My keyboard doesnt work after I have had thoroughly washed it

[Funadddelic]

Hello, I have had washed my keyboard today under hot water because it was really dirty, I cleaned it all up afterwards and I first let it dry under blankets for an hour or so and then in the other hour I had put it in rice for another hour, I managed to put it back together, all keys and all, but now when I connect it to my laptop, the sound you hear when you connect a USB device is present, and even Windows automatically tried to search for drivers, that usual window popped up saying the device is ready for use, but keyboard just doesnt want to work, any key I press it doesnt get registered at all, those green little lights from NumLock and such also dont work, and the key that is there specifically to make my keyboard go all blueish because of the LED underneath the keys, also doesnt work, but the keyboard does get recognised and the sound is there, any solution for this or this keyboard is for garbage now?

 

[derekullo]

Electronics don't like water.

Especially hard water with lots of dissolved minerals that reduce resistance.

If possible leave it in a hot garage or shed for a few days so it can dry completely.

Don't leave it out in the open due to dew possibly being formed.

 

[USAFRet]

washed my keyboard today under hot water

Takes more than an hour, or a day, to completely dry.

 

[Solandri]

Hello, I have had washed my keyboard today under hot water because it was really dirty, I cleaned it all up afterwards and I first let it dry under blankets for an hour or so and then in the other hour I had put it in rice for another hour

If you're going to clean electronics by immersing it in water, the final step should be an alcohol bath. The alcohol displaces any water trapped in little nooks and crannies. Alcohol also evaporates a lot quicker than water.

I managed to put it back together, all keys and all,

If the keys were dirty and you managed to take the keys off, why didn't you just wash the keys?

Assuming this is a membrane keyboard, there's a PCB with a rubber/silicone membrane attached to it. The membrane is formed into domes with a conducting pad at the top. When you push down on a key, you're collapsing the dome, and the conducting pad makes contact with the PCB. This completes an electrical circuit, telling the computer a key has been pressed.

When you immerse a membrane keyboard in water, the domes trap water underneath them. Because of the very limited air circulation, this water tends to stick around for days if not weeks after immersion. You're probably going to have to disassemble the keyboard, remove the membrane, and manually dry it with a hair dryer on the low power setting.

In the future, use baby wipes or a q-tip dipped in alcohol on the keys themselves, and vacuum in between the keys. You should only immerse the keyboard in water to clean it if you've spilled something like soda or coffee into it.