Shannon Stacey


Alphasmart question

Has anybody ever taken the 8 screws out of the back to take it apart and clean under the keys?

Mine’s pretty grubby, but with the condensed layout of the keyboard, taking the vacuum to it doesn’t accomplish much. It seems like the two halves should just come apart so I can clean it, but I don’t want it to end in disaster. :hide:

(The grubbiness is strange considering its lack of use. I rarely use it because the keys are so :censor: stiff, but the short kid’s sick and moves from the recliner to one end of the couch, then to the other, then back to the other and the laptop proved unwieldy after about ten minutes of that. Did I mention the keys are too :censor: stiff? On the other hand, I’d forgotten how much more I write when I can’t hit that Explorer icon at will.)

9 comments to “Alphasmart question”

  1. Natalie J. Damschroder
    Comment
    1
      · September 29th, 2007 at 8:22 pm · Link

    Shannon, I have an easy solution, but it’s time-consuming.

    I pop all the keys off with a butter knife and use moistened cotton swabs to clean the board and the inside of the keys. It’s SO easy for it to get dusty and gunky (especially since I have pets). If it’s REALLY bad then you can probably use diluted mild dish detergent. Then the keys snap right back on.

    There are two tricks: Keep the keys all in order when you pop them off so you don’t accidentally miss two. And the Tab, Shift, and Space Bar keys have little metal wires that go under hooks when you put them back on.

    Like I said, time consuming, but SO much better afterward. And then keeping it in a closed case when not in use can keep it less sticky longer (though that’s much easier said than done, given the nature of Alphasmart use).

    Good luck!



  2. Shannon
    Comment
    2
      · September 29th, 2007 at 8:33 pm · Link

    OMG, I started hyperventilating at “pop all the keys off with a butter knife”.

    I’m still wondering if this is payback for something. :rofl:

    *deep breath*

    I can do this. :baby:



  3. Natalie J. Damschroder
    Comment
    3
      · September 29th, 2007 at 8:35 pm · Link

    Seriously, it’s not hard! They are meant to be removed and snapped back on, honest.

    Remember, Alphasmarts were made to be durable. :)

    Just try one, say the X key, one that’s not used much. You can do it! :cheer:



  4. Shannon
    Comment
    4
      · September 29th, 2007 at 8:57 pm · Link

    I started with the Z—pop off, pop on. :boogie:

    I’ve one little snag: Got 3/4 of the keys off and lined up and then went to go pee.

    I have two cats.

    ‘Nuff said. :doh:



  5. Natalie J. Damschroder
    Comment
    5
      · September 29th, 2007 at 9:00 pm · Link

    Oh, no! Damned cats! Good luck getting them back in order. I mean, we KNOW where the letters go, but it’s still a PIA. Sorry!



  6. Charlene
    Comment
    6
      · September 30th, 2007 at 5:43 pm · Link

    :rant: cats! I can’t keep mine away from whatever I’m working on, either. They are so…helpful. And concerned.



  7. Shannon
    Comment
    7
      · September 30th, 2007 at 7:52 pm · Link

    One of the little tabs on the base under the K snapped off, but it seems to still work okay. Other than that, a total success! Thank you. :kiss:

    And if you want to get revenge on your cats…lay (or lie :eyebrow:) on your bed upside down, with your feet on your pillow and your head at the foot. Drives them totally apeshit crazy. :crazy:



  8. Charlene
    Comment
    8
      · September 30th, 2007 at 8:05 pm · Link

    I’m up for feline revenge. Fraidy Cat howled half the night because we had no power and he’s scared of the dark. (No power=no kitty night light, and yes, we leave one on by his food dish.) This of course woke up the small people who then noticed no power=no baby night lights. You can guess what kind of day it’s been. :cry: But at least the power was back on at 6:30 a.m. to brew the coffee! :coffee:

    Congrats on a successful Alpha Smart keyboard cleaning!



  9. Natalie J. Damschroder
    Comment
    9
      · October 1st, 2007 at 7:58 am · Link

    :boogie: So glad it worked! Hope the K stays on all right.

    Charlene, what a night! You should send your cat to meankitty.com :)







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