Take Apart Apple Pro Keyboard

[Richard Kriss]

On 2/28/03 4:59 PM, "Power Macintosh G4 List" <G4 at lists.themacintoshguy.com>
wrote:

>>> Is there a way to get the cover off the Pro Keyboard without making it
>>> obvious you've torn it apart?  I can see cat hair under the clear
>>> plastic.

I saved the following from a newsgroup posting last  year

Subject: Re: Take apart Pro keyboard?
Date: Tue, 05 Nov 2002 17:56:22 GMT

> I'd like to take apart my pro keyboard to clean it, and can't figure out
> how to get in it.
> 
> Anyone know how to do this?

On the underside there are 2 screws near the USB ports, and another
hidden under the label, near the USB cord.  Rub your finger along the
label to feel for the hole underneath it, then cut through the label
with a razor knife.  Removing those screws will allow you to open the
outer shell and clean out any dirt that's accumulated inside.

If you need to disassemble it even more, you'll find more screws on the
inside.  There's also a thin metalized plastic sheet covering one side
of the keyboard, which is held by 2-sided tape; just pry it off
carefully.  You'll also need to pry off the keytops at some point.  Be
VERY careful to keep all the parts organized and remember where they
came from.  Watch out for the tiny "suction cups" under each key,
they'll try to jump out.

The heart of the keyboard is two layers of thin flexible plastic with
circuitry lines printed on them.  If you need to wash out the remains of
a spilled drink, peel the sheets apart, wash them carefully, and make
sure EVERYTHING is 100% dry before you start reassembling the keyboard.
The tiniest drop of moisture can keep the keyboard from working.