Split tea into iBook G4

Ado86

Hi foilks,

I gave my old iBook to my cousin after getting a MBP in September. They called me yesterday to know what to do because they had split tea on the keyboard. The keyboard on the iBook partially comes out, I told them to lift this out and try mop up all the moisture and let it dry out. They did this and have left it to dry out. When turned on, the keys affected are stuck and not working. Anyone have any ideas what could be done, if anything for this ?

Thanks.

Sad Professor

For a start they should leave it to dry longer. As in a few days to a week. Turning it back on so soon after can cause worse damage.

Ado86

Oh ok! Thanks! I'll tell them.

Sad Professor

They could then try cleaning the keyboard. If that's all that's wrong they could get a new one easily enough. iBook keyboards are cheaply available on Ebay.

At least it wasn't a Macbook. iBooks are probably a bit more spill-friendly.

J-blk

Leaving it dry out for quite some time is the best suggestion, have them read this as well:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10333581-263.html

The article suggests leaving it dry for 2-3 days initially:

Allow your PowerBook or iBook to dry for 48-72 hours before attempting to replace the battery, connect AC power and startup.

Ado86

They've been quoted 100eur for a new keyboard. Guy says the tea corroded some of the keys ! I think thats pricey ? Am I right ?

SouperComputer

Ado86 wrote: »

They've been quoted 100eur for a new keyboard. Guy says the tea corroded some of the keys ! I think thats pricey ? Am I right ?

Thats a joke TBH, I guess some people dont get that its not cost effective for someone to spend that amount of money on a G4. I get people have to make a living (I've been that person) 100 is way steep for a keyboard.

Buy the keyboard and do it yourself, or have a mechanically minded friend do it for you. Its a trivial job and part shouldnt cost more than 25euro and its literally a <10min job.

Sad Professor

SouperComputer wrote: »

Buy the keyboard and do it yourself, or have a mechanically minded friend do it for you. Its a trivial job and part shouldnt cost more than 25euro and its literally a <10min job.

+1

100 euro is crazy!

derekphonic

I'd say keep the machine upside down for the moment as well so any remaining tea comes out the way it got in, rather than via other components. Leave it for a few days, and yeah, don't turn it on.

I replaced the keyboard on my MacBook Pro after I spilt coffee into it. I bought the keyboard on Ebay for about €30, & found a tutorial on the replacement process online. It took a while, but I got it done, and I'm using the same machine right now to type this. So, yeah, €100 is too much, but fitting these things yourself can be a labour-intensive pain. Give yourself at least a couple of hours if you're doing it yourself.

Paddy@CIRL

Girlfriend spilled some drink on her MBP, powered it off, left it dry out for a few days but when she turned it back on the keyboard was deciding that the letters being pressed and what was appearing on screen were two very different things.

Mactivate want €530 to repair it. Ouch.