Microsoft Office Keyboard - USB type

[Guest]

May be there is a webpage that could tell me this but -
I have one of these keyboards that I cleaned and have forgotten how it
goes together .
Can someone tell me in which order the 3 plastic sheets and the elongated
circuit board that goes in the top of the keyboard go back into the keyboard
..
I put it back together and it seemed to go ok but the 'n' key got stuck .
And when I put it together the top of the 3 plastic sheets were rising up
the top of the keyboard before I put the top or was it the bottom on .
And the 'n' key got stuck , so maybe the plastic sheet with the rubber
buttons on it should have one of the 3 plastic sheets over it .
Guess 'n' got stuck because the rubber buttons were in the wrong way .
I'm guessing.......

 

[Galen]

In umwhat had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

May be there is a webpage that could tell me this but -
I have one of these keyboards that I cleaned and have forgotten how
it goes together .
Can someone tell me in which order the 3 plastic sheets and the
elongated circuit board that goes in the top of the keyboard go back
into the keyboard .
I put it back together and it seemed to go ok but the 'n' key got
stuck . And when I put it together the top of the 3 plastic sheets
were rising up the top of the keyboard before I put the top or was it
the bottom on .
And the 'n' key got stuck , so maybe the plastic sheet with the rubber
buttons on it should have one of the 3 plastic sheets over it .
Guess 'n' got stuck because the rubber buttons were in the wrong way .
I'm guessing.......

This is public so... If I admit I've been there will you just go buy a new
one? *sigh* Err... Yeah. Been there, seen that, done that. It started with,
"What is that crud that builds up in there?" (And a healthy mixture of
beer.)

I gave up a couple of days later.

I got it together WITH all the keys in the right place however? It still
seemed like the first time I'd tried the DVORAK keyboard. Err... Yeah.
Really - this isn't "help" like you might have been expecting but... Move
along, there's nothing to see here. Hours, I blew hours. On a 35 dollar
keyboard at most I might add.

--
Galen - MS MVP - Windows (Shell/User & IE)
http://dts-l.org/
http://kgiii.info/

"At present I am, as you know, fairly busy, but I propose to devote my
declining years to the composition of a textbook which shall focus the
whole art of detection into one volume." - Sherlock Holmes

 

[frodo]

I "Pepsi Syndromed" my Office KB, took it apart and cleaned it all up,
works again just fine. It did take a lot of time, but I was lost w/o it,
I hated the Wireless Optical Desktop Elite I replaced it with (a very fine
unit really, but I was just too addicted to the Office KB and my Trackball
Explorer, both of which were nuked by the spill. BTW, the trackball was
WAY harder to take apart and clean - talk about finicky alignment of
parts, geesh! Disassmebled and reassembled at least a dozen times to get
it just right, w/o any buttons catching/scraping or misfiring w/o tactile
feedback. Now I know why they don't make it anymore, this thing must have
taken very patient assemblers on the production line, and major quality
assurance steps. But, I diverge...).

The three layers of plastic go in rather logically, w/ the keys on top
(duh), and the bottom layer has the tiny holes in it to align w/ the
little positioning pins from below, and it has the white/silver tracings;
the last is the middle layer which is basically just an insulator w/ holes
at each key-dimple, no tracings. It's really very simple (ie, cheap), but
ANY residual liquid/sticky-stuff ANYWHERE can cause an electrical
sneak-path and keep it from working. clean it thouroughly, w/ distilled
water and a lintless cloth, dry completely. Be sure the connectors are
clean/dry too. The keys shd never stick, if they do there's gunk under the
little "collapsing dimple" or the plastic key unit itself has gunk in it -
that part (the white top w/ the keycaps) you can submerge to get clean,
all the keycaps are retained well.

Be careful w/ the rubber dimples! they are glued down at their edges only
slightly, and can easily be scrapped off accidentially. If you do that
you can glue them back in place, use super glue AND JUST A TINY DAB at the
edges - NONE should get into the center area or you're SOL. Use a
toothpick to dab it on, don't apply a drop directly, it'll definately seep
under if you do that.

