keyboard technology and dust/sand resistancy

[zevv]

I've been the - generally happy - owner of a gemini since 2018, which I use as my daily phone. The device is holding up remarkably well after all those year, with the exception of the keyboard: there tends to gather sand and dust between the keyboard mat and the PCB, making a number of keys very hard to register, especially the keys on the outside like ESC and backspace. I don't dare to take off the keys and clean the mat anymore, as this can not be done without breaking at least a few key notches.

Does anyone know if the astro uses the same keyboard technology, i.e., is it a rubber dome/mat keyboard again?

[Rahab D]

Except the space key and the enter key, which have a spring, the others are easily removable. I periodically remove them to clean by blowing the mat: I did it on Psion 5MX, on Gemini and on Cosmo. No damage. The trick is to pry with a razor blade ONLY from the top side.

[gidds]

An alternative is to use a sticky material such as Blu-Tak.

Massage a smallish blob until it's flexible, press it down fairly hard on a key, and pull it up fairly sharpish — the keytop should come away with it. You can then pull the keytop off the Blu-Take without leaving any mark.

I haven't needed to do it with my Astro yet, so I can't guarantee; but it worked well on the Gemini (though I don't think the keys were attached quite so firmly), and on Psion keyboards before that; I've also used it on a couple of full-size keyboards (though again, its safety may depend on the exact model).

[Robsno5]

A non intrusive alternative may be a high pressure air duster such as the photo attached ( this one came from a pound shop)