Apple's new AL-keyboards really don't like to get wet! I tried cleaning mine this weekend and very nearly ruined it.
My standard procedure is to spray some cleaner, like formula 409 on a paper towel and carefully clean the key caps with it, then soak a clean paper towel in isopropyl alcohol and wipe down the keys with that. Well at one (or both) of those steps, something got into the keyboard guts and shorted out my 'o' and '0' keys; it was as if they were 'pressed' continuously. Blowing it out with air did not help, nor did letting it dry for several hours. When I pried up the keycaps, I found that the tiny rubber dome over the switch seemed to be partially detached from the substrate. CAREFULLY pulling the dome sideways a bit, exposing underneath it, and blowing canned air into the space under the dome fixed the problem, at least for now. I don't know if that dome is meant to be the way it is or not. (and I'm speaking 'carefully' as someone who has done serious repair work on complex scientific instruments costing tens of thousands of dollars and containing things like pump pistons made of sapphire, in other words, "Don't Try This At Home, Kids!") Also, googling repairs on the things, I discovered that they're glued together; the feet on the bottom do NOT cover screws but are inserted *from the inside*. I found ONE account of someone who had successfully disassembled the keyboard without bending the frame or breaking the plastic by placing the keyboard in a 200 degree (F) oven for a while. This web site DID NOT recount a successful RE-assembly... I really REALLY love these keyboards, but...be careful out there! -- Bruce Johnson University of Arizona College of Pharmacy Information Technology Group Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs -- You received this message because you are a member of the iMac Group, a group for those using Apple iMacs and eMacs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to imaclist@googlegroups.com To leave this group, send email to imaclist+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/imaclist