Note: I may have been lucky, I did not get any liquid underneath any of
the rubber dimples - it flowed between the plastic sheets, but the dimples
were relatively clean. If you've got dried-on gunk under them you may be
screwed, that's gonna be hard to clean w/o perhaps damaging the dimples.
Inspect the top layer carefully from below, look at each dimple and clean
out carefully w/ a q-tip ONLY if necessary; do NOT rub off any of that
black coating in the dome of the dimple - that's the carbon contact,
degrade it and it'll stop working forever.

Good Luck!

 

[Mike Hall - MS MVP Windows Shell/User]

When taking anything apart, it is always a good idea to note down where the
various pieces fit and how.. I have no doubt that you will remember these
words when disassembling your next keyboard..

The plastic sheets have locator pins on them and should fit logically..
however, the main problem with fizzy sugar drink spillage, or any drink, is
the residue left where the key fits into the keyboard top plate.. push the
sticking keys out, one at a time lest you forget where they fit too, and
thoroughly clean the shank of the key and the socket into which it fits..

 

[Guest]

I had picked a Microsoft Multimedia keyboard off a rubbish heap but soon
discovered the already well know number 5 non functioning key problem . But I
did like the sturdy feel I got when I pressed the keys .
And now that I have bought a similar Microsoft Office Keyboard , I really
feel the time may have arrived when I can do without the burning sensation I
experience when wheeling the darn corrugated optical mouse wheel when
scrolling webpages .
Thanks for the advice . I did have a similar difficulty with the first
other multimedia keyboard I dismantled to clean thoroughly with warm water
and detergent , however I soon learned the experience of persisitant and
constant determination to achieve that feeling from having reassembleed
something I hadn't really decided to purchase for a purpose but rather for a
time spending activity .
But after many many attempts and an effort to achieve the logic of
assembling a keyboard I did finally reassemble my favorite mutimedia keyboard
with the very comfortable handrest .
Thankyou for your feedback , and I shall again attempt to achieve those
wonderfully fullfilling feelings I discovered when I reassembled my first
multimedia after cleaning that .

 

[Guest]

...oh and thankyou for those logical suggestions about the plastic sheets .
There are 3 in the Microsoft Office Keyboard .
About the only logic I could muster about their reassembly was that the
one sheet with the long metallic tabs that appeared as though they should go
directly over the circuit board thingy at the top of the keyboard should go
into the keybaord first so it could have contact with the long tabs on the
circuit board at the top .
Then that the clear sheet with only holes in it should go between the other
two sheets so it could seperate the two sheets that had contacts on them and
that the third sheet with the buttons had no where else to go so that's where
it went - after 2 hours of nerve testing disassembly and ressembling .
At that time of the night I felt I could quite conscience free give up .
The last thing I noticed was the curving up of the tops of all three
plastic sheets caused by where I had screwed down the little plastic circuit
board on the top of the sheets which as you may understand left me feeling a
little perturbed at that time of the night .

enjoy..........I did enjoy , I did enjoy !

 

[Guest]

....oh , and to my dismay not all the holes in the three plastic sheets fitted
over the smaller aligning protrusions , particularly the top protrusions .

 

[Guest]

....and now , alas , I find the computer freezes when I connect the wonderful
sturdy feeling Microsoft USB Office Keyboard ...

 

[frodo]

...and now , alas , I find the computer freezes when I connect the wonderful
sturdy feeling Microsoft USB Office Keyboard ...

I suppose it is possible that the spill actually fried some circuit, and
cleaning it simply won't bring it back. But you might want to try once
more, look real carefully for any residue.

