Powerbook G4 Onyx (Oct 2001) most of the KB buttons don't work

[aurora72]

Hello from Turkey.

Recently I've bought a PB G4 Onyx (Gigabit Ethernet, October 2001) for $27 in Istanbul. The seller said that it was left in a basement for 10+ years. Every part of it (logicboard, optical drive, trackpad) expcept keyboard works perfectly. Out of the total 79 keys, none except those 14 keys work, i.e. 65 keys don't work:
h k l ; \ ` x v b , / 1 left shift key right shift key

After I've bought it and removed keyboard (which is Turkish "F" layout), I've noticed molds inside the notebook from place to place particularly around the (modem, invertor, etc.) cables and the metal surfaces of the DVD drive. I've cleaned all of them. I guess the molds have affected the inside of the KB so the buttons stopped working.

When I connected a problem-free PowerBook G4 1GHz (Norwegian layout) keyboard onto it, it worked fine so I think this rules out any problems on the logicboard or the socket.

Because the Norwegian keyboard's connector cable is shorter than the Turkish F keyboard, it had to stand on top of the notebook. Though it looks awkward, it functions perfectly, all the buttons work in that awkward position.

Here are both keyboards for comparison.

Is there any way to make the buttons of this mold-affected keyboard work again?

 

[swamprock]

Damp areas can wreck havoc on keyboards. I'm living proof of this. Read my thread posted last week about this very issue- Keyboard Apocalypse

Unfortunately, you'll most likely have to replace the keyboard. No matter what I tried, I couldn't get most of mine to work properly again.

 

[aurora72]

Thank you for the comment. I've just read the post in the link. I'm sorry to hear about that misfortune.

So, the impure moisture must have caused molds inside the thin connecting layer under the buttons. If there was a way to clean those molds off the layers without harming the layers, the buttons might start working again. A possible way could be soaking the whole keyboard in a bowl full of pure water or alcohol or both. The water alcohol mixture would infiltrate into the layers and dissolve all the impurities and then the keyboard will be put on top of the heater core for several weeks to dry off. That might work.

 

[B S Magnet]

Thank you for the comment. I've just read the post in the link. I'm sorry to hear about that misfortune.

So, the impure moisture must have caused molds inside the thin connecting layer under the buttons. If there was a way to clean those molds off the layers without harming the layers, the buttons might start working again. A possible way could be soaking the whole keyboard in a bowl full of pure water or alcohol or both. The water alcohol mixture would infiltrate into the layers and dissolve all the impurities and then the keyboard will be put on top of the heater core for several weeks to dry off. That might work.

A method I’ve been using to bring back to life a few different keyboards (a grimy, 2007-era aluminium extended keyboard with stuck keys and a Razer gaming keyboard, “broken” by the spilling of a cappuccino or maybe a latte, I can’t recall) is to fully submerge the piece in 99 per cent isopropyl alcohol in a covered container (like a rubbermaid storage box you might slide underneath a bed). Let it soak for a couple of days. I don’t know what pricing will be like where you are, but 99 per cent isopropyl locally, sold at medical supply stores, runs for about CAD$10 for a half-litre (and I usually buy two of these for soaking a keyboard).

You’ll probably want to (painstakingly) remove the keys with their scissors assemblies and have them soak alongside the keyboard assembly. Be sure to gently agitate the container every 6–12 hours to jostle loose contaminants. Have an old, soft toothbrush handy to spot-clean wetted surfaces and contaminated contact points (which might be needed to wrest away where black mould has anchored itself to a substrate). Then let dry for about three days (as pure alcohol will evaporate rapidly and completely) and reassemble the components as needed.

If, however, black mould has eaten at the electrical contacts themselves, then this method may fall a bit short.

 

[aurora72]

Thank you for the comment. The isopropyl alcohol looks effective. I'm gonna try it. It's being sold at 50TL for 1 litre shipping included here in Turkey. (50TL is about 5 USD)

I've removed all the keys. The scissor assemblies and the elastic rubber caps remain on board.

Here is how it looks now:

I'll soak the keyboard minus the removed keys into the isopropyl alcohol.

Does the isopropyl alcohol weaken or undermine the rubber caps after several days of contact ?

 

[B S Magnet]

Thank you for the comment. The isopropyl alcohol looks effective. I'm gonna try it. It's being sold at 50TL for 1 litre shipping included here in Turkey. (50TL is about 5 USD)

I've removed all the keys. The scissor assemblies and the elastic rubber caps remain on board.

Here is how it looks now:

View attachment 1882321

I'll soak the keyboard minus the removed keys into the isopropyl alcohol.

Does the isopropyl alcohol weaken or undermine the rubber caps after several days of contact ?

I have not experienced any weakening of the “rubber” (which is actually silicone and chemically in a different league than rubber) in 99 per cent isopropyl alcohol. There may be certain types of hard plastics which could weaken under 99 per cent isopropyl, but I’ve not run into this yet with any of the Mac-related stuff on which I’ve used it (which has included other cleaning tasks beyond submerging troublesome keyboards).