Spilled water in aluminum keyboard

[disconap]

Ok, so I've searched the web on this (heard some horror stories of whole pints of water disappearing into these keyboards!) and I know there is no way to successfully take apart and dry an aluminum keyboard, so this is more of an "am I screwed" question. I spilled a small amount of water in my keyboard; sopped it up quickly and everything seemed to work fine, but about ten minutes later all the keys on the ASDF row stopped working, from Caps Lock to H. Most of what I read says that it's because there is still water in there creating connections preventing the keys from working, and that once it dries (which I've read can take a while due to how compact the thin plastic membranes are and how close together they are) it will start working again, but so far no luck.

What I'm wondering is is this a permanent problem, or will it eventually dry? I've had the board upside down and in front of a fan for two days and so far no improvement. Do I give up or let it dry longer? Any other tricks to trying to get it working again? Right now I'm using an old G3 iMac keyboard, and I'd forgotten how painful it is to use one of these...

 

[MacDawg]

Two days upside down in front of a fan?

I would say it is time for a new keyboard

Woof, Woof - Dawg

 

[surflordca]

Go and buy a new keyboard. Just be thankful it's not a laptop...

 

[ag55]

it will dry eventually, it has to.
but you might need to take it apart.

if it doesnt work then just get a new one, cheap usb one

 

[disconap]

Unfortunately you can't take apart the aluminum ones without damaging them (or at the very least, it's extremely difficult) as Apple glues them together, there are no screws or priable parts according to everything I've seen.

I don't want to spend another $50, so I hope this works. If I replaced it I would definitely buy another Apple one, it's the first product they've made in years that I literally wouldn't want to do without!

 

[disconap]

Well now I've tried "cleaning" it out by pouring sterile alcohol in it (to wash away any possible water residue). I think the thing is cooked. Which sucks, but it does mean I get to have fun taking it apart...

 

[notjustjay]

In the future one thing you can try is sealing up the keyboard in a bag full of uncooked rice. That will absorb moisture. Or, if you can find those little bags of silica gel dessicant (the little bags that come with a lot of electronics, and say "DO NOT EAT"), those absorb moisture too.