A Keyboard Vacuum that Sucks? 48
ewhac writes "Recently, on a whim, I bought one of those tiny little battery-powered vacuums, pitched as effective in cleaning the schmutz out of your keyboard. After trying it out, I found out that it sucks. Or rather, it doesn't suck. Er... It fails to remove the aforementioned schmutz. This came as little surprise to me, since there's obviously an upper limit to the volume of air you can move with a pair of AA batteries. But I suddenly became curious as to whether an effective "keyboard vac" exists at all. So I thought I'd ask here: Has anyone encountered an effective, small hand-held vacuum that doesn't suck? ...er, does suck? Sucks well? Whatever..."
Regular? (Score:1)
Re:Regular? (Score:2)
Can you say "Van Degraph" (sp?)
Re:Regular? (Score:1)
Re:Regular? (Score:2)
Re:Regular? (Score:1)
Triple cyclone
Re:Take keyboard (Score:1)
The Answer is Yes (Score:1)
Old compressed air cans (Score:1)
This is both environmentally sound, economical and low tech. Most of you have used these. They are filled with compressed air. However once they are empty you can recycle them, you will need to flush out the last of the old air by heating them up. Just keep the release button held down has you heat them, you create a vacuum inside as they cool. Just pop them in the oven at 350 centigrade. Remember to hold down the button with your finger.
Re:Old compressed air cans (Score:1)
You bastard
Why use a vacuum? (Score:2)
Re:Why use a vacuum? (Score:2)
Expensive but technically a Kirby fits the bill. (Score:2)
Re:Expensive but technically a Kirby fits the bill (Score:2)
® A registered trademark of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation. ;->
You can send keyboards through the dishwasher. (Score:2)
You can send other things through the dishwasher. (Score:2)
as to cruft in my keyboard, I have a nice old clicket-y IBM with the pop-off key covers (missing the darn left ctrl keycap) and one 'o em $200 3M vacuum cleaners with the fancy schmancy filters does it just fine.
*
Re: HOLY CRAP. (Score:1)
Man, you sound like my roommate...running his Athlon at 70 degC because he's too lazy to buy a decent heatsink.
Why whould he be kidding? (Score:2)
LOTS of electronics are run through a dishwasher, only the call them "Circuit Board Cleaners" - My old boss refused to pay the money for a "Circut Board Cleaner" when he saw what it was - he went out and bought a Kitchenaid. Don't laugh, the USAF said "Good Enough"
We used to run all our PWBs through there, right after the vapor degreaser
On top of that, back when, I used to talk with a guy who worked for a keyboard Mfg - he said that they ran them through a dishwasher
Re:You can send keyboards through the dishwasher. (Score:1)
Try a vacuum supply store? (Score:1)
3M appears to make something (Score:3, Informative)
Costs a couple hundred bucks. 1 HP motor, has a filter that's supposed to be able to trap toner, and looks like it's got all sorts of exciting, elongated attachments for your sucking pleasure.
However, like someone else here, I suggest putting the keyboard through the dishwasher. I tend to take the electronics out of mine first and just run the plastic (keycaps, chassis) through, but there's nothing particularly bad about water and keyboards, or any other modern electronics.
Just make sure things get dried out before the metal bits (fasteners, microswitch parts and other contacts) begin to oxidize, but even a little of that would be far from fatal.
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Re:3M appears to make something (Score:1)
Although there isn't anything bad about water and electronics in general, make sure you don't put any dishwasher tablets/powder in - they are pretty nasty things and will probably make a mess of any electronics in the keyboard. Also you can probably take off the text of the keycaps with most brands. And remember to make sure you dry out your keyboard fully before you plug it back in - otherwise it'll probably behave a bit strange :)
A quick whack and compressed air (oo-eer) (Score:1)
Umm, what's wrong with the high-tech approach of turning the keyboard upside down and giving it a whack?
If you want to get the rest of the crud out a few blasts from a £5 can of compressed air (with the kb upside down again) should do the trick. Well, either that or force the crud in further but hey, you didn't pay more than £10 for the keyboard did you?
ManxStef
Re:A quick whack and compressed air (oo-eer) (Score:1)
Not how a cheap keyboard refuses to work?
That's why. Most good keyboards worth cleaning out will survive it, but one still doesn't want to take the risk on a $70 wireless.
Trick to cleaning keyboards (Score:1)
BTW At least twice I have recovered a keyboard that had coffe spilled in to it until the keys were so sticky they would stay down on their own. It involved complete disassembly and about 40 miniature screws.
Remove all of the keycaps and any springs under them. Take the case off the keyboard. Look on the bottom of the inside bits and find all the little screws. Take them out. Pull everything apart. Dump the plastic and metal bits in the sink and wash them. The electronics and contacts can be cleaned with water or alcohol. Alcohol works great on the conductive rubber on the plungers. After everything is completely dry (don't forget under chips, compressed air helps) put everything back together and get the keycaps on in the right places. Last and most important- Get the person who keeps spilling there coffe on teh keyboard to stop!
Expect to spend several hours if you want to clean all of the keycaps too. So don't bother on a $15 keyboard.
I also dissasemble, clean and re-oil dead case fans. One that was so stiff I could barely turn it by hand now runs great. This only takes about 10 minutes and seems to get another 6 months to a year from a cheap sleeve bearing fan.
Why do you want a vaccuum that sucks? (Score:1)
Just buy a new keyboard :) (Score:2)
If you dont wanna do that
Real Question? (Score:1)
Get a Miele (Score:1)
I do not work for Miele or its affiliates
procedure i was taught (Score:1)
Remove the casing on the keyboard. You'll probably need a Phillips type screwdriver for this. If the case is not easily removed, i don't know. You're probably SOL in that case (no pun intended). Once the case is removed, soak the keyboard in hot water for a few minutes. Swish it around a little until all visible gunk has gotten off. If pop or coffee was spilled in the keyboard, you might need to scrub it a bit. I'd suggest just using fingers to scrub it and do so gently so as not to scrape the electrical traces. Take the keyboard outside and while holding it tightly, swing it around violently to shake all the water out. If anyone happens to see you do this, you'll probably get some funny looks but they won't come too close.
If a key doesn't work, here's what you do to fix it (if it uses actual push-button switches and not the mushy pads like the cheaper keyboards do--i don't know what to do for those). Carefully pull the key off the switch. If you don't have a tool to do this, gently prying at it with a flat blade screwdriver usually works. Squirt a very small amount of WD-40 into the keyswitch. Press the key many times to work the lubricant in, and then test it. If the switch is still broken, try to find a keyboard with similar switches and transplant a switch. I always try to keep one or two spare keyboards lying around just to steal switches from. Transplanting a switch requires soldering/desoldering ability.
The real question is: (Score:1)
Is there a keyboard vacuum that sucks and blows at the same time?
Re:Cheap and easy attachment for your vacuum (Score:1)
three words (Score:2)
it doesn't suck.
it blows.
but it does the trick
Does Microsoft make your vacuum? (Score:1)