the space bar on my laptop is sqeaking , should i just carefully remove it and put some kind of oil on it? If so what oil?
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My Spacebar......
- Thread starter dave1234
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Capt Underpants
macrumors 68030
Removing Space Bar??
I know that when you are cleaning your keyboard (on a desktop keyboard), that you shouldn't remove the space bar. It is harder to get back on than any other key, and you might not even be able to get it back on right. I, myself have never done it. I am just going by what TechTv ( a sometimes not reliable source) said some time ago.
I know that when you are cleaning your keyboard (on a desktop keyboard), that you shouldn't remove the space bar. It is harder to get back on than any other key, and you might not even be able to get it back on right. I, myself have never done it. I am just going by what TechTv ( a sometimes not reliable source) said some time ago.
Eniregnat
macrumors 68000
As mentioned above, I think that would be the best solution.
Some lubricants can destroy plastics!
The squeak may not be in the hinges, but in the rubber nipple* looking thing or how it contacts the space bar. A little silica lubricant (do not spray directly on the plastic) strategically applied to all the contact points with a cotton swab should do the trick.
*Yes, I used the word nipple. It is part of the contact switch and I don't know how better to describe the rubber/plastic-covered switch that lies beneath each key.
Some lubricants can destroy plastics!
The squeak may not be in the hinges, but in the rubber nipple* looking thing or how it contacts the space bar. A little silica lubricant (do not spray directly on the plastic) strategically applied to all the contact points with a cotton swab should do the trick.
*Yes, I used the word nipple. It is part of the contact switch and I don't know how better to describe the rubber/plastic-covered switch that lies beneath each key.
Capt Underpants
macrumors 68030
rainman::|:|
macrumors 603
No, they're most assuredly nipples.
I would avoid messing with the nipples themselves-- i really doubt it would produce this kind of noise, at least repeatedly. I'm not terribly familiar with laptop keyboards, but on desktop ones, any key longer than a normal one has a little metal wire inside, helps it stay anchored and depress correctly. If the laptop key has something similar, it's probably just rubbing the plastic wrong. You could open it up and clean it thoroughly, you could also leave it alone and hope it goes away in a week or two...
pnw
Powerbook G5
macrumors 68040
I have a Lombard G3 series Powerbook and clean the keyboard quite often to keep it working correctly. The spacebar is definitely a key that needs cleaning quite a bit and the squeak almost certainly seems to be the result of the metal brace in the key which allows the spacebar to register a keystroke regardless of which area on the spacebar you depress. I usually snap the key off fron the bottom and it swings right off, then just clean it lightly and slip both ends of the metal brace into their corresponding holes and snap the key back in place. Doing this may help with the squeaking, since it is possibly due to the bar not being set in its place correctly from usage over time.