Level 1

21 points

Wireless keyboard won't turn on after changing battery

This is what happened:

I got a message yesterday telling me that the battery for my wireless keyboard was low and I should replace them. This morning, before I switched on my Mac, I put in new battery for the wireless keyboard. Then I switched on my Mac. And I got a message on the screen saying that There's no keyboard connected and couldn't find any keyboards. I thought that maybe I need to turn on the keyboard to make it work. So I pressed the power button and noticed that the green light doesn't even come up..

What's going on? Is my wireless keyboard already dead??

Any advice would be appreciate it. Thanks.

G5, Mac OS X (10.5.2)

Posted on Jun 26, 2008 12:48 PM

Top-ranking reply

Dino1956

Level 1

57 points

Posted on Apr 22, 2009 4:40 PM

Take all Batteries Out.
Roll up a small piece of Tin Foil about the size of a Pea.
Drop the Tin Foil Ball down the Battery Compartment.
Put your Batteries Back In.
You should have a Working Keyboard.
This worked for several people on here including me.
I'm still running 2 months later with my rolled up piece of Tin Foil in my Battery Compartment.
I know it sounds Crazy. That's what I first thought.
Apparently Apple did not make the + Terminal Inside the Keyboard correctly.
Try it. What have you got to lose?

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337 replies

Klahane

Level 1

33 points

Oct 14, 2010 2:49 PM in response to JasonBChen

I just encountered the same problem today. The Apple Wireless Keyboard (sans number pad, 3 AA batteries) was working. I replaced the batteries, it was dead. The power light would not come on.

While some in this thread have cited dirty contacts, I can see that the batteries are no longer fitting the same way (I have an identical keyboard to compare to.) There appears to be a plastic ring around the positive contact inside the battery chamber that gets displaced, preventing the batteries from fitting up against the positive contact. Or, possibly, the spring holding the positive contact up is not functioning.

Before I read about the aluminum-ball trick, I made a small brass ring of about the right diameter and thickness, and the keyboard now works fine. The batteries still don't go in as far as normal, but they do now make contact.

Possibly the aluminum ball would be slightly better, as it would crush to more nearly the right thickness.

Nov 3, 2010 3:27 PM in response to JasonBChen

Removing the batteries turns the keyboard off. All that you have to do is to replace the batteries and turn the keyboard on again. Go the opposite end to where you put the batteries in. It looks like the circular cover for the battery bay, but is at the non-opening end of the cylinder shaped battery bay. Just press it. The green light should come on and the keyboard should work again.

Nov 25, 2010 9:01 AM in response to JasonBChen

HI: I also just discovered the same problem. I cut off the end of the spring found inside a dead ball-point pen and dropped it into the well. Now it will at least turn on. WARNING: Don't let the spring be long enough to contact the aluminum barrel or you will have one smoking-hot keyboard.

Pairing it with my iMAC (which works fine with a bluetooth mouse) is another problem. It sees the keyboard but won't pair with it.

(I have always found Bluetooth to be a royal PITA.)
(also, no matter how sophisticated the device, the battery holders/contacts/switches always seem to be the weak link)

albeys

Level 1

0 points

Dec 7, 2010 4:08 PM in response to girlr

Hi, girlr, thank you very much from Barcelona(Spain). I was totally desparate about this problem and now I've saved my keyboard thanks to something really simple :

Take all Batteries Out.
Roll up a small piece of Tin Foil about the size of a Pea.
Drop the Tin Foil Ball down the Battery Compartment.
Put your Batteries Back In.It must be a little difficult to close them.
You should have a Working Keyboard.

And it worked for me!!! Thanks again.

Dec 24, 2010 10:32 AM in response to albeys

For everyone with the dead keyboard/aluminum foil fix issue, I think I have discovered the root cause of the problem.

The problem stems from a difference in the design of AA batteries! I don't know if this is an across the board design change for all manufacturers or if it varies. The issue is the length of the "nubbin" that protrudes on the positive end of the battery. Many have mentioned the gray plastic piece at the bottom of the battery cavity, this has a recess to accept the outer width of the battery, then a small hole for the "nubbin", it is the depth of this hole that causes the problem many are facing, the new "nubbin" is too short to make a connection at the bottom of the battery cavity.

To test my theory, I retrieved my dead batteries out the trash and compared the length of the "nubbin" on the old batteries vs the new ones I put in, sure enough there is a difference in length, the nubbin on the old batteries was ever so slightly longer. This is why the aluminum foil ball is working for everyone, it fills the very small gap and completes the connection.

If anyone else still has their old batteries the worked, but new ones didn't, try comparing them, you will see what I'm talking about.

Dec 30, 2010 2:56 PM in response to JasonBChen

Replace battery in keyboard - then found it did not pair again.
Fiddled around trying to pair a bluetooth device - using Apple instructions. No success and the mouse then failed to pair!

Spent a frustrating few hours (luckily had a USB keyboard and mouse available) trying to fix it. Both devices work - both are seen by the bluetooth both say they are connected but NOT paired. Cannot fix this even after rebooting and repairing preferences.

