[Involute]

I have a benchtop CNC mill I use for occasional light machining projects. I keep it on its own, self-contained cart with a frame that encloses the machine on top of the cart. I've tucked a mini PC in the top of the frame to keep it away from the chips and coolant. I operate it with a basic keyboard that sits on the top of the cart, the same surface the mill sits on. Naturally, it collects a lot of chips. I can dump and vacuum a lot of them, but not all, and eventually they build up under the keys, making them problematic. How do other people deal with this? Are there special keyboards that are impervious to this stuff? I've seen clear, flexible covers but haven't tried one. Do those work? Any tips greatly appreciated.

[Jim Dawson]

Like you, my keyboard normally sits on an extension shelf bolted to the mill table. I buy only the finest $5 keyboards and toss them when they no longer are useful. I normally get a year or better out of them, I think my current one is about 2 years old. I usually buy about 5 at a time when I can find a closeout or other good sale. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...acat=0&_sop=15

I normally get mine at Big Lots, I haven't bought any in a few years, still have a few in my stock.

I have tried flexible keyboards and covers. While they work to a degree, they are cumbersome, don't like coolant, and are just not worth it. I do take an air hose to the keyboard occasionally (unplug it first). Sometimes I have to pop a key off to dig a chip out, but not often.