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Author Topic: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard  (Read 1508 times)

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Offline motorollinTopic starter

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Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« on: January 11, 2009, 07:08:11 PM »
I spilled a small amount of tea on my MacBook keyboard. It wen on the right hand edge. I wiped it all off within about 5 seconds. All of the keys still work and none of them stick, but the backspace key intermittently "presses" itself. Sometimes it acts as if the key is held down and keeps deleting.

I'm guessing there is still some liquid under the key which is shorting the contacts. Does this sound plausible? It happened 7 hours ago. If it was going to dry would it have done so by now? If not how long do I need to leave it before I panic?

It would have to be backspace and not a useless key like F12 :roll:
Code: [Select]
10  IT\'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
20  FOR C = 1 TO 2
30     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA
40     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAAA
50  NEXT C
60  NA-NA-NAAAA
70  NA-NA NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA NAAA-NAAAAAAAAAAA
80  GOTO 10
 

Offline bloodline

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2009, 07:35:08 PM »
Liquid does strange things to electromechanical devices like keyboards... Check out iFixit dot com and see if there are any clues to how the keyboard works...

Offline motorollinTopic starter

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2009, 07:53:01 PM »
Strange things which stop when the liquid has evaporated?
Code: [Select]
10  IT\'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
20  FOR C = 1 TO 2
30     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA
40     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAAA
50  NEXT C
60  NA-NA-NAAAA
70  NA-NA NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA NAAA-NAAAAAAAAAAA
80  GOTO 10
 

Offline bloodline

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2009, 08:00:39 PM »
Quote

motorollin wrote:
Strange things which stop when the liquid has evaporated?


StRaNgE things!!! :crazy:

Offline motorollinTopic starter

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2009, 08:06:51 PM »
Doesn't seem to be much info in ifixit.com - just a price for a new keyboard! Do the StRaNgE things stop once the tea has left the building? Or could it cause permanent damage?

Basically, if I can't fix this for nothing, I'm f**ked. I use this machine every day and simply can't afford to pay to have it repaired or replaced :-(
Code: [Select]
10  IT\'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
20  FOR C = 1 TO 2
30     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA
40     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAAA
50  NEXT C
60  NA-NA-NAAAA
70  NA-NA NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA NAAA-NAAAAAAAAAAA
80  GOTO 10
 

Offline bloodline

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #5 on: January 11, 2009, 08:29:32 PM »
Quote

motorollin wrote:
Doesn't seem to be much info in ifixit.com - just a price for a new keyboard! Do the StRaNgE things stop once the tea has left the building? Or could it cause permanent damage?

Basically, if I can't fix this for nothing, I'm f**ked. I use this machine every day and simply can't afford to pay to have it repaired or replaced :-(


There is loads of crap in Tea... the problem is I don't know the mechanics behind the new apple keyboards... the old ones were an easy fix... :-(

Offline motorollinTopic starter

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #6 on: January 11, 2009, 08:33:44 PM »
Bollocks... well, I'll just have to wait and see I suppose. It seems to be behaving now, but then I'm not using the backspace key. Hopefully as it dries out it will start working properly, but I daren't use the key for now :-(
Code: [Select]
10  IT\'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
20  FOR C = 1 TO 2
30     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA
40     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAAA
50  NEXT C
60  NA-NA-NAAAA
70  NA-NA NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA NAAA-NAAAAAAAAAAA
80  GOTO 10
 

Offline Oliver

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #7 on: January 12, 2009, 11:35:19 AM »
How old is the machine? Perhaps you could manage something on warranty? It seems that Apple warranty is legendary. Of course, I wouldn't encourage such things, though I do know of one person who has a faulty USB socket just before his Apple laptop runs out of warranty - each and every time. There seems to be a recurrent accident with a screwdriver.

My experience of laptop kyboards is that they are a fiddly PITA to fix.

Long term, the tea may cause issues with the contact materials. It may also always feel a little tacky. Hopefully not, though.
Good good study, day day up!
 

Offline motorollinTopic starter

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #8 on: January 12, 2009, 07:10:35 PM »
Quote
Oliver wrote:
How old is the machine? Perhaps you could manage something on warranty?