Then saw the suggestion on this post that you need to shut down the computer - disconnect the power cord, have a cup of tea and return and restart.

Did all this and the computer asked me about the mouse - paired it and then the keyboard - put in the coded numbers and all working fine now!!!

susapix

Level 1

24 points

Jan 1, 2011 11:53 AM in response to Peter Dromgoole1

My solution was even simpler. Turns out I had the batteries in backwards. I was getting ready to drop in the aluminum foil "pea' when I noticed the icons hidden on the bottom of the keyboard (they really are quite inconspicuous). What had fooled me was that the connector at the bottom of the tube looks exactly like the nubbin on the end of a battery so I naturally assumed the flat end of the battery went in first. Pretty dumb, huh? But I bet I'm not the only one to have done this.

Feb 6, 2011 9:07 AM in response to JasonBChen

Had the same prob and checked thru the threads. Have solved the problem at least for now. It seems that the battery contacts wear in the middle and when you put new batteries in they don't connect properly.

Bit Heath Robinson but... get a lead pencil. Use it liberally on to the two middle contacts. As the carbon in the pencil conducts electricity a better contact is made and hey presto back and working

Mar 1, 2011 7:57 PM in response to JasonBChen

After 3 yrs of working great, suddenly dead!
Looked around for prices and then found this thread (after eBay)... 🙂
Thanks for "sharing the little ball", it worked like a charm also here, in MD...
^ - ^

Mar 16, 2011 7:21 AM in response to JasonBChen

iPad 1 user.

Just experienced this problem today.

Changed batteries three times...all fresh ones.

Tried old trick from PC Hardware days...lick both ends of the batteries (or lick your finger and rub both ends of batteries, if you're a hygienic-type person!), insert them back into the battery tube...voila! Back in business.

The problem is definitely related to connections...they corrode after time and simply need a fresh cleaning or fresh conduit (tinfoil or saliva). Though this is not true in 100% of the cases across the board, overall it is generally the problem.

vikuda

Level 1

0 points

Mar 31, 2011 8:55 AM in response to JasonBChen

I've never replied to a thread but for the purpose of letting anyone who's having the same problem:

THE ALUMINUM BALL WORKS!

and for all intends and purposes, use a 2cm x 2cm aluminum so you get a decent size, the trick won't work if the ball is too small or too big. (I've had countless attempts, so trust me on this one.)

vuckovic

Level 1

4 points

Apr 11, 2011 10:42 AM in response to JasonBChen

It seems like in Apple they have only 3 designers as full time employees. I cannot believe how bad can 70 Euros keyboard be. Thank YOU TIN FOIL MAN, for neatest trick in the book.
Logitech, please accept my deepest apologies for turning my head elsewhere and buying this overpriced junk. Pretty junk, though!

Apr 18, 2011 12:50 PM in response to BizNav

Thank God for you guys!!! I'm typing this reply out on my Apple Wireless Keyboard (aluminum, non-alphanumeric) after finally getting it paired and connected.

I spent the day unscrewing and screwing the %^%$# Aluminum cap. Once or twice it said it PAIRED, but would not connect. I then Iet it "SEARCH" as I unscrewed it (turning it off); then screwing it back (turning it on) during the searching process, BINGO the PASSKEYS came up, entered them, and VIOLA!! Maybe that was a fluke, but my fingers are crossed.

I can't believe the Apple Techs aren't following this thread. Maybe its a case of DENIAL!

Anyway to BizNav:

What to do with the gum in the tinfoil... Let's all send the gum, chewed or not, to the APPLE SUPPORT CREW. Judging by the number of posts on this subject there must be thousands of users out there about to pull their hair out. One hint though, don't take the gum or your keyboard to your APPLE STORE. They like to sell these things but my experience is that I know more about troubleshooting than they do... and I'm at the bottom of the food chain on fixing things.

Thanks BizNav, I saved $69.00 !😉

Apr 19, 2011 7:46 AM in response to JasonBChen

I had this probem too and after doing some Googling, found this: "If Apple Wireless Keyboard Won't Turn On"

http://www.ode2.com/?p=77&cpage=1#comment-11759

I tried it, worked like a champ. Now the question is, why did this happen in the first place... :-/

Apr 19, 2011 8:17 AM in response to bigg_doggie

A FINAL NOTE:

Like most electronics, seems the tiny board elements keep a nascent charge for a few minutes... Even after removing the batteries. Allow the charge to dissipate (get another cup of coffee, go to the bathroom); then after CLEANING THE BATTERY TERMINALS and the TWIST CAP, along with the➕ POSITIVE END OF THE TUBE, with Alcohol, (use a Q-tip taped to a Popcicle stick); then with the ➕PLUS end of the batteries IN first... You have in effect (batteries IN remember) re-virgin-ized the unit. The keyboard PAIRS right away. If your Man-cave is pretty dusty like mine, you'll have to perform this task either every time the power dies at the house, or every 6-months, or after a full moon, which ever occurs to you first.

'Keep your stick on the ice: we're all in this together' --Red-Green😁

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Wireless keyboard won't turn on after changing battery