hope that helps!

 

[Elledan]

Some of the contacts inside are messed up, probably because the keyboard was plugged in while it wasn't dry.

You need a new keyboard

 

[ghostman]

I've cleaned out two keyboards. One was a coffee stain and the other was just dirt build-up over time. I just unscrewed the keyboard, removed the two (or three) plastic sheets and washed them out with soap and water. Then I dried it down with tissue and tested it before putting it back into the casing. Before screwing it back on, I tested all the keys. If it wasn't working, I made sure it was dry and tried again.

I had quite a bit of time on my hands, so it might be better to just get a new keyboard. Also, I didn't care if I fried the keyboard or the machine it was attached to.

 

[EvilYoda]

hmph, alright, thanx a lot everyone......you helped a lot more than the other threads I posted. (surprise surprise)

 

[theplanb]

Just don't yell at your gf because of this.. girls are more sensitive than a keyboard