It was a cleanup day: only 3 weeks after returning from Europe I chose to finally catch up on all the non-urgent paperwork, clean up the desk, organize the travel gear. It was during this summer-cleaning that I discovered that my wireless Apple keyboard (used primarily for the iPad when traveling but not on this trip) had not been used in months, and had what looked like drip-stains on the outside. I immediately diagnosed acid damage: I'd left the batteries in too long.
Challenge #1: (solved) Opening the battery compartment. The acid had fused it shut and no amount of force I could apply with a coin (my normal way of opening this up) would budge the screw cap. I even checked the internet to validate that I was trying to turn it the right direction (counterclockwise - I was doing the right thing). Eventually, a large screwdriver from the tool box gave me the leverage I needed and the cap came off.
Challenge #2: (solved) Getting the batteries out. They just weren't budging, and no amount of slamming the side of the keyboard against the wall, floor, counter or desk was getting them to move (I wonder if hammering the side of your keyboard voids the warranty?). A quick internet search on battery removal reminded my of the baking soda trick. So I prepared a small bowl of water and baking soda. I had no idea of the right proportions so I used about a tablespoon of baking soda to about a cup of water. I propped the (now open) keyboard on its side with a folder paper towel underneath it and leaned it against the wall. I used a spoon to drip small amounts of soda-water into the battery compartment until it was full. After about 5 minutes the water level started to drop and I'd add more water, some eventually seeped out the bottom. I let the water sit in the compartment for about 10 minutes, then tried tapping the batteries out, and voila!
Challenge #3: (pending) Getting the keyboard to work again. So far no luck. I tried carefully flushing the battery compartment (careful not to get the rest of the keyboard wet) with more soda-water to clean off the contacts, then used a rolled paper towel and a chopstick to pull out more residue. Then (after waiting an hour for the whole thing to dry) put the batteries back in. Perhaps it just didn't dry enough, but I suspect the acid damage may have seeped into the switch and I may be toast. I'll try again tomorrow and post an update if it works.
My fun this morning...
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Update: the keyboard never did come back to life. My next steps are to bring it into an Apple Store to see if they can breathe life back into it. Still, it was a small victory just getting the batteries out.
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