keyboard woes

[Jumping Jupiters]

my computer keeps changing to caps lock when i didn't press caps lock, how do i fix this, what did i do?

[Conserative Morality]

Stop holding down shift?

[Lackadaisical2]

my computer keeps changing to caps lock when i didn't press caps lock, how do i fix this, what did i do?

stop accidentally pressing Caps Lock.

[Oily prata]

Buy a Mac.

Reset your keyboard driver?

[Rolamec]

I had this wireless keyboard that was randomly typing letters and numbers, while opening Microsoft calculator over and over and over and over...

[Nadkor]

Are you by any chance using Word and it's doing it at the start of sentences?

[Class Warhair]

Buy a Mac.

And a good keyboard for it. The wireless Mac keyboard is a toy, and not a good choice for anyone who types a lot. It looks pretty, of course.

[Jumping Jupiters]

i just hit the keyboard and it seemed to fix it :rofl:

[Oily prata]

i just hit the keyboard and it seemed to fix it

Well, that does solve most things.

[Tekania]

i just hit the keyboard and it seemed to fix it

something shorting the contact pads on the two mylar sheets causing the circuit for the caps lock to close.

[Rolamec]

i just hit the keyboard and it seemed to fix it

Well, that does solve most things.

True. Car engines, remotes, furniture and women (ha, I'm joking about the last one -maybe)

[Class Warhair]

i just hit the keyboard and it seemed to fix it

something shorting the contact pads on the two mylar sheets causing the circuit for the caps lock to close.

So hitting it shorts the pads, achieving the same effect as ... well, pressing the caps lock key. Brilliant.

[Intangelon]

i just hit the keyboard and it seemed to fix it

Ah, percussive maintenance.

[Vonners]

i just hit the keyboard and it seemed to fix it

Well, that does solve most things.

1st principle of engineering...

[Class Warhair]

Little bits of muck can work their way in between the mylar sheets Tekania mentions, shorting the contacts (or preventing them shorting when you want them to, ie when pressing keys.) Sticky stuff like soft drink does likewise, only usually worse because it can short lines that aren't shorted to each other by normal use of the keys, making the keyboard quite psychotic-

If it's a really good keyboard, it may be worth opening it up and cleaning between the sheets (just a dust down for solids, but with warm water and a good long dry-out for sticky liquids). This takes quite a long time though and your time is probably worth more than a new keyboard costs.

It might also be a bit tricky and require more patience than the "just hit it" technician has available.

[Tekania]

i just hit the keyboard and it seemed to fix it

something shorting the contact pads on the two mylar sheets causing the circuit for the caps lock to close.

So hitting it shorts the pads, achieving the same effect as ... well, pressing the caps lock key. Brilliant.

likely causes the circuit to momentarily open, and then close again, changing the caps lock state. The lock keys don't repeat function when the circuit is closed like some other keys, the circuit cycle of open->close changes the state... so in normal situations in his case likely its in a closed state, therefore engaging caps-lock, hitting it breaks the state (open) before shorting again (closed), changing the caps-lock state to off. The it's merely that hitting the key itself (since normally the key depress will close the circuit) has no effect because the circuit is already closed.

[Class Warhair]

my computer keeps changing to caps lock when i didn't press caps lock, how do i fix this, what did i do?

stop accidentally pressing Caps Lock.

This is a quite likely scenario really.

Also check the environment for presence of pollutants like little brothers or cats. Applying the percussive method to these instead will treat the cause with lowered risk of damaging the keyboard (unless you hit them WITH the keyboard)

If you don't use the caps lock usually, you can remap it to do some other function (backspace is good, but a whole new set of shortcuts is something I might explore). Here's some instructions on how to do that, it's not just for Linux, the Mac and Windows methods are down the page: http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?RemapCapsLock

i just hit the keyboard and it seemed to fix it

something shorting the contact pads on the two mylar sheets causing the circuit for the caps lock to close.

So hitting it shorts the pads, achieving the same effect as ... well, pressing the caps lock key. Brilliant.

likely causes the circuit to momentarily open, and then close again, changing the caps lock state. The lock keys don't repeat function when the circuit is closed like some other keys, the circuit cycle of open->close changes the state... so in normal situations in his case likely its in a closed state, therefore engaging caps-lock, hitting it breaks the state (open) before shorting again (closed), changing the caps-lock state to off. The it's merely that hitting the key itself (since normally the key depress will close the circuit) has no effect because the circuit is already closed.

I see what you mean. Any other key being permantly "held down" would require some other solution because although the auto-repeat cuts out when you hit some other key, you won't be able to use the stuck key again which is really bad if its a letter or common punctuation key. Perhaps tolerable for a number/symbol key. Fix or buy new if it's Space or Enter.

I do like fixing things, even if it doesn't make economic sense. I don't like hitting them, because often you have to hit harder and harder each time, and one day it breaks and that doesn't feel good.

[Big Jim P]

Stop holding down shift?

Pwned

[Jumping Jupiters]

I do have a lot of stuff in my keyboard actually

[Olthar]

my computer keeps changing to caps lock when i didn't press caps lock, how do i fix this, what did i do?

It sounds like a virus to me. Have you been on 4chan recently? That site seems to cause spontaneous caps lock on many people's keyboards.

[Jumping Jupiters]

my computer keeps changing to caps lock when i didn't press caps lock, how do i fix this, what did i do?

It sounds like a virus to me. Have you been on 4chan recently? That site seems to cause spontaneous caps lock on many people's keyboards.

What's 4chan?

[Olthar]

my computer keeps changing to caps lock when i didn't press caps lock, how do i fix this, what did i do?

It sounds like a virus to me. Have you been on 4chan recently? That site seems to cause spontaneous caps lock on many people's keyboards.

What's 4chan?

You mean you don't know what 4chan is? Oh, how I envy you...

[Jumping Jupiters]

my computer keeps changing to caps lock when i didn't press caps lock, how do i fix this, what did i do?

It sounds like a virus to me. Have you been on 4chan recently? That site seems to cause spontaneous caps lock on many people's keyboards.

What's 4chan?

You mean you don't know what 4chan is? Oh, how I envy you...

Wow its that bad?

[Lackadaisical2]

Wow its that bad?

You should google it as fast as possible, you're missing out.

[Big Jim P]

Wow its that bad?

You should google it as fast as possible, you're missing out.

And I used to think I was evil.