I spilled roughly 50 ml of soda on the right side of my wireless keyboard, mainly around the Enter and Backspace keys. Some of it landed on the keycaps, but very little seemed to get underneath near the switches, and a noticeable amount reached the table instead. The keyboard started typing random characters, so I switched it from wireless to wired mode and powered it off a few seconds later. I removed the keycaps from the affected area and left the keyboard upside down to dry. Should I disconnect the internal battery, or is letting it air-dry for 48 hours enough? Should I leave it drying even longer?
4 Answers
Disconnecting the battery is still worthwhile, mainly to protect the keyboard's circuit board and any connected computer from a short. It may not undo damage that already happened, and soda can eventually ruin the keyboard even if it seems to work after drying. Avoid powering it on after only 48 hours if there is any doubt that liquid or residue remains.
Yes, disconnect the battery as soon as you can. Leaving power connected allows the liquid to short circuits and can cause electrical damage while the board is wet. After disconnecting it, let everything dry thoroughly before trying to power it on again.
Soda is much worse than plain water because the sugar and other residue remain after the liquid evaporates. Keep the keyboard completely unplugged for as long as possible, but understand that drying alone may leave sticky deposits that later cause corrosion or failed switches.
Liquid can damage electronics in two ways: it can short powered components immediately, and it can corrode contacts afterward. Disconnecting the battery prevents the first problem, but it does not remove residue that has already reached the board. The best approach is to disassemble it, disconnect the battery, and clean affected parts with high-percentage isopropyl alcohol before allowing them to dry completely.
Is there still a reasonable chance it will work if the battery remains connected, or is the damage probably permanent either way?