 

[Guest]

..I have recently got it second hand but I haven't spilt anything on it and
I dismantled it and washed with a bottlebrush , thankyou mum , and warm water
with detergent . I have washed my own keyboard a few times but I this time I
didn't remember to check how this keyboard was assembled .
Microsoft USB Office Keyboard , gee I like these Microsoft keyboards but
I've never purposely bought one of them . I'd love to get it going but now
the F1 failed , I'm going to reboot the computer now because this computer
with XP had not seen the keyboard before I booted it up and then I will
disassemble it to see if any rubber buttons have come off and then I think
I'll dismantle this keyboard becase it need a clean and hope the assembly is
the same as the microsoft keyboard . It probably is , because this
manufacturer and retailer dick smith in new zealand who I bought this
keyboard from seems to follow the designs that billgates in the usa uses for
his hardware , very subtlely (spelt subtly by mr oxford , but it looks much
nicer spelt like this I must say) .
..oh well , on with the rubber gloves and out with the warm water and
detergent !



But is it the correct way I have asemble the plastic sheets . I need to
know if the one sheet that only has holes in it goes between the other 2
sheets . The rest of the way I reassembled the keyboard seems to be too
logical to me to be wrong .

 

[Guest]

I am pleased to announce I have reassembled the Microsoft USB Office
Keyboard correctly . The problem was the top holes in the plastic sheets
fitted so tightly over the keyboard studs that I was being a tad timid trying
to get them over the studs so I neglected to push them onto the studs .
The board works well but my PC is dual booting Windows 64bit Edition and XP
Home Edition . The keyboard works ok in 64 bit Windows but will not let me
change the boot option from 64 bit to XP .

 

[Galen]

In umwhat had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

I am pleased to announce I have reassembled the Microsoft USB Office
Keyboard correctly . The problem was the top holes in the plastic
sheets fitted so tightly over the keyboard studs that I was being a
tad timid trying to get them over the studs so I neglected to push
them onto the studs .
The board works well but my PC is dual booting Windows 64bit Edition
and XP Home Edition . The keyboard works ok in 64 bit Windows but
will not let me change the boot option from 64 bit to XP .

Holy crap. I've watched this since day one when I said, basically, "Are you
mad? Replace the thing." Having taken one apart - with notation - and then
getting frustrated as no matter how I put it together (following notation
and anyone who knows me tells you I take careful notation) causing the
entire PC to reset over and over again? I gave up and accept it was "loss
due to beer." Kinda like pulling all the keys out and then going to "follow
myself one of them thar DVORAK thingies..." Yeah... Sadly I've done this
more than once - twice to be exact. Only twice.

If you'll submit your name and address we'll send all repair jobs for
keyboards to you in the future. *grins and reminds you this is a public
place and putting your private information in here would be a silly idea*

Either way? I'm impressed. I'd buy you an ale but, well, we'd spill it on
your keyboard and then where would we be? I've NEVER managed to get a
keyboard back together since, oh, 2000 or so. Prior to that, sure. Since?
Not a chance... I failed completely.

--
Galen - MS MVP - Windows (Shell/User & IE)
http://dts-l.org/ http://kgiii.info/

"Chance has put in our way a most singular and whimsical problem, and
its solution is its own reward." - Sherlock Holmes

 

[Mike Hall - MS MVP Windows Shell/User]

I fixed an MS Ergonomic 4000.. twice.. was tedious work, but I did it..
... I will add that it was not my keyboard.. I use a Wireless MS Elite
keyboard..

 

[Galen]

In Mike Hall - MS MVP Windows Shell/User had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

I fixed an MS Ergonomic 4000.. twice.. was tedious work, but I did
it.. .. I will add that it was not my keyboard.. I use a Wireless
MS Elite keyboard..

Pure insanity or insanity on my part for thinking such is disposable.
Either is subject to argument. I'm willing to cede either, I'm surely insane
for just tossing them out and, well, one has to be insane to try to fix
them. I can cut, drill, and schematic a breadboard to make my own automatic
dimmer switch that turns the light on in my old Ford. Fix a keyboard, made
since they started with the contact containing sheets, is akin to asking me
to write like Plato, market like Gates, or carry a child full term to birth.
I dunno what it is - I gave up that many invested hours...

