[PLUG-TALK] Keyboard cleaning, again

[Keith Lofstrom]

I am working on the next T60 (eventually for my wife) from eBay.
The last owner had a cat, who apparently shed about half its weight
into the keyboard.  I stumbled across a technique that slowly gets
rid of it.

I used a whole bunch of 1.5 inch pieces of 0.75 inch adhesive tape
approximately like dental floss.  I slid each piece sideways under
the keycaps, then slid it back and forth up and down each row 
(4 times, sticky up, sticky down, upper keys, lower keys) a half
dozen times until the tape wrinkled too much.  Repeat with more
pieces of tape until they stop coming out covered with dust and
hair.  Or until you get bored, it can take quite a while.  I now
have a large wad of dirty looking tape.

I used Office Depot "invisible" tape (much like the 3M Scotch stuff).
I would not try this with old tape that might fragment, or packing
tape, or other wierd junk.  It might work better with something
slightly stiffer and slightly less adhesive, but not so stiff that
it can break the keys.

I pulled the keyboard on the T60 to do it - the five long screws on
the bottom, with the picture of a keyboard next to them.  The front
bezel is held on by 4 of them, the keyboard the fifth.  I went in
there anyway to add RAM.

Also, before I put the keyboard back, I gently flexed/bent it a
fraction of a millimeter,  so the corners are a little farther down
compared to the middle.  This helps hold down the keys on the side.
It was a little loose on the sides before.

Keith


-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs