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How to fix a keyboard that doesn’t work? Step by step guide

How to fix a keyboard that doesn't work? Step by step guide

The errors of the keyboard although they are not very common can cause great inconvenience, and these can lead to the same stop working, in those cases, there are methods that can be applied to solve them.

In many circumstances the problem with the keyboard is that some keys do not work , and this leads to certain errors and to believe that the malfunction is due to a bad configuration in the system.

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However, you should know that this is not the case, there are failures or damages that occur to it in some components that prevent the keys from working as they should. That is why in this tutorial you We will explain step by step, how you can diagnose these failures and how you can solve them.

What are the possible reasons why my keyboard no longer works?

There are different causes that generate errors in your keyboard or keyboard, each of them can be generated in different ways, but you should know that there are some methods that can be applied to prevent them from being generated, or failing that worsen the current status of the device.

Among the causes are:

  • Excess dirt: Dirt such as dust, hair, food waste, or other small solid elements can damage membranes and even component circuits.
  • Humidity: If your devices are in a place with high humidity, it can cause circuit errors, creating what is called sulphation, (which is basically oxidation of the electronic components or the circuit of the same). This process directly interrupts or cuts off the flow of current, preventing the system from functioning correctly.
  • Wet the keyboard: In some cases the incident occurs that spills a drink in the same, for example, coffee, tea, water etc. If there is luck in the first instance nothing fails, and just letting it dry solves it. But if it is a recurring event, this will damage the keyboard board.

Solutions or methods to avoid keyboard failures

Just as there are also different causes that can damage a keyboard, there are also methods that can be used to help prevent these damages before they become critical and you have to make a repair or on your gravity change the device, as it cannot be repaired.

Among the solutions are:

  • Avoid having your equipment in a place with a high concentration of dust , even eating on it, if you can not avoid it, performing maintenance every so often will help prevent damage.
  • Moisture is a great enemy of electronic components, because it accelerates and causes sulfation. To avoid this, it is ideal to have electronic elements away from places with high concentrations, or in ventilated places, in order to prevent it from being concentrated in the same place. And as in the previous case, the best tool to avoid it is to perform preventive maintenance .
  • If the keyboard has been wet the best at that moment it is to disconnect it or to turn off the device immediately (this in case it happens in a laptop). If it is a membrane keyboard, once it is disconnected, it is carefully opened until the part of the circuit is achieved, the area is cleaned and waiting until it is completely dry. Once clean check the state of the circuit and if no damage is observed, close and test it.

How to repair the keys that do not work on our keyboard?

If the keyboard already has errors and it is recognized that they are not due to a keyboard unconfiguration , only It remains to perform a circuit repair. This procedure is highly delicate, this because if it is done carelessly without correctly following the steps, you can generate totally irreparable damage to your equipment.

If you are not sure, it is better to take it to a specialized technician and have it perform all the necessary repairs.

Material and repair tools

Before starting the repair there is a list of items that you must have in order to perform this task:

  • Digital multimeter: This element will verify the state of electrical continuity of the circuit. Either measuring its resistance or measuring electrical continuity.

multimetro digital

  • Shovel screwdriver (stick) and groove screwdriver (cross): this to remove all the keyboard screws.

destornillador de estria y de pala

  • Cleaning liquid for electronic components: This liquid is specifically used to clean electrical components, since after use it evaporates completely, which facilitates drying. In case of not getting it, you can use acetone (nail paint cleaning liquid) or pure alcohol.
  • Cotton or fabric: This must be completely clean to be used together cleaning liquid.
  • Conductive painting of electricity (Electric Paint): If not, a graphite pencil or a mine pencil with a very soft hardness can be used.

pintura conductora de electricidad

  • A needle and an extra fine brush: this only in case of acquiring the conductive paint.

Procedure and steps to repair a keyboard

The steps to correctly fix a keyboard are simple to execute, however, great care is needed when performing them, this is because an error will cause irreparable damage.

  • Open the keyboard, for this use the screwdrivers mentioned to remove each screw in it, then open the case.
  • Once opened, you must remove the membrane of the keyboard, remove it carefully, once this is done you will see that it is composed of several parts, the one that interests is the one with the printed circuit.

membrana de un teclado en partes

  • Perform a total cleaning of the membrane with the circuit cleaning liquid or any of the alternatives and wait for it to dry completely before performing another task.
  • Look closely and in detail at the circuit, in order to discover segments that are damaged, sulphated or with dirt in it.

segmento de circuito impreso dañado

  • After observing the damaged parts the continuity of the circuit will be checked using the multimeter and placing it to measure resistance or continuity, both are valid, it is only necessary to place it in some of the nodes.
  • The measurement will be made from any node (circles with multiple connections) to the segment that has a failure.

comprobar circuito dañado de un teclado

  • To make sure that there is the error, in the place where the damage of the circuit is seen, the measurement is also carried out. The multimeter when not presenting electrical continuity will show as value 1 (in case of measuring resistance) and in case of measuring continuity will not give any beep or sound.
  • Now we are going to repair the damaged segment, with the conductive paint or graphite. If using paint, use a needle for circuit lines, since it is important that they are as thin as possible. It is important that you do not touch others, this will generate a short circuit if they are joined. Remember to use little paint .

reparacion del circuito con pintura conductora

How to check that the keyboard has been repaired?

For this it is necessary to use the multimeter again, you have to take into account that if you are not an experienced user in electronics, or in the tool you are using, it is best to place it measuring resistance, “Ohm” .

So we will see which places have better electric flow, the closer to zero this is the result measured at that time, the better.

  • Now check the area with the multimeter, you will perform the same tests explained above. If everything is correct, it should give you a value other than 1, the closer to 0, the better the continuity of the circuit. Before checking, wait for the paint to dry completely.

comprobacion del circuito reparado de un teclado

  • Now, re-reassemble the keyboard membrane. Once you have it ready, check the status by connecting it to your computer. If everything is correct, all the keys should work.