Unfortunately it's out of warranty :-(

Quote
Oliver wrote:
Of course, I wouldn't encourage such things, though I do know of one person who has a faulty USB socket just before his Apple laptop runs out of warranty - each and every time. There seems to be a recurrent accident with a screwdriver.

I'm surprised they haven't caught on yet! If this MacBook dies before I graduate and get a job then I'm really going to be in trouble!

Quote
Oliver wrote:
My experience of laptop kyboards is that they are a fiddly PITA to fix.

Long term, the tea may cause issues with the contact materials. It may also always feel a little tacky. Hopefully not, though.

Well the good news is that I used the machine pretty much all day today and didn't have any problems. I'm guessing that the fluid has now evaporated and that any residue is not enough to cause a poor contact. The key isn't sticky at all so far, and I'm guessing if it was going to be then it would be by now, unless the sticky substance forms as the residue breaks down. Time will tell...

Fortunately I only drink the pure and mighty PG Tips, otherwise who knows what could have happened! ;-)

Thanks guys for being there with me through this difficult time :lol:
Code: [Select]
10  IT\'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
20  FOR C = 1 TO 2
30     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA
40     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAAA
50  NEXT C
60  NA-NA-NAAAA
70  NA-NA NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA NAAA-NAAAAAAAAAAA
80  GOTO 10
 

Offline Karlos

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #9 on: January 13, 2009, 01:08:24 PM »
Such inconveniences have already been thought of by the Mac Book design team.

You'll never have to suffer a sticky or malfunctioning keyboard again

Demonstration here

int p; // A
 

Offline motorollinTopic starter

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #10 on: January 13, 2009, 01:09:58 PM »
But what if you spill something on the wheel? :nervous:
Code: [Select]
10  IT\'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
20  FOR C = 1 TO 2
30     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA
40     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAAA
50  NEXT C
60  NA-NA-NAAAA
70  NA-NA NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA NAAA-NAAAAAAAAAAA
80  GOTO 10
 

Offline Karlos

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #11 on: January 13, 2009, 01:12:44 PM »
Then you get the new version mentioned at the end...
int p; // A
 

Offline Karlos

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #12 on: January 13, 2009, 01:17:11 PM »
I have to admit, I love ONN spoofs. They're so well executed.

Sorry to hear about the spill. One of the reasons I refuse to own any type of laptop device is I just know I'm going to flood it with some beverage or other, no matter how careful I am.

Remember, I once tipped a full bowl of rice crispies into an A1200...
int p; // A
 

Offline motorollinTopic starter

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #13 on: January 13, 2009, 01:18:23 PM »
Quote
Karlos wrote:
Then you get the new version mentioned at the end...

Hmm, hard drive and screen I could do without. But I couldn't go back to not having a wheel!
Code: [Select]
10  IT\'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
20  FOR C = 1 TO 2
30     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA
40     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAAA
50  NEXT C
60  NA-NA-NAAAA
70  NA-NA NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA NAAA-NAAAAAAAAAAA
80  GOTO 10
 

Offline motorollinTopic starter

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Re: Splashed tea on MacBook keyboard
« Reply #14 on: January 13, 2009, 01:21:35 PM »
Quote
Karlos wrote:
I have to admit, I love ONN spoofs. They're so well executed.

I'm amazed by the production quality of that. Were the product marginally less absurd it would be believable!

Quote
Karlos wrote:
Sorry to hear about the spill.

It's not a problem... MacBook, heal thyself!

Quote
Karlos wrote:
One of the reasons I refuse to own any type of laptop device is I just know I'm going to flood it with some beverage or other, no matter how careful I am.

Well, this is the first time I have *ever* had an accident like this. And to be fair, it wasn't entirely my fault. I actually tried to slide the MacBook along the table but the rubber feet made it grip and then jump suddenly, knocking it in to the mug. So I blame the MacBook for being stubborn ;-)

Quote
Karlos wrote:
Remember, I once tipped a full bowl of rice crispies into an A1200...

Oh, nasty! Did any of it survive?
Code: [Select]
10  IT\'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
20  FOR C = 1 TO 2
30     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA
40     DA-NA-NAAAA-NAAAA DA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAAA
50  NEXT C
60  NA-NA-NAAAA
70  NA-NA NA-NA-NA-NA-NAAAA NAAA-NAAAAAAAAAAA
80  GOTO 10