Don't wash your keyboard

[tomizett]

I'm also interested in vacuum drying for the same purpose (I had a thread on it a while back), but this is exactly the kind of experience I'm hoping to avoid...
I admire the innovation and work that you've put into this nevertheless!

 

[DerStrom8]

Water does not damage most electronics if you dry it fully prior to turning it on. I have washed my hall effect keyboard several time in the dish washer with good results.

I said 'most electronics' because little in this world is absolute and people chew your backside if they know of the rare exception.

I think it fully depends on the water. For example, my tap water is heavy in minerals that would be left on the board once the water evaporates. This contamination can cause permanent problems. You really ought to use DI water to wash electronics.

 

[chemelec]

I washed one computer Keyboard and dried it, No problem
I also wash Many Circuit boards and usually just Dry these using a Vacuum Cleaner to SUCK the Water Off them.
Than some Air Drying.

 

[atferrari]

"Subsea controls" has nothing to do with submarines.
It is to do with oil and gas production under the sea. This sort of thing:

https://akersolutions.com/what-we-do/products-and-services/subsea-production-systems/

JimB

And where the keyboard goes Jim? Down there? Then you need a brave guy to type on it...

The most challenged PCs (CPU et al) I have seen were those in a steel mill at the pier where they discharge coal / iron ore. Hard to believe.

 

[kinarfi]

I knew about water boiling at low temperature in a vacuum, but I think that you win the prize for the most imaginative way to destroy a piece of electronic equipment!

JimB

Thanks, Oh you'd be surprised at the ways I have come up with to destroy stuff, but this is one of my better OOPs's.
Too much idle time on my hands.

 

[JimB]

And where the keyboard goes Jim? Down there?

In the computer room or control room on the production platform, or FPSO, or even back at the onshore terminal.

My keyboard which got soaked in hydraulic fluid was in the manufacturing workshop during an integration test when various parts of the system were being tested together prior to deployment offshore. Something hydraulic "let go" in a big way and sprayed fluid everywhere, including all over the operator workstation.
I came back to the workshop to find a distraught software guy wondering what to do with this well soaked keyboard, while the "client from hell" was wanting it fixed ASAP so we could continue the tests.

JimB

 

[dr pepper]

I have to handle grubby electronics too, I use some stuff called TF90, get through a lot of it, the merchants that sell us the stuff tells me its brake cleaner, which used to be carbon tet, but nowadays its a substitute as carbon tet is illegal here in the uk.

 

[schmitt trigger]

Thanks for sharing your experiences....definitively made my day!

I worked in the early 80s on a Television CRT factory.
I saw my fair share of implosions. It does give you an acute sense of the power of atmospheric pressure!

Dr. Pepper: around the same time I also worked with carbon tetrachloride. The best cleaning agent there is, but incredibly nasty stuff.
Even when handling it with gloves and having a powerful fume fan, one day my skin became yellowish and I vomited myself clean.

 

[DirtyLude]

... then with a loud bang, ...

That's hilarious. I looked at the picture first before reading what happened and was trying to figure out what was going on.

You must be missing some electronics, then. There's always some microcontroller of some kind to read the keystrokes, convert them, and send them over USB or over the old ps/2 connector. As mentioned, unpowered electronics is generally safe to be wet as long as they are dried properly before power is applied.

 

[Externet]

Keyboards keys are washed and scrubbed while held upside down. With no more soapy water than it is held by the brush, and no immersion.
After some shaking-dripping, should be dried with a warm fan.

If trouble, I have bought a few for $4 new each, which may make up for your time.

 

[kinarfi]

I think it fully depends on the water. For example, my tap water is heavy in minerals that would be left on the board once the water evaporates. This contamination can cause permanent problems. You really ought to use DI water to wash electronics.

Just reread your post, agree with the use of DI, I would think that RO would work almost as well, I have RO water for drinking, but no DI, DI makes for good coffee too, that's what we used when I worked for Hughes Air Craft, we made radar equipment where I worked. That was a fun job, maintenance! got to play with liquid nitrogen, Trichloroethane, electroplating, vacuum ovens, shaker tables, anechoic chambers as big as a house, eerie quiet!!!! lots more
Jeff

 

[atferrari]

Around 10 years ago, my mobile phone (foldable cover - Motorola) got soaked up. Left it few hours on the dashboard of my car with all windows closed under the summer sun while completing a survey. When returning to the office it worked normally.

 

[djsfantasi]

Around 10 years ago, my mobile phone (foldable cover - Motorola) got soaked up. Left it few hours on the dashboard of my car with all windows closed under the summer sun while completing a survey. When returning to the office it worked normally.

Somewhat similar happened to me. My phone was in my bathing suit pocket. A couple hours on the hood of my red car - it was saved.

 

[dr pepper]

Schmitt trig, I know someone who used to work at mullards when it was running, imploding crt's on the prodiction line was a common occurrence and a real risk, some of the stuff they used to do you'd never get away with these days.

 

[Tony Stewart]

I put my rain soaked electronics over the furnace blower vent for quick drying

but the vacuum may cause caps to explode while the can imploded.

 

[kinarfi]

I put my rain soaked electronics over the furnace blower vent for quick drying

but the vacuum may cause caps to explode while the can imploded.

That's a good point, especially if you pull the vac real fast, but maybe there's not enough air, vapor, gas, inside to expand and pop the can, I have blown them up with heat from over voltage, reverse polarity and reason I don't know, but that's usually lots of heat. Guess I'll have to try a couple and see what happens.