Laptop Keyboard Liquid Damage

paint

Hi there - apologies for starting yet another thread, but I have another question I'd appreciate some help on! :beer:.

I have a Sony VAIO PCG-FR415B, about two yeas old. I stupidly had a small spillage of red wine on the keyboard a couple of months ago, which fortunately doesn't appear to have done any damage, apart from to the keyboard itself. The result is that about ten of the keys no longer work (affecting the r and f only in terms of letters, plus various other keys which I don't often need to use). I was planning to take out the keyboard and carefully clean it, and have done some research in terms of how best to approach this.

I'd really like advice ,if anyone has ,it on two things; firstly has anyone here had the same problem and managed to resolve it? And secondly, if a good clean doesn't work, do you know where I could get a new keyboard from? I can't find anywhere on the internet where I can source this. Or is it possibly a lost cause?

Surely this must be a reasonably common problem with laptops, or is it just me!?

albertross_2

Try isopropyl alcohol, it may just be a sticky deposit that needs wiping up. You could always use an external keyboard if it doesn't work (not ideal I know), or possibly numlock + hold down the ALT key, and type 102 for f, and ALT 114 for r

Are you covered for accidental damage on home insurance?

paint

albertross wrote:

Try isopropyl alcohol, it may just be a sticky deposit that needs wiping up. You could always use an external keyboard if it doesn't work (not ideal I know), or possibly numlock + hold down the ALT key, and type 102 for f, and ALT 114 for r

Are you covered for accidental damage on home insurance?

Thanks albertross, for the isopropyl alcohol suggestion - much appreciated. I'm using an external keyboard at the moment. I'd love to use the ALT keys... unfortunately the 2 and 4 keys don't work either! :rotfl:

My fan is almost constantly on as well, so I imagine the inside of the laptop has got pretty dusty over the last couple of years. Am tempted to take a look under the cover attempt a bit of a more general clean up.

ETA: No, not covered on the insurance unfortunately.

intel

Hi Paint.

Try not to peel the lappy apart you may see bits fly out, try and get a diagram
of the lappy, a schematic of the lappy first before taking apart unless you know
how to do it then just ignore me.

For keeping a lappy cool I bought this. http://www.misco.co.uk/productinformation/~75372~/AKASA%20NOTEBOOK%20COOLER.htm

albertross_2

http://computers.search.ebay.co.uk/...Z1QQsacatZ31568

Never done a Sony, so don't know the layout. General advice would be to use a good screwdriver with a big grippable handle (not the £1 jewellers type), so that you don't round off the screw head. Maplins sell nice sets for around a tenner if your don't have one.

Be very careful not to damage any ribbon cables holding the KB to the motherboard.

If there are a lot of screws involved, take a photo of (or note down) where the screws came from.

A can of air from PC World etc.. may help with your dust problem.

Failing that google for a replacement sony laptop keyboard..

paint

intel wrote:

Hi Paint.

Try not to peel the lappy apart you may see bits fly out, try and get a diagram
of the lappy, a schematic of the lappy first before taking apart unless you know
how to do it then just ignore me.

For keeping a lappy cool I bought this. http://www.misco.co.uk/productinformation/~75372~/AKASA%20NOTEBOOK%20COOLER.htm

Thanks intel, I have absolutely no idea whatsoever what I'm doing. Maybe I'll just attempt to blow the dust from the bits I can see when I take the keyboard out. And back everything up to my external hard drive before I go fiddling about with anything. I've never seen those lappy cooler thingys before. If I manage to clean the keyboard without destroying my entire laptop then I'll invest in one of these, as well as the extra RAM.

Thanks albertross, much appreciated. I swear I looked on ebay yesterday and couldn't find anything! Doh!

albertross_2

I've updated my post BTW.

Provided that you don't drop the HD on the floor, it should be ok. But it is a good idea to do regular backups anyway..

Don't walk about on the carpet while you are doing this, and touch a bit of earthed metal before you start, to avoid any damage with static electricity - this is especially important when fitting RAM.

paint

albertross wrote:

If there are a lot of screws involved, take a photo of (or note down) where the screws came from.

Thanks again for the update - particularly good idea about taking a photo before I start! I wouldn't have thought of that in a million years yet it could potentially save an awful lot of headaches later on. :beer: It's a trip to Maplins (maybe best not to use the tiny screwdriver that came out of the cracker at christmas then) and PCW for me tomorrow I think.

albertross_2

Just a point on the numlock problem (in case you didn't know)

you would actually use ALT + jmk keys to get 102 - which would do f
jju 114 r

ie not the number keys on the top row.

albertross_2

These are the sort of things I mean, but check what type of screws you need to remove first (torx/philips etc..).

A cheap jewellers set is fine if you have no use for a proper set in the future, but if you have any tight ones to remove, it will save the skin on your fingers..

You may be able to get the air duster cheaper elsewhere, or could just blow it out with lung power..

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&ModuleNo=26207&doy=search

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&ModuleNo=43404&doy=search

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&ModuleNo=36461&doy=search

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=25351&criteria=air&doy=search

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=29011&criteria=alcohol&doy=search