Apple USB Keyboard Gurus please help

[MIKX]

My Apple wired USB keyboard A1243 with numeric keypad is going crazy in Sierra 10.12.6 in my 4,1>5,1 Mac Pro.

Currently, these keys are dead:

3.8.9. e,i,o, d, h, i, k, l, c < >
But .. . . . .yesterday only TWO keys were dead. n & h

I found that turning on "mouse keys" in Accessibility/Mouse & Trackpad = + hit the OPTION key 5 times
then turning Mouse Keys OFF again kind of fixed the "n" & " h" keys but as of this morning ..
.. the above 3.8.9. e,i,o, d, h, i, k, l, c < > keys are dead.

I saw in an Apple Discussions thread tha tsomeone had noted that 22 Sierra users had expeienced the same or similar problem.

I ALWAYS have a silicon keyboard cover on this keyboard. No spills, ever.

2. I deleted com.apple.keyboard.plist = no fix

3. did PRAM reset= no fix

4. Shut down my

Question : Where is the Apple Keyboard identifier app located in Sierra ?

Is there a way to actually reset these keyboards via Terminal ?

HELP please








HELP !

 

[Funsize93]

isolate a software or hardware issue. Boot to internet recovery and open terminal and test the keys. Does it happen? if yes then you know the issue is isolated to the keyboard (maybe try another to confirm). If not, then we know its an issue with the OS. Perhaps corruption. Try Safeboot or a new user account. If the issue is gone when using either safeboot (login item or 3rd party kernel causing the issue) or a new user (would mean there is a user setting or corrupt file in the hidden library) troubleshoot accordingly. If issues still persists in safeboot and a new user but not in internet recovery then thats when i would look into possibly reinstalling the OS.

 

[MIKX]

Thanks for your reply. I'll try all of your suggestions

 

[MIKX]

Well so far, I re-booted into Safe boot = no change

Still dead keys = 3.8.9. e,i,o, d, h, i, k, l, c < >

This is enfuriating as I managed to repair the dead keys on another A1243 keyboard
using the " hit the Option button 5 times to turn Mouse keys On/Off" method which apparently works on some MacBooks but today that KB also reverted to three keys being dead = " y + u + l ".

A Sierra 10.12.6 problem ?

With that 2nd. keyboard I removed the caps for the Y+U + L keys and ran some isopropyl alcohol through from the top.

I've left it outside to dry thoroughly for a day or so ( it's quite warm here in Japan ATM ).

I'll try it again on Sunday.

Considering that these A1243 KB's are still expensive and are bonded together inside . . . this kind of problem should
not happen. It seems to me that a firmware upgrade might fix it but none exist.

Both keyboards have always had silicon covers. No spills.

 

[Fishrrman]

Keyboards are cheap.
Try a DIFFERENT keyboard.

I'd suggest a non-Apple USB wired model of some sort.

 

[MIKX]

I live in Japan .. . . English Mac keyboards ( with USB ports ) are virtually non-existant and way over priced which is odd seeing that most Japanese 's English is . . .. not good at all .. I know, I teach them every day in my school.

 

[fhall1]

A Sierra 10.12.6 problem ?

Definitely not. I’m using 10.12.6 with an Apple USB keyboard connected to my 2015 13” MacBook Pro through a Caldigit TB2 dock....have been using it for almost a year - no issues whatsoever.

 

[Boyd01]

My Apple USB keyboard works fine on Sierra on my 2012 quad Mini. But it has been very weird on my 2013 MacBook Air, so I stopped using it there. I found old threads on this topic - this keyboard is just weird. On the MBA, sometimes it would work on the left USB port but not on the right. Then without warning, it switched and worked on the right but not left. But it was "all or nothing", either everything was fine or else it wasn't recognized at all.