Oh, I get it. You just want the ale. *grins* If not at Summit then, well, I
happen to know a few good local brew houses that make some decent tuns and
while that would be a bit much to ship I'm sure a smaller amount would suit.
You've got only to say the word. As an added bonus? You could take photos
of a keyboard repair job. The reason I ask? Don't make me take pics of this
work station... *sigh* If I flip my keyboard over? Ergonomic 4000 1.0...

*makes mental note to take a moment to check the warranty*

It was WAY back *chuckles* in, oh, 1999 or so when I had 'issues' with
another keyboard. (I was still able to fix 'em then.)

I had a mate to it and it was interesting 'cause to fix it was pretty
interesting, it was a fix to be proud of so I'll share. I'd say I'd share,
just this once, but this is me we're talking about and digression is my
middle name.

Thinking all was "good" and it was an obvious problem I reached out with my
snips and cut the offending PS2 connector with intent to replace it there.

The "wire" was a (fairly new) fiber-type substance that - lo and behold -
wouldn't solder, melt, duct tape, electrical tape, or chewing gum stick to
the copper wire that was in the replacement.

I stripped it apart and replaced it at the board - I even tied a nice little
knot so that it could never be pulled out - after spending HOURS comparing
the sister to it, the original, figuring out the voltage, and testing - and
put the SOB back together. I had to actually use the replacement cord and
drop the tiniest drops of solder on the pins at the connector inside.
FORTUNATELY it had single a connection to the motherboard instead of one of
the wide clip-ons that have all the connectors attached.

And that, that right there, was the last one I was able to fix. It's funny,
in a way, that I truly couldn't get the others to work - the last one
rebooted the PC which told me "ummm short perhaps?" I'm reminded, and yeah
I'm still 'fairly young' of my father saying... "The truth about that "Solid
State?" What that really means is they don't want you to fix it."

Anyhow, another snippet of my private life tossed into the newsgroups. I
suppose if one goes back enough years they'll be able to figure out what my
favorite cereal is. (Wheaties so if you want to send me a coupon... Just
kidding and too far off topic.)

The OP spending the time and letting us know the outcome was enjoyable, it
deserves applause and (I think) sharing similar stories so even if Mike and
I are off-topic then I'm still gonna buy 'em a beer.

--
Galen - MS MVP - Windows (Shell/User & IE)
http://dts-l.org/ http://kgiii.info/

"Chance has put in our way a most singular and whimsical problem, and
its solution is its own reward." - Sherlock Holmes

 

[Bob I]

That issue can be caused by not having USB Legacy support turned on in
the BIOS. You will need to use a PS/2 keyboard to get in to change it.

 

[frodo]

That issue can be caused by not having USB Legacy support turned on in
the BIOS. You will need to use a PS/2 keyboard to get in to change it.

Yup, that's it. Or use the purple usb-to-ps2 adapter that came w/ the
keyboard.

Congrats on getting it to work again. I agree it's a lot of work for a
$35 item, but you can't get the Office KB anymore, so if you're addicted
to it (like I was) then it was your only choice - glad it worked out for
ya.

 

[Mike Hall - MS MVP Windows Shell/User]

The MS Ergonomic 4000 keyboard will not work with that adapter.. there may
well be others that don't either.. in the case of the Office keyboard,
however, it will work..

 

[Guest]

thankyou buddy wuddie...

 

[Guest]

I'm not addicted to this Office keyboard was a rather pleased to have laid my
hands...woah...on the version that had the higher front end..the what
??...but that number 5 took the bun as it were . Thanks for the legacy
devices . I just like the idea of having USB rather than PS2 and thankyou
someone else for reminding me I have a USB/PS2 adapter - yippee!!...I'm off
again...

 

[Guest]

yehaa!

I'm gathering parts for some computers to sell and i like the look of the
USB keyboard . It will go well with one of the computers I want to sell .

If I don't remember to return here before Christmas - may you and all your
families have a very very merry one . I'm so glad I can come here having
thought I couldn't do nothing and find the help I need .