Logitech Releases Washable Keyboard

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Logitech Releases Washable Keyboard

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 22, 2012 @04:31PM from the under-the-sea dept.

MrSeb writes "Logitech has released its first washable keyboard. We're not just talking about 'splash proof' either — you can take the K310, immerse it in up to 30cm of water (12in), and give it a good scrub. The only limitation is you can only use standard washing up liquid — oh, and Logitech says you should try to keep the USB connector out of the water, too. Once you've washed the keyboard, simply leave it to dry. The user guide says it takes eight hours to air dry, and that you shouldn't use a hair dryer. There are actually drainage holes on the backside of the K310, to help speed things along. This isn't the first washable keyboard — HP and Kensington have both had models on the market for a while — but the K310 does seem to be the first reasonably attractive, consumer-oriented washable keyboard. It goes on sale at the end of the month for $40."

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Every keyboard is washable by Osgeld · 2012-08-22 16:34 · Score: 4, Insightful

just use a screw driver, still takes about 8 hours to dry and your not sitting there wondering if your not holding a blob of water under the spacebar that will fry the encoder
1. Re:Every keyboard is washable by mirix · 2012-08-22 16:44 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Yeah, going by the 8 hours to dry stated in the summary - almost all electronics are washable by that standard (provided batteries are removed, etc).
  And to think that motherboard manufacturers have been missing out on marketing them as "washable" all these years...
  
  --
  Sent from my PDP-11
2. Re:Every keyboard is washable by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-22 17:13 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Mmmm. I find that if I use a screw driver, the orange juice leaves a sticky residue which interferes with the keyboards function.
3. Re:Every keyboard is washable by mug+funky · 2012-08-22 17:32 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  if you just use the vodka you get a much cleaner keyboard.
4. Re:Every keyboard is washable by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-22 19:12 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  I don't think you and I know the same kinds of computer collectors. In fact, I don't think you know many people at all that don't wear white coats if you believe that story.
5. Re:Every keyboard is washable by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-22 19:14 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  if you just use the vodka you get a much cleaner keyboard.
  I dunno, when I use vodka my keyboard gets blurry.
6. Re:Every keyboard is washable by hawkinspeter · 2012-08-22 19:34 · Score: 2
  
  A better solution is to aways drink coffee the way it's meant to be drunk: black, no sugar.
  
  --
  You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
7. Re:Every keyboard is washable by jimshatt · 2012-08-22 19:36 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Only at first. Drink much more and you're keyboard will get 'puky'. After that you'll want to clean it THOROUGHLY!
8. Re:Every keyboard is washable by allanw · 2012-08-22 20:23 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Those ubiquitous black IC's are plastic packaging which is not moisture sealed. Not sure if it'd actually affect the silicon to soak it in water for a bit though and use normally. But if you ever order any parts, they come in moisture sealed bags with big warning labels saying that you must reflow solder the IC's within 24-72 hours of opening the package or else too much moisture from the air will seep into the packaging, causing them to act like popcorn when you bake them to 350C for soldering. So if you leave them out too long you're supposed to slowly bake them to get rid of all the moisture before reflow soldering.
9. Re:Every keyboard is washable by blackicye · 2012-08-22 20:59 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Those ubiquitous black IC's are plastic packaging which is not moisture sealed. Not sure if it'd actually affect the silicon to soak it in water for a bit though and use normally. But if you ever order any parts, they come in moisture sealed bags with big warning labels saying that you must reflow solder the IC's within 24-72 hours of opening the package or else too much moisture from the air will seep into the packaging, causing them to act like popcorn when you bake them to 350C for soldering. So if you leave them out too long you're supposed to slowly bake them to get rid of all the moisture before reflow soldering.
  The main reason the moisture needs to be controlled is because of heat applied by soldering processes.
  Moisture will turn into steam rapidly and cause the PCB/chip layers to de-laminate (a.k.a. Popcorning.)
  If the electronics are going to be operating at normal room temperatures, some moisture is generally not a problem.
10. Re:Every keyboard is washable by Fallingwater · 2012-08-23 00:13 · Score: 2
  
  I almost got a (fantastically paying, sigh) job at a company that specializes in washing computer electronics.
  When a flood or a fire occurs in a datacenter, you see, some machines are inevitably damaged beyond hope, and those are junked; however, plenty more end up with caked dust, grime, fire retardant foam, mud and soot in every nook and cranny, including all the connectors, and this stops the machine from working despite the hardware being perfectly fine. My job would have been to take apart the computers in question to the smallest bits, disconnect everything and wash the affected board with a suitable cleaning solution, then dry them out, reassemble the whole thing, hit the power button and hope the magic smoke stays in. The cost of doing this is about 10% of the cost of replacing all the affected machines.
  I was practically certain to get the job, then the economic crisis hit and they stopped hiring and had to resize themselves. *sigh*
11. Re:Every keyboard is washable by trum4n · 2012-08-23 00:22 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  i personally have dishwashered mobos, video cards, keyboards, random pci devices. Does no harm. Boards are conformal coated these days. let it dry, and youre good.
12. Re:Every keyboard is washable by kelemvor4 · 2012-08-23 01:36 · Score: 2
  
