Many thanks! Great instructions. I don't know where I saw/read the
recommendation to put the keyboard in the dishwasher, but I was
skeptical of it from the get-go.
Nice to see this group is still alive.
Michael McMurtrey
Carrollton, Texas
On Apr 27, 2020, at 10:25 PM, Jim Scott wrote:
I’ve cleaned hundreds of older pre-“Chiclet” Apple keyboards over
the years, including the A1048, which is what I think yours is.
First, use a plastic spudger to pop off all the keys. Be careful,
some have metal positioning pieces clipped underneath. Put all the
keys in a tall CD spindle cover or similar container, add some
liquid dish soap and warm water. Stir then let soak for a while.
Stir some more, then dump the soapy water, refill with clean warm
water and repeat until you’re happy. Be careful you don’t lose keys
down the drain. Drain the water, then dump the keys onto a towel and
dry them one by one. Keep some isopropyl alcohol handy in case
there’s some greasy grime that needs special attention. There will
be some water trapped in the hollow pegs that snap into the
keyboard, so I usually tap each key on a hard surface to get rid of
it.
Second, dismantle the keyboard if there’s junk inside the clear
plastic bottom cover. There are three tiny Phillips screws that hold
the key “tray” to the bottom case. Remove them. On the bottom of the
keyboard case are three more teeny Allen head screws that hold the
bottom to the innards. Remove them.
Third, flip over the keyboard and the innards should come loose from
the clear plastic base. You’ll see more screws that hold the USB
wiring to the case as well as the USB wiring cover to the back.
Remove them.
Fourth, be very careful not to get any liquids on the Mylar sheets
that sandwich the printed circuits sheet; that moisture will ruin
the fragile circuits. (If you do, it’s possible to use an automotive
rear window defogger repair kit to renew the circuits. Been there,
had to do that.) You can leave the Mylar sheets in place and
carefully clean the usually filthy top side of the white plastic
board the keys pop into, or you can totally disassemble that assembly.
NOTE: If the clear plastic bottom is clean and junk-free, I usually
leave the keyless assembly as Apple first put it together, but
carefully use Q-tips dampened with isopropyl alcohol and a
toothbrush to get all the dust, crumbs, hair, coffee/soda spills and
whatnot out exposed by removing the keys. Sometimes I even remove
that little white piece around the left/right, up/down keys if I
can’t clean under it. But if there’s all kind of junk inside the
clear bottom, a full disassembly is in order.
Fifth. carefully reinstall everything in the right order. Keep
another Apple keyboard around so you get the keys back in the
correct places. (Another hard-learned lesson.) If you disassemble
the bottom part, be very careful to get the USB cable securely back
in place. Sometimes it might be necessary to put more of the
sheathed cable inside the case in order to re-cover the tiny little
wires exposed by *someone* pulling on the cable too hard.
CAUTION: Other Apple keyboards can be disassembled and cleaned
basically the same way, except for the newer “Chiclet” keyboards
with a flimsy metal top frame glued to a white plastic bottom. It’s
impossible to take those apart without melting keys or distorting
the aluminum. I know, I’ve tried and failed. More than once. Talk
about throw-away technology! What I do with “Chiclet” keyboards to
keep them clean is to remove batteries or turn them off and wipe
them down with a microfiber cloth dampened with isopropyl alcohol.
Note the use of “dampened”. You don’t want to use too much isopropyl
alcohol, which usually has 10-30 percent water content, and short
out the keyboard. I also regularly turn off/remove batteries from
“Chiclet” keyboards and tap them lightly on the desktop while
holding them upside down, between total wipe-downs. Amazing how much
stuff gets inside them.
Whatever you do, do not put your keyboard in the dishwasher. It will
come out clean, sort of, and it will be ruined. Good luck.
Jim Scott
Eureka, CA
On Apr 27, 2020, at 7:25 PM, Sky King <[email protected]> wrote:
I am in need of suggestions as to how to clean years of accumulated
gunk from between the keys of an Apple keyboard, model A1049. I've
heard or read that keyboards can be put in the top rack of a
dishwasher, but that doesn't sound so good to me, as this model has
a permanently attached USB cord.
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