OT- Computer Keyboard?

Re: OT- Computer Keyboard?

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

The bag with rice was a very bad idea. Warm moving air was a better choice, especially the moving air.

Re: OT- Computer Keyboard?

John K Jordan

Depends what got wet inside. If you are careful you can take any laptop apart and work on the keyboard. Work slowly and remember how the cables are routed and where all the screws go. If no experience in this perhaps a friend or shop would do it. Back up everything first.

If you can get another one a that price you haven't lost much if you can't fix it! I recently worked on mine like that but it was over $2 grand! (I was REAL careful)

Re: OT- Computer Keyboard?

Kneale Brownson

There should be an on-line manual for disassembly for your model. I know I fould directions for replacing the hinges in my really old Lenovo XP that I have to keep because it has my Audi S8 service manual on it.

Re: OT- Computer Keyboard?

Bill Howatt

I am typing this from a USB keyboard I just plugged into my Dell laptop. This is an option but it does mean carting around another keyboard.

Unplugged it and this line is with the laptop's keyboard.

Bill

Re: OT- Computer Keyboard?

John McGaw

For future reference, rice is a really bad idea. At the very least it is not helpful. If you want to dry out electronics (computer/phone/camera) you really need a quantity of desiccant and an air-tight container (I use what sailors would call a dry box). Ideally the desiccant should fill most of the volume of the container that is not taken up by the object being dried. Being able to open the device is good and will speed the process but it is not mandatory.

As others have probably noted, replacing most notebook keyboards is fairly trivial if you have decent manual dexterity and can get the bloody thing open without breaking or losing anything. eBay often is a decent source of old computer parts.

Deciccant

John K Jordan

I buy dsiccant from Amazon. I like the blue indicator desiccant that turns pink when it has absorbed all the moisture it can. (Another good use for it is to put in an air tight container for storing CA glue - prevents it from setting up prematurely.)

JKJ

Re: OT- Computer Keyboard?

Ellis Walentine

I had a coffeemaker overflow on my cheap laptop, and I tried my best to dry it out, but, like yours, it never recovered a lot of the keys (and the space bar, which was the coffin nail). I also lost a vintage iPod because of a light misting of rain; I tried desiccants, incantations, and everything else but had to finally give up.

If you need the data, see if you can extract it somehow, then go shopping for a new computer -- or another decent used one.

Ellis

Re: OT- Computer Keyboard?

Frank House

If the laptop has a USB port (most have), you can, as others have suggested, buy a plugin or wireless keyboard.

Keyboards come in all sizes and a range of prices. You might consider a conventional-sized one for home use and a small, illuminated, wireless keyboard/touchpad unit for touring.

Examples of latter:

https://www.banggood.com/buy/aerb-mini-wireless-keyboard.html

Re: OT- Computer Keyboard?

Tom Norton

Well the rice seems to have worked and the keyboard is ok for the time being. I found a replacement for $13 but after we talked about it we might just get a replacement because the storage on the current one is a bit small.

Thanks for your replies!!

how to dry stuff

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Move air, heat, lower humidity.....in that order of importance.

If air is not moving over that to be dried the region next to the wet becomes saturated with water and drying stops. You know this time of year how useful a breeze in cooling yourself.

It takes a huge amount of calories to evaporate water. Again you know that, for when the breeze blows over your wetness you get cool this time of year or cold in the fall.

If the humidity of the air is low it can hold more water to aid evaporation rate.

Drying compound is good for lowering humidity, like to slow the rate of CA glue going solid. But it is ineffective at evaporating water because the air over the wetness quickly reaches 100% humidity and drying rate is now controlled by how fast the moisture can be carried away from the wetness. . We don't add drying compound to the clothes dryer. We add heat and massive air movement.

Re: OT- Computer Keyboard?

Walt

Lenovo is pretty good about putting repair manuals online and Ebay has Thinkpad parts. If the machine in question is a 'regular' Thinkpad replacing the keyboard is pretty easy. If it's one of the ultrathin ones I have no idea.

Re: OT- Computer Keyboard?

Tom Norton

Yep there is even a You tube video for changing it!

Re: OT- Computer Keyboard?

Walt

Edit: I just bought a Thinkpad X250 off Ebay. They've changed and not necessarily for the better. This one the back comes off and the keyboard is at the front so changing they keyboard involves removing pretty much all the internals. Possible to do but not trivial, used to be remove one or two screws and push/slide.