Spilled Coffee On My Laptop Keyboard

Wingnut · Joined: Dec 05, 2002 Posts: 58 Location: Cleveland, Ohio

My wonderful hyper-active kid knocked my coffee over while playing the Wii. Of coarse it was right into my laptop open laptop, and I take a bit of sugar in my java.

All of the keys are functional (yet slighly tacky) at the moment *except* for my tab key. I never knew how much I used the tab key until now.....

Is there anything (short of having the keyboard replaced) that I can do to clean up the keys?

I have an Acer Extensa 4420 that is just over a year old. I could plug in a USB keyboard, but that kind of defeats the idea of being "portable".

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

winGnuT

zlim · Joined: Mar 11, 2005 Posts: 2629

First, remove the power cord and the battery.
I'd remove or at least fold down the keyboard to be sure no liquid spilled into the innards - that could fry the mobo.

If the keyboard comes off, spray it with distilled, not tap water or rubbing alcohol and let it dry thoroughly. The last thing you want to do is turn it on if there is a hint of moisture.

You can dry it by setting a hair dryer on the very lowest and coolst setting and bloing both the keyboard and the innards of the notebook..

Wingnut · Joined: Dec 05, 2002 Posts: 58 Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Thanks Zlim ~ I'm franticly searching for the service manual to see exactly how this can be done.

I have great trepidations in attempting this myself, but being unemployed and on the dole ~ but a geek's gotta do what a geek's gotta do......

winGnuT

zlim · Joined: Mar 11, 2005 Posts: 2629

I know exactly how you feel. I needed to install RAM in an old micron notebook and I saw that I'd have to fold back the keyboard and remove a metal heat shield before I could get to the RAM. Boy, I thought about this for days. I finally did the deed and all worked out well.

Just tell yourself it has to be done otherwise the computer might become unusable if you don't do it.

Wingnut · Joined: Dec 05, 2002 Posts: 58 Location: Cleveland, Ohio

And if my laptop becomes unstable, I will become unstable.

I've built many a desktop, but this will be my first forray into opening up a laptop.

Step 1: Drink plenty of beer
Step 2: Repeat Step 1

micker377 · Joined: May 27, 2005 Posts: 988

Seriously, get a digital camera, and take pictures every step of the way. And another thing to note: watch out for the length of those tiny screws you take out! A millimeter here and there, can short things out. Put the screws of equal length on a piece of masking tape, and place them on a drawing of where they came from. This may sound stupid - but you will thank me later!!! One of the hard parts, is if you have to remove a large part connected by those tiny flat cables. I use hemostats to carefully push them back into place. Unlike desktop ribbon cables, they don't all just "plug in". Some of the "sockets" to plug the cable into, have tiny "pressure bars" that have to be slid back to remove the cable. You may find this, after you rip the "socket" off the mother-board!!! Don't ask me how I know! <grin>

Wingnut · Joined: Dec 05, 2002 Posts: 58 Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Hemostats. They're not just for roachclips anymore

Those are all fantastic ideas. While I did find a step by step with pictures, I think that photographing the entire disassembly process a great idea. Not only do I have a process for the "next time", I also can use those pictures to re-assemble. I hate having to learn by my mistakes. I'd much rather learn from others.....

Brilliant ! Thanks so much.

micker377 · Joined: May 27, 2005 Posts: 988

goretsky

Hello,

I found a link to a service guide for an Acer Travelmate 4720/4320 notebook computer here. I believe it it similar to the 4420 model that you have, so should help in disassembly and reassembly of the computer.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

Wingnut · Joined: Dec 05, 2002 Posts: 58 Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Thank you so much Aryeh ! I have found the exact same link, but have not gathered the gumption to attempt yet. For the time being, I have hooked up a normal sized USB keyboard.

winGnuT

Bearly1227 · Joined: Feb 21, 2003 Posts: 48 Location: Central MA, USA

I am one that also had a mishap, but noone else to blame except my own fat fingers. I spilled a glass of Red Wine onto the keyboard of a Compaq Presario Laptop, maybe three years ago.

Fortunately, HP still carried the field service techs disassembly instructions on their website. After removing the keyboard, I found that certain areas of the keyboard allowed the wine into the innards of the laptop.

It seems that they designers used the spaces around the keys to admit cooling air to the laptop, which is then driven out by a small fan.

The disassembly was fairly easy after I got the instructions and saw the little "tricks" (Which screws, what part lifts up first, don't drop that part and so forth).

>My wonderful hyper-active kid knocked my coffee over while playing the Wii. Of coarse it was right into my laptop open laptop, and I take a bit of sugar in my java.

I already knew about the distillled water, and managed to wash everyting down and wipe off the memory chip, hdd and modem card. Fortunately, very little got to the mobo (the computer was in use when I spilled the wine).

>All of the keys are functional (yet slighly tacky) at the moment *except* for my tab key. I never knew how much I used the tab key until now.....

Eventually I had to repalace the keyboard and bought a "good used" one on line for small money.

>Is there anything (short of having the keyboard replaced) that I can do to clean up the keys?

You can probably wash iot in distilled water. I washed mine with total immersion and left it several days to dry out, using a hair dryer on cold and many cans of compressed air to get every spec of water out of it.

:snip

>Thanks in advance for any suggestions

>WinGnuT

Oh, and by the way, many of the hints I got was from the same people advising you here, so you know you're in good company.

Good luck,

Bob

Digmen1 · Joined: Jul 28, 2009 Posts: 1

Sorry, I can't help with your repair, but those new Adkaf desktop mugholders will stop it happening again. You can Google for them.