keyboards

"Jon Slaughter" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

Liquids tend to conduct electricity. When you're using the keyboard, electricity is passing through the traces and switches of the keyboard. Current goes where it's not supposed to, and bye bye keyboard.

I'd personally (a) stop using liquids so close to the keyboard and (b) look in to getting an IBM Model M keyboard. They should be able to handle a small to medium spill (look under the keycaps and you'll why I say this) without damage. The new systems don't always support the perfectly good and usable PS/2 ports, so you may need an adapter.

Puckdropper

John Ferrell W8CCW

That blew the s*it further into the gubbins !

Doesn't have to. All it needs to do is provide a conductive path to mess things up.

Graham

Ok, That seems to make perfect sense and seems go with some previous experiences.

Thanks, Jon

"Eeyore" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@REMOVETHIS.hotmail.com...

heh. ok... and how is that different than what I've said?

I'm not sure its the opposite experience but I'll try it next time and see what happens. I usually end up taking the keyboard completely apart and cleaning everything(and usually its pretty disqusting). Just couldn't see what was going on that was stopping the keyboard from working. What jamie says seems to make sense though.

True, but liquids are not conductors at low voltages in general? (i.e., any non electrolytic solutions).

This isn't a common thing. Statistically speaking its probably on the mark. Just that its quite annoying when it happens. There does seem to be any good reason why this should happen either. I'm sure its not that hard to come up with a way to make a keyboard spill proof. right now I'm just using a 10$ keyboard and its just as good as my 40$ one that I just ruined(although I'm going to check it out later to see if it magically fixed itself).

some cheaply made keyboards use a mylar bottom for the keypad buttons with an laminated conductive coating as the conductive paths. when fluids that are able to dissolve this, you have finished the keyboards life.

Why would you say that? The resistance is the same, so a lower voltage only reduces the leakage current.

You said *short*. That's different. Liquids won't short anything.

Graham

You think not ? Why woud the voltage matter ?

Graham

"Eeyore" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@REMOVETHIS.hotmail.com...

Strictly speaking, an ionic liquid conducts more as you pass the voltage where things happen -- for instance, about 3V for a salt solution. Depending on electrode reactions, it can actually look a lot like a semiconductor diode (supposedly, aluminum foil and baking soda or borax solution is capable of rectification).

Tim

"Eeyore" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@REMOVETHIS.hotmail.com...

Mercury is a liquid.

Tim

Plastic skins for keyboards used to be popular. If I had wrecked a keyboard I would soak it in clean warm water and then let it dry out for a couple of weeks. It's unlikely you will make it worse.

"Eeyore" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@REMOVETHIS.hotmail.com...

Salt water?

yeah. I figured though that since I spilled rubbing alchohol on it that it would die up pretty quick. it seems though that its an electrical problem though because even on an area that had nothing spilled on it such as the caps lock(wasn't even close), the caps lock does not light up the LED. So its a little strange but I will play around with it before I trash it(well, throw it in the closet I guess just incase I need some parts).

Putting 1 voltage across some electrodes in water is totally different from putting 1000v. Water as no method to transport current. Its conductive only because of impurities and because of the ionization of water(which is very small in pure water). But with enough voltage anything is possible.

So, the point is that if water gets between two pints of an ic then there should be any current transfer(if it is possible because one is a source)... or only a minute amount that probably will not damage it.

Atleast thats my take on it. I could be wrong ofcourse though.

"Eeyore" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@REMOVETHIS.hotmail.com...

Because with large enough voltages anything becomes conductive. Pure water is not generally conductive just like air is not in general conductive. General here means at standard conditions and inside a keyboard that uses around 5 volts air is not conductive.

I guess they haven't got to that experient yet in middle school. Maybe we should give him a few months or so for them to get to it before we call him an imbecile?