  I could potentially see people dousing an old board with distilled water, or gently removing grime with a swab and alcohol / water. Maybe some specialists even have industrial washers that spray the board in a controlled way with a closed water system. I'm having a hard time believing many people would want to put a board into a dishwasher even on the lowest setting, even without a tablet, unless they wanted to totally ruin it.
  Dishwashers involve powerful jets of water which would have no trouble breaking off bits of solder or loose connections, or getting inside microswitches. Even if the board wasn't damaged it would have to be dried for days at low humidity to ensure all the moisture was gone. Also it can't be good for the water waste treatment system if all that shit from pcbs ends up there.
  I've run motherboards through the dishwasher without problems before.
13. Re:Every keyboard is washable by N0Man74 · 2012-08-23 02:24 · Score: 2
  
  Same here. I remember the first time that I did this for a mobo and video card... While a PC was running (with the case off), I accidentally spilled a smoothie right on top of it! After pulling the power, then using hand-cleaning and a dishwasher on both the video card and mobo, I used both for at least a couple more years.
Does it come in a one handed version? by hawks5999 · 2012-08-22 16:37 · Score: 5, Funny

Just checking.
1. Re:Does it come in a one handed version? by theshowmecanuck · 2012-08-22 16:54 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Yeah, now you can go back to sticky keys being a user access feature.
  
  --
  -- I ignore anonymous replies to my comments and postings.
2. Re:Does it come in a one handed version? by kloffinger · 2012-08-22 23:48 · Score: 2
  
  From TFA - "if you regularly spill Coke or other sticky and/or goopy fluids on your keyboard"....... I wonder what kind of goopy fluids the slashdot audience might "spill" on their keyboards.......
Anyone else have good experience with Logitech? by GoodNewsJimDotCom · 2012-08-22 16:38 · Score: 4, Informative

I'm using a 20$ head set. I have a 10$ keyboard by them, and like a 15$ Optical Mouse. All my Logitech stuff works well and lasts for years. When I used Belkin, the stuff had weird errors and conflicts here and there. Logitech seems like it is the quality goto product when you're looking to be economical.

I was wondering if other people have had a good experience with this company?

--
God spoke to me
1. Re:Anyone else have good experience with Logitech? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-22 16:44 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  I bought a high-end, gaming keyboard from Logitech.
  And there are several key combinations that don't register. Key combinations that have come up in games and been integral to progress. Its left-down-z, to be specific. So, no, I would not recommend their keyboards.
2. Re:Anyone else have good experience with Logitech? by crafty.munchkin · 2012-08-22 17:25 · Score: 2
  
  whereas my G15 v2 is awesome!
  
  --
  ... wait, what?
3. Re:Anyone else have good experience with Logitech? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-22 21:14 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  That's called Key-Rollover. Keys on keyboards due to the matrix layout of the switches are grouped, and you can only use one key per group simultaneously. Added to that, USB keyboards support a max KRO of 6 keys simultaneously. Many keyboards however only support a KRO of 2.
  Try holding left and right shift while typing the brown lazy fox sentence or just typing the alphabet. You will see that unless you have a pretty expensive keyboard or use PS2, that some keys just won't register.
  In any case, this problem isn't just with logitech keyboards, it's with pretty much all USB keyboards. A lot of manufacturers try to fix this by placing WASD in a separate group or changing the groups a bit so that it avoids a lot of common scenarios, but unless you shell out a lot for a mech keyboard with a thought-out key layout, you will have this problem.
4. Re:Anyone else have good experience with Logitech? by lexsird · 2012-08-22 22:19 · Score: 2
  
  I'm a hard core computer gamer, and a forum warrior. I am hell on keyboards. With that said, I have been through a G15, it served well for years, before one of the keys sticking. I replaced it with a G19 that is serving well as we speak. I had one of their G5 mice for years. I have a story for that one.
  The G5 gaming mouse finally started going bad on me, and at the worst possible time it seemed in my games. Hence sending me to high levels of pissed off rage, I had a replacement in hand when it at last pissed me off for the last time. Instead of hanging on to it like a pack rat, I let my rage have a run and went to destroy it and toss it in the garbage. I figured it would be cathartic.
  So there I am, swinging this mouse by the cord like it's a flail. I bring it down on the hard kitchen tile for the death blow, expecting it to shatter into pieces. It didn't. I was like wtf? So began the rage of repeated slams on the floor. I stop and examine my handy work, and just one of the mouse buttons is skewed off to the side and broke. I could have beat someone to death with it. Jesus! So I pitched it quickly in the trash before it decided to have it's turn with me. lol.
  I was impressed and wanted another one, but they had stopped making them that well and I got a cheap assed, reissue of it that didn't impress me at all. If you come across one of those older G5, the high end ones, with the weights you can put in it, those are Dinobot tough.
  My current mouse is a Razor Naga. The mouse is handy for MMO's and such, but the fucking SOFTWARE controlling it is god damn annoying as fucking humanly possible. You have to LOG IN to some server on the Internet to get your profiles. Yes, you read right. HAVE TO FUCKING LOG IN FOR YOUR PROFILE. The mouse is awesome or I would be writing them with instructions on how they could jam their mice and software far up their asses. If I find a mouse that I like close to as much as the Naga, I will be sending those instructions. That is unless they have a palace revolt and give me some software that doesn't make me feel like my damn mouse company is watching me like some damn creepy fucks. When this Naga goes, they can suck a bag of dicks, I'm done with them.
  A washable keyboard is something to look into. Here's the burning question, will the damn thing last long enough that it needs washing? I normally advise people to just get a cheap keyboard and chuck it when it gets dirty. I've taken a few of them apart, it's not worth it, unless you are dirt poor, AND cheap.
  
