How do you repair a keyboard ?

[rumael]

I've got 3 keyboards in my house and 3 computers, not a single keyboard works 100%
Basically I've tried just cleaning them with kind of warm water and gentle soap,
but it didn't work on any of them, they are all of the newer construction using the
3 layers of plastic tracer sheets. I figure it is something to do with the conductive
material on the sheets themselves, what can i use to repair it ? preferrebly cheaply =)
-Rumael

 

[Mday]

if those traces are severed, you can use a conductive pen, found in electronics stores (radio shack type that sells resistors, and junk, not as in circuit city that sells stereos). it's the same pen that some people use to connect the bridges for amd processors =)

if the membrane is broken, i suggest getting new keyboards. you can use some tape or something as well as the pen, but it's just going to break again.

if you can't find it, try radioshack.com or something. it's like $10 or something.

--

2 of those layers have traces, the third which goes between them is an insulator and has holes in it matching the keys. when the keys are pressed, the contacts from those 2 layers touch because the third has holes to do so.

the keyboard does not work if: contacts are touching, something allows current to flow contact to contact, there is debris that keeps the contacts from touching.

water is not conductive, but stuff in the water does allow for conduction, so make sure the layers are dry.

cleaners sometimes leave a residue, wipe the trace side of the membranes with some rubbing alcohol, let it air dry.