Apple Wireless Keyboard won't power up

What I noticed is that a small build up of acid deposits from older batteries on the positive contact surface of the keyboard will prevent it from working.

I took a long flat screw driver and gently scraped the deposits of the positive pole of the keyboard.
After that, it worked a treat again.

BTW, I'm not convinced that putting scotch brite, steel wool or similar in there to make the connection is a really good solution. These materials usually have very high resistance causing high temperatures and loss of energy. You could actually start fires that way.

You'll find this further down in the thread.

There is an apparent flaw with the aluminum Bluetooth keyboard's positive contact.

Take a square -- approximately 1" -- of aluminum foil. Roll it into a ball. Drop the ball into the battery compartment. then install the batteries.

Power up. It should work.

APPLE: Please fix this keyboard flaw!

Just wanted to thank all those who've posted in this thread. I've spent all morning trying to get this keyboard to work then I found this and... guess what?!... two small balls of tin foil placed between the positive connection points in the battery compartment and VOILA! You all rock, thanks. I bring you this reply via my newly paired bluetoothed keyboard 🙂

Hello

I haven't used my keyboard for quite a while and now want to use it again but 2 batteries are completely stuck in the keyboard and I found no way to get them out 😟

Anybody had that problem? Already tried shaking, forcing, using a small chinese fork and other creative stuff but nothing helps

Thank you very much

From Belgium,

Sigrid

Thank you so much for your MacGyver-like-workaround. Works just fine and saved me some money. Seems to me, like this is some kind of weak construction concerning the material used at the + in the tube since I didn't experienced this kind of corrosion with other –far cheaper– battery-driven devices before.

I just tried the aluminum foil method and it now works! THanks!

I hardly ever post, but this tip warrants some kudos. You all deserve some additional praise for posting the "aluminum for the aluminum" trick. For sure, after weeks of no power thought my keyboard was dead and was almost ready to purchase a new one. I searched the forums and VOILA! your tip worked and saved me some holiday money! Thanks again for the tip!

Amazing after reading the discussion lists and trying the other logical things the aluminum disc thing worked. Is it just corroded terminals and the Al makes a better contact?

Aluminum foil worked like a charm -- thanks!

Now will a resident chemist assure us that galvanic corrosion isn't a concern with this solution? 🙂

Another successful fix of problematic keyboard using aluminum foil, reminds me of the Millenium Falcon.

Typing again. All thanks to the aluminium foil solution.

Many thanks

thanks for the tip of rolling a tin foil ball, it worked for me!

Brilliant idea, this fixed my keyboard not working problem too!

One thing that nobody seems to have mentioned on this post is the little button at the right hand end of the KB - that's the other end from the battery access cover. This button seems to be a switch - it moves in and out under pressure and turns the power on and off for my KB. I believe it needs to be pressed after inserting new batteries or reinserting older ones. My KB is a model A1314.

Hi,

I had the same problem as a lot of the people submitting to this forum (where my bluetooth keyboard would NOT turn on...no green LED light, and no recognition from my mac)....I thought I might have damaged it by putting in replacement batteries incorrectly, and was about to throw it out, but then!!! ....I launched the Keyboard Preferences from the bluetooth menu, where my keyboard was NOT connected....then I selected "Set Up Bluetooth Keyboard" button, and voila, the green light appeared briefly....and my keyboard sprang to life!

I obviously don't want to put myself through this again, but if these instructions help anyone, then at least there will be one less keyboard being thrown away, needlessly.

Good luck to everyone, James