  --
  Take the Red Pill.
5. Re:Anyone else have good experience with Logitech? by drinkypoo · 2012-08-23 00:43 · Score: 2
  
  I had a model M, but I got tired of looking for the tiny herd of buffalo that were apparently rampaging loudly around my desk.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Been washing them for years... by BWJones · 2012-08-22 16:39 · Score: 5, Informative

Dude... I've been washing my keyboards for years. Spill coffee in them? Run EM under the tap and dry them out. Spill beer in it, stick it in the dish washer. Air dry.

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1. Re:Been washing them for years... by phantomfive · 2012-08-22 17:08 · Score: 2
  
  Maybe, but I've heard lots of stories of people washing their keyboards, and not very many stories of broken keyboards as a result. My guess is it's normal for keyboards to be able to withstand a washing.
  
  --
  "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
Meh by Gazzonyx · 2012-08-22 16:41 · Score: 3, Informative

Meh. The keyboard that I'm using (Kensington, FWIW) is "water proof"; it has two holes in the bottom where liquids that are spilled into the keys can drain out. It also (in theory) dries quickly after a cleaning because of these holes. Best $15 keyboard I bought in college.

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If I mod you up, it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with what you've said, sorry.
1. Re:Meh by Gazzonyx · 2012-08-22 17:28 · Score: 2
  
  Yeah, I got a Spanish keyboard down at Walmart. I think it was $12. I touch type, so it was a deal. It also screws with anyone that tries to use the desktop that it's on.
  
  --
  If I mod you up, it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with what you've said, sorry.
This is perfect... by mark-t · 2012-08-22 16:41 · Score: 5, Funny

... for when I'm wanting to use my computer while bathing. Accidentally dropping the keyboard won't cause catastrophe. But is it bluetooth?

--
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Dishwasher? by jamesh · 2012-08-22 16:47 · Score: 3, Informative

Call me when I can put my keyboard in the dishwasher. When I spilled honey on my last laptop keyboard i took the whole keyboard out, ran it under warm water for a few minutes, sat it in the drainer for 30 minutes to kind of dry, then put it back together. It outlasted the rest of the laptop. Most keyboards can take this sort of abuse.
1. Re:Dishwasher? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-22 16:53 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  "honey"? Is that what kids call it these days?
2. Re:Dishwasher? by CheshireDragon · 2012-08-22 17:09 · Score: 2
  
  yes, it was jizz. I don't know how the hell any one could get 'honey' on a keyboard. Did you knock the jar over and wait 10min for it to drip out on the keyboard? Or you must know of a good way to sling honey around that I haven't heard of yet.
  
  --
  "That's right...I said it."
Model M by TheGoodNamesWereGone · 2012-08-22 17:20 · Score: 2

Model Ms have been going in the dishwasher for two decades. Just sayin'..
slashdot by matt007 · 2012-08-22 17:44 · Score: 2

Slashdot : ads for nerds.
Washable keyboards by Animats · 2012-08-22 17:52 · Score: 3

This is hardly the first washable keyboard. The IBM PS/2 keyboard was made to be machine-washable. There are many washable flex keyboards. They're not even expensive.
Most keyboards that don't contain speakers can be washed and rinsed, provided you use de-ionized or distilled water that won't leave solids behind when it evaporates. After all, PC boards usually go through a dishwasher-like cleaning step after soldering.
1. Re:Washable keyboards by wonkey_monkey · 2012-08-22 18:18 · Score: 2
  
  The summary acknowledges this - it's only Logitech's first washable keyboard, so why the hell it was deemed newsworthy by the editors is beyond me.
  
  --
  systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
A possible enhancement to this keyboard by Taco+Cowboy · 2012-08-22 20:54 · Score: 2, Funny

If they can make the USB connector detachable from this keyboard, then we do not need to worry about wetting the USB connector and ruin the whole thing

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1. Re:A possible enhancement to this keyboard by Dogtanian · 2012-08-22 23:04 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  If they can make the USB connector detachable from this keyboard, then we do not need to worry about wetting the USB connector and ruin the whole thing
  Hey Slashdot? Can we please have a 'Stupid' option included in the moderator drop down list?
  In this case I'm not sure whether we need a "Stupid" moderation for the OP's post, or a "Whoosh" moderation for yours...
  
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Every parent in the whole world by David+Gerard · 2012-08-22 22:33 · Score: 2

Every parent of a small child IN THE WHOLE WORLD will be ordering one of these. I will next time the small child destroys another keyboard - currently on her third. AAAAAAAA

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