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spencecb

Suspended
Nov 20, 2003
1,187
215
I've heard that mac laptops are built to take a spill on the keyboard. I had beer spilled all over my iBook keyboard, and also had to dry it off, and use a hair-dryer, etc. Like yours, my iBook still worked perfectly except for sticky keys, especially the spacebar. But this went away after awhile, and from normal usage.

This is DEFINITELY NOT TRUE. Please, everyone reading this, do not for a minute think that a Mac (or any notebook) can take a direct spill and survive. Regardless if there is some sort of protection for the keyboard being able to take a spill (which there ISN'T), there are multiple openings all over the cases of a MacBook Pro. Liquid as many portals of entry, and it will destroy your notbook if enough liquid gets through.

I destroyed my old PowerBook G4 when I accidentally spilled a mixed drink on it. I turned off the computer immediately, but it did not matter, because the liquid will instantly fry the innards.

Good luck to the OP getting your Mac to survive this. But I wouldn't count on it.
 

iW00t

macrumors 68040
Nov 7, 2006
3,286
0
Defenders of Apple Guild
If you are very brave, carefully dismantle it, and dunk all the parts into a basin of iso. alcohol. That'd clean the sticky bits right off the machine's innards.
 

lmalave

macrumors 68000
Nov 8, 2002
1,614
0
Chinatown NYC
BUT the problem still remains... My keyboard is STICKY! :mad:

I think this problem will go away but it will take time. It hasn't happened with my laptop but a similar thing happened to my phone. My phone was face-down on my desk, and I spilled soda that ran under the phone. The phone was fine but the keys definitely gummed up. It was very annoying for a period of *weeks*, but now the keys are totally fine. Maybe on a laptop the "stickiness" will resolve itself much more quickly than with my phone, since the keys on a computer keyboard would get at least 1000x more use than the keys on a phone...
 

lmalave

macrumors 68000
Nov 8, 2002
1,614
0
Chinatown NYC
If you are very brave, carefully dismantle it, and dunk all the parts into a basin of iso. alcohol. That'd clean the sticky bits right off the machine's innards.

For the love of God - for keyboard stickiness????? This is TERRIBLE advice, even if it comes with the "if you are very brave" disclaimer.
 

lmalave

macrumors 68000
Nov 8, 2002
1,614
0
Chinatown NYC
I destroyed my old PowerBook G4 when I accidentally spilled a mixed drink on it. I turned off the computer immediately, but it did not matter, because the liquid will instantly fry the innards.

Good luck to the OP getting your Mac to survive this. But I wouldn't count on it.

I think it's just a matter of luck. I spilled Pepsi on a Dell laptop I used to have. And after I let it dry for a day or two, the laptop was fine and lasted me for at least another year.
 

topgun072003

macrumors 6502
Sep 11, 2006
309
0
Los Angeles, CA
i eat and drink all the time with my macbook, the only thing, and i mean the ONLY thing i ever drink is snapple raspberry iced tea. havent spilled anything at all on the keyboard but i was listening to a podcast one day, took a drink then one of the guys said something funny and i spit my drink all over the screen, the macbook was fine though. i seem to be a creature of habit, last year i would only drink orange gatorade, but buying the seprate containers got to expensive so i went with the powdered stuff. i mixed it into a pitcher that could hold a quart or two and accidently dropped my 30GB video ipod in it. the thing was fryed, so what do you think i did? i took it apart and made it into this thing

photo23be2.jpg


but all is well now because i have a brand new black 80GB ipod.

^^
I think I speak for everyone when I say;

Oh what the hell is that?

lol!!!
 

trapperjohn117

macrumors newbie
Sep 13, 2006
27
0
yep, its a thing of beauty isnt it? my macbook might suffer a similar fate since the new C2D's books are out, i hope that doesnt happen though, i need my trusty 'book, if only apple would throw a core 2 duo in there for you for like $300 or something like that, i would go for it in a heartbeat!
 

operator

macrumors regular
Oct 29, 2006
110
0
Canada
This is DEFINITELY NOT TRUE. Please, everyone reading this, do not for a minute think that a Mac (or any notebook) can take a direct spill and survive. Regardless if there is some sort of protection for the keyboard being able to take a spill (which there ISN'T), there are multiple openings all over the cases of a MacBook Pro. Liquid as many portals of entry, and it will destroy your notbook if enough liquid gets through.

I destroyed my old PowerBook G4 when I accidentally spilled a mixed drink on it. I turned off the computer immediately, but it did not matter, because the liquid will instantly fry the innards.

Good luck to the OP getting your Mac to survive this. But I wouldn't count on it.

It OBVIOUSLY IS TRUE, as it happened to me. And I'm not talking about a little spill. I'm talking about at least 1/4 of a Corona, that spilled over about half of my keyboard, across my trackpad, and splashed up onto the screen. I immediately picked up the iBook so the liquid would run onto the floor, then wiped the screen and used a hairdryer. It was fine. I didn't even turn it off until a few minutes later, as I was afraid it wouldn't come back on, but it did.

So if it DEFINATLY cannot take a direct spill and survive, then how can I be typing on the same machine right now?

And please, do not assume I carelessly eat or drink around my laptop. Like another poster here, I am anal about allowing liquids to share the same surface as my laptop. The beer was spilled by someone else standing near me.
 

Hockeypuck

macrumors regular
Sep 29, 2006
102
0
You were very lucky to have your computer keep working after spilling drinks on it. If you only damaged your keyboard, then you are very lucky.

Apples are not designed to take spills, I work inside them all day. Sometimes you get out lucky, but most of the time you don't.
 

BrtAbd

macrumors newbie
Mar 23, 2006
7
0
Northeast USA
The wife has just spilled 4 oz of Alka Seltzer all over her keyboard, I'm letting it dry out for a few days and I'll report back soon if it boots up. I could kill her. Shes only had it a month.:mad:
 
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