11 January 2022
The conventional wisdom is to remove the keycap of the key and take out the key hinge to clean them. But this kind of repair will often break the very flimsy clips on the keycap. The recommendation is to replace the cap and maybe the key hinge. But these keycaps are not easy to find. They are also quite expensive.
This article will not only introduce an easy way to clean the stuck key but also provide an alternate solution to fix the keycaps if they were broken.
The Components of the KeyPad
The keypad consists of the 3 components. The first component is the base. It is made of metal. The second component is the keycap hinge which consists of 2 small plastic pieces; one of the pieces is pivoted and allowed to move freely and the other is a fixed piece that will be clipped onto the metal base. The last component is the keycap. It has very few flimsy and easily broken hooks and clips as shown in the following pictures.
Why the keys can get stuck?
The key hinge can get stuck at times due to a lack of lubrication. This will prevent the keycap from moving up and down. When this happens, the keycap will no longer be sensitive to the finger pressure; therefore, users will experience a stuck key. Removing the keycap & key hinge will usually free the stuck key but soon, the stuck key will reappear in the future.
Knowing this to be the problem, one could use some lubricants such as WD40 or an electronic switch cleaner to clean and lubricate the keys. One can do this without having to remove the keycap and key hinge. The electronic switch cleaner is a better choice because the fluid will evaporate quickly whereas WD40 will leave some oil behind the keyboard.
Why the KeyCap can be Broken?
Usually, the keycap is broken by the wrong way of removing the keycap. If one has the chance to open up a keycap and look at the back, one will see this picture
For this Logitech MX keyboard, the keycap has a pair of plastic clips at the top, and a pair of hooks at the bottom. Therefore, one should always remove the keycap by prying open the keycap from the top right-hand and the left-hand corner. One should never try to pry open the keycap from the bottom as this will break the hooks of the keycap. After the clips at the top are free, the keycap should be "slide" forward to unhook the keycap before removing it.
The keycap clips at the top can be easily broken if one were to force-fit the keycap when it is not in the correct position. To re-assemble back the keycap, the correct way is to place the keycap such that the bottom hooks can be "slide" in first, and when there is a feeling that the hooks are in the correct place, press the top part down, one corner at a time.
Why the Key Hinge can be Broken?
As for the key hinge, one should always remove it from the top right-hand and left-hand clips. Prying the hinge from the centre might break the hinge.
What to do when they were Broken?
One can search the web and buy them online but they are pretty expensive. The pairs of the keycap and the hinge might cost around USD15/=.
If the keycap clip is broken, one can still use it by applying a small bit of strong rubber glue on the top of the moving hinge (as shown brown in the yellow moving hinge). After that, secure the keycap with adhesive tape until the glue is dry. Try not to apply too much glue as the spilling of the glue might glue up the moving hinge. It is not wise to use "super glue" for the job as there might be a need to break the glue in future to do some repair underneath the keycap.
If the keycap hook at the bottom is broken, looks like the repair will need a replacement. This is because the keycap is using the hook as a pivot for the up and down "floating" movement.
However, it might be worth the while to investigate if one can glue a hook made of copper wires and glue it onto the keycap as suggested by the following picture. One can also try to use the keycap with the missing hooks though the key might not be so sensitive as before.
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