Very curious keyboard issues.

Question

A while back, the keyboard on my N7110 started going nuts. I had replaced the original with a backlit one from China years ago. I removed the keyboard and it had the distinct smell of coffee. Turns out my wife spilled some on it a while back, and never said anything.

I attempted to clean the keyboard as best I could, but got no results. The same characters, "ruweq", would spam as soon as I started to close the hinge on the ribbon. Then a "43poi" might or might not show up, followed by a steady stream of "i"s.

Anyway, I ordered the same keyboard, and everything was fine. New keyboard worked for a few weeks, then suddenly, the same issues. I grilled the wife, but she swears she hasn't spilled anything. It seems the problem is now with the board. I tried cleaning the connection with alcohol, but no dice.

Here's where things start getting interesting.

For no reason at all, I dug up the old, coffee spilled keyboard and plugged it in. It worked! ...Well, it worked for about 5 minutes, then it started going nuts again. Plugged in the new one, same deal. So now, neither of them work.

Any advice on how I might fix this? Any idea why the old one would suddenly work for a few minutes? Any help at all would be appreciated.

Thanks!

-David

DELL-Rishi · Answer

Hi David,

Kindly confirm if the keys are working intermittently or do they not register the keystrokes. Or when you mean spam - are the keystrokes being registered automatically?

Download the BIOS - http://dell.to/2hgKlwf and force the BIOS flash - http://dell.to/2hnhjs4 - restart and check.

If the issue stands unresolved, then I would suspect a keyboard controller failure and the motherboard needs to be replaced.

You could contact our team to get a quote for a paid service call - http://dell.to/1vnT6CQ

You could also order the parts here - http://bit.ly/2hR6zWa

Personally I would suggest you to invest your money on a new machine than to repair this system. However, that is your discretion.

Also, please click my DELL-username and write me a private conversation with the service tag and your Name for case records.

Let us know if you have any other queries.

dam091 · Answer

Keystrokes are registered automatically. I find that as I close the connector on the motherboard around the ribbon from the keyboard, "ruweq" will be typed instantly. If I keep the connector at this same spot, half open and half closed, these characters will type again and again. When I close it fully, more keys come out, followed by a constant string of the letter "i". I can't stop this; nothing I type comes out, and nothing I press makes it stop.

Would reflashing BIOS fix this? I mean, it was caused by coffee, is it possible that a software fix would change anything? I'm willing to try anything, though.

DELL-Rishi · Answer

Hi David,

There is a high possibility that the liquid might have damaged the circuit level. Hence, I have mentioned that I suspect a keyboard controller failure and it requires the motherboard to be replaced.

Having said this, the BIOS can fix a variety of issues, as it is a firmware written to the motherboard itself. The BIOS flash would not cost you if it fixes the issue, whereas a motherboard replacement is not going to be inexpensive. On the higher end, I would suspect a motherboard issue.

Let us know if you have any other queries.

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Very curious keyboard issues.

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