A secondary role for the keyboard is to protect the equipment against damage if you drop coffee or other drinks on it. Since the amount of fluid is not very big and fast you are, the more likely it is that the liquid soaking the keyboard and drain out without reaching the internal components.

The big problem is that sugar and other wastes will make the keys stay sticky or cease to make contact. You then have the option of replacing the entire keyboard, or try to clean up the mess.

In almost all notebooks, the keyboard is the most accessible component. To reach it, simplyremove the protector of the keyboard (attached by some screws and a handful of plugins) and remove it from watching the cable lock flat:

The keyboards of notebook follow the same principle of operation of desktop keyboards, with a flexible sheet containing the tracks that record and membrane keys. The keys are held by a pair of cleats (almost all current models use the same system, with two loops in X) and are only engaged. Just pull carefully using tweezers or a small key and both the key and support come loose with ease:

While it is perfectly possible to remove all the keys to clean up the molasses left over from a soda, for example, that would be too much work. The best in such cases is to remove the keyboard and wash it under running water, using a little soap and a small brush and letting it dry thoroughly in the sun (the base of the keyboard is made of aluminum and plastic keys, for This rust is rarely a problem). Once the cleaning, you can remove and clean only the individual keys that are still sticky.

If the owner lost some key button, a quick option is to simply replace it with another that is not used (like the left Alt key), or a key stolen from other similar keyboard. You can also buy individual keys in http://www.laptopkey.com/ ($ 5 per key and another $ 4 shipping), which maintains the full keyboard.

Unlike the buttons and tabs, the membrane is glued to the groove, so it's very rare that it falls.Either way, you can remove the membrane carefully using a knife and stick it in another key using a little (very little!) Of epoxy or super bonder.

Although there is a universal format for keyboards in notebooks, the fact that production is dominated by a handful of manufacturers (whose production is re-sold under numerous brands have in the market) makes it relatively easy to find replacement keyboards, since each one tends to use a few different models of keyboards.

Keyboards new parts are relatively expensive, normally costing from $ 70 overseas (at stores like http://www.notebooksolutions.ca, selling new keyboards) or $ 200 in Brazil.

However, you can almost always find deals keyboards used to lower prices in online auction sites. It is not uncommon to find keyboards on Ebay for $ 20 with free international shipping (via letter). The reason for low prices is simple: almost any notebook keyboard has scrapped intact and demand for replacement keyboard is small relative to the screens, hard drives, batteries or motherboards.

You can find some spare keyboards also in shops such as consumption dealextreme.com. They offer only a few models, but they work with large volumes, have also offering low prices.

You can confirm the compatibility of the keyboards on other models doing a quick search by part number. OP / N 90.4C507.S1D of Acer, for example is used in a huge list of models in the series 3050, 3660, 3680, 5050, 5070 and 5600

There is also compatibility between different keyboards layouts within the same model. The 90.4C507.S1D (U.S.) is perfectly compatible with the 99.N5982.C1B (version ABNT2), for example. The layout of keys may be different, but the interface and keycodes are the same, which allows you to replace a keyboard on the other the same way it would replace the keyboard on a desktop. Just change the layout configuration of the system: