Thanks for the step-by-step explanation. I kind of goofed it when I sprayed my switches with WD40, and have been looking for ways to cleaning up my switches. I have nothing other than a soldering tool, so it is nice to see someone showing the opening process in detail.
@@peadookie Not for the switches though. This is first hand experience. You cannot apply it in a small amount and also the keypresses do not always register. There are times where the keyboard stops functioning for few seconds. Thankfully I was able to clean the mess so I don't have that problem anymore.
I was about to throw this old keyboard out due to some button presses not registering. And now it's good as new and I'm typing on it. Great video, thanks mate!
This is good stuff! However, for those that are really not good with soldering and all, how different will this be compared to blasting each key with a spray can of contact cleaner?
Thanks! If you've spilt liquid on it, I'd still recommend taking apart the switch to clean it thoroughly, however if it just seems to be unresponsive or sticky for some reason the contact cleaner might work. Just push down on the stem as if pressing a key, and aim the cleaner into the crack around the edge that forms once it's fully depressed.
Man I need help. I have a mechanical keyboard its scorpion kg909 with blue switches. Ones that I use the most like ctrl w a s d are starting to lose contact so sometimes they won't work on first press also if im walking or holding the switch down it stats and stops ect... I saw few videos and people use wd40 specialist cleaner and spray the bad switch with it. I don't want to end my keyboards life so could that help it?
It's either dirt, in which case this technique will work, or it's poor manufacturing tolerances. Hopefully it's just dirt, but if it's the metal contacts wearing out it may not be repairable with this method
Holy shit you actually will do this ... ok yea it goes in water for a day, then it comes out and you use it again.... I swear to god no one lubricates this switches by manufacturing it's plastic on plastic it slides... shit this is some next level :)
Absolutely. You can skip the lubrication part. I included it because you have no idea how insane the mechanical keyboard fandom is. It's a ridiculous rabbit hole, and I'm sure they'd lecture me on it
I have a double clicking (chattering) on E and D in my Ducky One 3. Can this be related to lube? Or dust? Or how do I proceed mainly? Switches are hot swappable. The keyboard is new but I don't have the box to return it...
My keyboard has romer g switches that for some time i noticed issues with a bunch of keys. And i tried cleaning them, opened them up and with some paper or piece of thin plastic and contact cleaning solution rubbed the contacts thoroughly. To some extent seems better but still have issues, if before had issues with registering or doubling now i still get i get double clicking of a few. Some of which i cleaned and some new, which is weird. Is there a possibility to be some type of different issue with the keyboard's board, chip or something?
I'm dreading actually having to desolder each switch like this but my new (3 months old) keyboard is already having way too many switch problems. Sometimes the keys don't activate, other times it presses them several times, or it deactivates while I'm holding it, making this keyboard basically unusable for gaming or writing. Is this a thing all mechanical keyboards do? I bought a fairly cheap one from a local brand, maybe they cheaped out on the switches or tolerances or whatever, but this is my first mechanical keyboard and I'm hating it. Already cleaned it by taking the keycaps out thinking that would help, but I really don't want to take the switches out to clean them. Great video, will probably have to follow it step by step soon lol EDIT: by local brand I mean that it's a chinese keyboard bought in alibaba or whatever with some branding painted on top of it, it's absolute ass
Mechanical keyboard are the most durable, having almost 10 times the time span compared to a silicone dome membrane (50 million clicks per keycap for mechanical vs 5 million for silicone). With gaming this becomes even more relevant, *especially* if you play video games that require an intensive amount of clicks (FPS games where you strafe quickly with A and D, rhythm games etc etc) as you could wear out a silicone keyboard in less than 2-3 years depending on what exactly you play. You got unlucky with the alibaba keyboard you bought, I'd bet that it isn't the switches that are at fault but actually the PCB (the board below the switches). Now don't take my word for it of course, but it's entirely possible. As inconvenient as it may sound short term, I absolutely recommend buying a more expensive mechanical keyboard from a known manufacturer. *And* make sure its a hot swap keyboard (hot swap keyboards have slots that allow you to remove switches and insert new switches without soldering). This one time significant purchase will lend you a keyboard that will truly last a lifetime - if a switch breaks (which it mostly doesn't, it just needs some cleaning) you can simply pop the switch out and replace it, and a little baggie of switches costs less than a new membrane keyboard, for example. I'd bet it would be more expensive for you to continuously buy new membrane keyboards than to just buy one good mechanical keyboard. The only thing that could kill your mechanical keyboard is humidity that could erode the PCB, so don't drink anything near your keyboard!
@@asteelcup859 appreciate the response. yeah I didn't last more than a week after I wrote my comment and just went back to my old membrane keyboard. this alibaba keyboard was just way too shit, but it was a gift so I tried to make it work... it wasn't great. the switches looked like cherry blues but they obviously didn't have the cherry branding, so that's why I suspected that the switches were the problem. I could try and check for faulty connections on the PCB but I can't be bothered, there are way too many broken keys for me to do it. I have pretty low standards for keyboards, so I don't mind buying cheap membrane keyboards every couple of years. having long nails also means that I literally wear out the keycaps over time, so replacing my keyboard each year isn't uncommon for me. I'll end up buying a decent mechanical keyboard in a couple of months after I make some upgrades to my rig, I'll keep the hot swap in mind, thanks!
My mom had a membrane keyboard and it's older than me (20+) years and still works. Meanwhile I also had a cheap "gaming" mechanical keyboard and same thing, some keys stopped working in a few months. So the whole "membrane keyboards are low quality and mechanical keyboards have better build quality" story is mostly BS and marketing. I'd say none are inherently better in terms of build quality, BUT, it's way easier repairing mechanical keyboards because usually it's just a single component that can be easily replaced instead of the whole keyboard, provided you use "standard" parts.
WD40 is a great cleaner for this type of thing, so absolutely. However I wouldn't use it strictly as a lubricant, silicone lubricants and PTFE lubricants at the hardware store will work great
this videos 2 years ago and i hope someone reads this... but can i put a hand full of the switch housings in a tub of warm soapy water? similar to putting key caps in soapy water and rinsing them out. will this damage the switches?
I would say for the plastic only parts that should be fine. But I wouldn't trust the finish on the spring and the contacts to stay perfectly in tact after being submerged in water
@@tsura- Yes, 99% alcohol is fine. A soapy water bath and a few days of drying is fine too. Water, soap, and oxygen cannot not corrode Copper that easily or quickly.
I used WD40 spray, without taring the switch appart, and It worked . I assume this method would be better but the wd40 one its quicker and noob friendly.
If anyone has sticky keys you dont need to take the switch out, just take off the keycap and press the switch and clean it with toothbrush that has disinfection (you can also use water but it isnt very effective) on it and brush the switch, it should help you can also use alcohol but i truly don't recommend alcohol :)
Can I also use rubbing alcohol? this process in the video is just too cumbersome for me, I have a switch that is having issues registering, I have to press it at certain angles for it to register so I figured it might just be dirty.
yeah i put moisturizer in my switches because i didn’t have lube lol. now the moisturizer is dried up in my switches, it doesn’t change any performance but i dont like seeing little white stuff in my keyboard. its an prebuilt 60% keyboard. can someone help i wanna take the dried stuff out my switches?
Highly under rated and very informative video. You deserve a lot more views!
Thanks for the step-by-step explanation. I kind of goofed it when I sprayed my switches with WD40, and have been looking for ways to cleaning up my switches. I have nothing other than a soldering tool, so it is nice to see someone showing the opening process in detail.
My boy u did NOT spray ur switches with WD-40😂😂 , but I’m glad u fixed it!!
@@BlexEdits Yeah, there are some vids on CZcams for spraying them with WD40, and I fell for one.
Some people live by wd40 and don't care. I'm much more of a right-product-for-the-purpose kinda guy, but occasionally, wd40 is the answer :)
@@peadookie Not for the switches though. This is first hand experience. You cannot apply it in a small amount and also the keypresses do not always register. There are times where the keyboard stops functioning for few seconds. Thankfully I was able to clean the mess so I don't have that problem anymore.
@@lanternofthegreen amen, definitely _not_ the correct choice for switches! Glad you got it all cleaned up!
Thank you for this video. You're amazing at explaining the whole process, and though it looks repetitive, you walk us through the whole process.
I was about to throw this old keyboard out due to some button presses not registering. And now it's good as new and I'm typing on it.
Great video, thanks mate!
great video. thanks for the 3d printable switch opener, looks way better than the ones on other 3d printing websites
this is awesome and helpful content
This is good stuff! However, for those that are really not good with soldering and all, how different will this be compared to blasting each key with a spray can of contact cleaner?
Thanks! If you've spilt liquid on it, I'd still recommend taking apart the switch to clean it thoroughly, however if it just seems to be unresponsive or sticky for some reason the contact cleaner might work. Just push down on the stem as if pressing a key, and aim the cleaner into the crack around the edge that forms once it's fully depressed.
What a master class. Thanks for the awesome video!
Great video. Lots of info.
This was super helpful, thanks!!😃
thx you for your video, now I have a new ability that cleaning switch!
really nice video man, thanks a lot!
Man I need help. I have a mechanical keyboard its scorpion kg909 with blue switches. Ones that I use the most like ctrl w a s d are starting to lose contact so sometimes they won't work on first press also if im walking or holding the switch down it stats and stops ect... I saw few videos and people use wd40 specialist cleaner and spray the bad switch with it. I don't want to end my keyboards life so could that help it?
It works i think
i have the EXACT same problem
Same here, I'm going to open the switches and do the same process as he has shown. Pretty sure that some dust entered on W and D keys.
It's either dirt, in which case this technique will work, or it's poor manufacturing tolerances. Hopefully it's just dirt, but if it's the metal contacts wearing out it may not be repairable with this method
daym i need that sucker
Holy shit you actually will do this ... ok yea it goes in water for a day, then it comes out and you use it again.... I swear to god no one lubricates this switches by manufacturing it's plastic on plastic it slides... shit this is some next level :)
Absolutely. You can skip the lubrication part. I included it because you have no idea how insane the mechanical keyboard fandom is. It's a ridiculous rabbit hole, and I'm sure they'd lecture me on it
The 3D Disassembler does work with Cherry MX switches, right?
My too, IPA and a toothbrush only go so far.
Life saver I Liget
Slipped tea on my keyborad
I have a double clicking (chattering) on E and D in my Ducky One 3. Can this be related to lube? Or dust? Or how do I proceed mainly? Switches are hot swappable. The keyboard is new but I don't have the box to return it...
Can I clean the stems and upper part of the switch with warm soapy water? and te lower stem with isopronyl alcohol?
My keyboard has romer g switches that for some time i noticed issues with a bunch of keys. And i tried cleaning them, opened them up and with some paper or piece of thin plastic and contact cleaning solution rubbed the contacts thoroughly. To some extent seems better but still have issues, if before had issues with registering or doubling now i still get i get double clicking of a few. Some of which i cleaned and some new, which is weird. Is there a possibility to be some type of different issue with the keyboard's board, chip or something?
I'm dreading actually having to desolder each switch like this but my new (3 months old) keyboard is already having way too many switch problems. Sometimes the keys don't activate, other times it presses them several times, or it deactivates while I'm holding it, making this keyboard basically unusable for gaming or writing. Is this a thing all mechanical keyboards do? I bought a fairly cheap one from a local brand, maybe they cheaped out on the switches or tolerances or whatever, but this is my first mechanical keyboard and I'm hating it. Already cleaned it by taking the keycaps out thinking that would help, but I really don't want to take the switches out to clean them. Great video, will probably have to follow it step by step soon lol
EDIT: by local brand I mean that it's a chinese keyboard bought in alibaba or whatever with some branding painted on top of it, it's absolute ass
Mechanical keyboard are the most durable, having almost 10 times the time span compared to a silicone dome membrane (50 million clicks per keycap for mechanical vs 5 million for silicone).
With gaming this becomes even more relevant, *especially* if you play video games that require an intensive amount of clicks (FPS games where you strafe quickly with A and D, rhythm games etc etc) as you could wear out a silicone keyboard in less than 2-3 years depending on what exactly you play.
You got unlucky with the alibaba keyboard you bought, I'd bet that it isn't the switches that are at fault but actually the PCB (the board below the switches). Now don't take my word for it of course, but it's entirely possible.
As inconvenient as it may sound short term, I absolutely recommend buying a more expensive mechanical keyboard from a known manufacturer. *And* make sure its a hot swap keyboard (hot swap keyboards have slots that allow you to remove switches and insert new switches without soldering). This one time significant purchase will lend you a keyboard that will truly last a lifetime - if a switch breaks (which it mostly doesn't, it just needs some cleaning) you can simply pop the switch out and replace it, and a little baggie of switches costs less than a new membrane keyboard, for example. I'd bet it would be more expensive for you to continuously buy new membrane keyboards than to just buy one good mechanical keyboard. The only thing that could kill your mechanical keyboard is humidity that could erode the PCB, so don't drink anything near your keyboard!
@@asteelcup859 appreciate the response. yeah I didn't last more than a week after I wrote my comment and just went back to my old membrane keyboard. this alibaba keyboard was just way too shit, but it was a gift so I tried to make it work... it wasn't great. the switches looked like cherry blues but they obviously didn't have the cherry branding, so that's why I suspected that the switches were the problem. I could try and check for faulty connections on the PCB but I can't be bothered, there are way too many broken keys for me to do it.
I have pretty low standards for keyboards, so I don't mind buying cheap membrane keyboards every couple of years. having long nails also means that I literally wear out the keycaps over time, so replacing my keyboard each year isn't uncommon for me. I'll end up buying a decent mechanical keyboard in a couple of months after I make some upgrades to my rig, I'll keep the hot swap in mind, thanks!
My mom had a membrane keyboard and it's older than me (20+) years and still works. Meanwhile I also had a cheap "gaming" mechanical keyboard and same thing, some keys stopped working in a few months. So the whole "membrane keyboards are low quality and mechanical keyboards have better build quality" story is mostly BS and marketing. I'd say none are inherently better in terms of build quality, BUT, it's way easier repairing mechanical keyboards because usually it's just a single component that can be easily replaced instead of the whole keyboard, provided you use "standard" parts.
my p key on my romer g switches is so dirty it double taps or doesn't register -_- I shall attempt this
nice vid! could I use wd-40 instead?
WD40 is a great cleaner for this type of thing, so absolutely. However I wouldn't use it strictly as a lubricant, silicone lubricants and PTFE lubricants at the hardware store will work great
this videos 2 years ago and i hope someone reads this...
but can i put a hand full of the switch housings in a tub of warm soapy water? similar to putting key caps in soapy water and rinsing them out. will this damage the switches?
I would say for the plastic only parts that should be fine. But I wouldn't trust the finish on the spring and the contacts to stay perfectly in tact after being submerged in water
@@SamCampbell will 99% alcohol be alright for the springs and contacts?
@@tsura- Yes, 99% alcohol is fine. A soapy water bath and a few days of drying is fine too. Water, soap, and oxygen cannot not corrode Copper that easily or quickly.
I used WD40 spray, without taring the switch appart, and It worked . I assume this method would be better but the wd40 one its quicker and noob friendly.
Is it okay to use WD40 for lubrication?
isopropilic alcohol
Good video!
Thanks!
Few of the switches has hair on it. Keys are not working properly.
Sid the Sloth Cleans His Keyboard would be a better title imp
If anyone has sticky keys you dont need to take the switch out, just take off the keycap and press the switch and clean it with toothbrush that has disinfection (you can also use water but it isnt very effective) on it and brush the switch, it should help you can also use alcohol but i truly don't recommend alcohol :)
but the sticky drink went inside my keyboard switcvhes
Pull the key cap off.. press the button down.. fill it with kerosene and left it for 1 day it will work like new.
Can I also use rubbing alcohol? this process in the video is just too cumbersome for me, I have a switch that is having issues registering, I have to press it at certain angles for it to register so I figured it might just be dirty.
yeah i put moisturizer in my switches because i didn’t have lube lol. now the moisturizer is dried up in my switches, it doesn’t change any performance but i dont like seeing little white stuff in my keyboard. its an prebuilt 60% keyboard. can someone help i wanna take the dried stuff out my switches?
you are putting too much of oil
some lisp