A Funny Story About My Keyboard And A Coffee Tsunami

CREATED BY STEFFI LEWIS Published: 26/09/2025 @ 09:00AM #webdeveloper #CoffeeTsunami #shinynewthings #replacementsolution

Being a 32-year veteran web developer, I've had my share of funny technology stories. This one is about keyboards, coffee, and buying shiny new things without really thinking about it. Sometimes, replacing what you had with the same thing is probably the best solution ...

Coffee tsunami, Destroying keyboards, Wrong choices await!

Let me set the scene for you. I was working away at my computer, deep in thought about the code I was creating for my SaaS CRM, YourPCM. Suddenly, my cat Gimley unexpectedly meowed behind me so I turned around to talk to him.

As I did, I knocked a full mug of steaming hot coffee over!

And unfortunately, my beloved Corsair K55 keyboard was in the path of the coffee tsunami. Now, keyboards like this are advertised as splash-proof, which is okay for the occasional dribble of liquid, but a full wave of coffee dumped all over the numeric keypad? Nope ... wasn't going to survive that.

I tried to dry it out. I ended up taking the case apart and airing out the circuit boards inside it, but to no avail. A few hours later, I plugged the poor keyboard back into my computer and turned it on, feeling hopeful. Apart from a couple of keys on the left-hand side of the keyboard, nothing was working, so the keyboard was obviously cooked.

So I had to order another keyboard!

Now, I loved my K55, but I always felt it was a little too big for my desk. Not only did it have a separate numeric keypad, but it also had an extra line of G-Keys on the left, which integrated with my Elgato Streamdeck software - a handy set of extra macro keys. But it was a very wide keyboard!

So I decided that, as I now had the opportunity, I was going to get a 60% keyboard instead and free up a load of space on my desk! I've been looking at 60% keyboards for a while, and when a deal came up on a Corsair K65 which had Cherry MX mechanical keys, I was in the right place to buy it ... so I ordered it, then had to wait for a few days for it to arrive from Germany - I have no idea why there weren't any in the UK!

I spent Sunday morning editing blog posts on my laptop, ready for Monday morning. Then my new keyboard arrived early. I plugged it in and immediately fell in love with the sound the keys were making as I typed, and it had a big enter key, which is important to me as an old-school coder.

So I decided to hop onto my SaaS development server and get coding for the afternoon. I opened my code editor, loaded the page I was working on, and started typing. Then, I immediately went to hit an arrow key, but my finger slipped off the end of the keyboard. There were no arrow keys!

Oh lordy, what have I done? I've ordered
the wrong keyboard!!!

You see, when I saw the awesome special offer on the 60% keyboard, I didn't think about the implications of using it for coding, I just thought about all that lovely space I would have on my desk using such a dinky peripheral.

I'd completely forgotten I need arrow keys, and I use them all the time when coding. And while I'm thinking about it, a DEL key would be handy too. I sank into disappointment because having to click around the screen with my mouse and remembering to use the BACKSPACE key rather than just hit a few arrows and use DEL, well, I was now a very, very sad coder girl indeed.

I considered returning the K65 60% keyboard, but the closest Corsair 75% MX keys were triple the price. Although I can be impulsive with my Amazon purchases, I recognise when something is a good deal and when it is too pricey.

So what's a girl to do?

Was there such a thing as a standalone numeric keypad? Well, actually, there is, so I bought one. It has a numeric keypad (which I don't really need), but it does have separate arrow keys, and this BOYI numeric keypad will bump up to my K65, so they are in the right place. It has a Delete key and a Printscreen key, which my K65 lacks, but my older K55 had. It also connects via Bluetooth, so I don't need to worry about using a USB port. And thankfully, Windows 11 understands when I hit the shift key on the K65 and use the arrow keys on the BOYI numeric keypad, so it lets me select code as I'm working away.

Now, you may think "Steffi, you've just bought a K55 but in two parts!" and you'd be partially correct, of course. I love the size and feel of the mechanical Cherry MX keys, and they're also MX keys on the numeric keypad too, but the difference is that when I'm not coding, I can move the numeric keypad out of the way by hiding it under my monitor, so I get all that lovely space back again.

Lessons learned!

Firstly, don't knock an entire mug of steaming hot coffee over your beloved keyboard. Secondly, don't just buy the shiny thing you've been after for ages because it's a great price and you need it now. Consider what you need it to do and whether it will really fulfil that purpose.

The combination of the Corsair K65 60% keyboard and the BOYI numeric keypad works really well together, and I've spent the week happily coding away, moving my SaaS products forward. But honestly, if I'd have really thought about it ...

... I'd have just replaced my K55 with a new one! *sigh*

Love, light & logic ...

STEFFI LEWIS
Independent UK SaaS Developer - Creator of YourPCM & sBlogIt!

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About Steffi Lewis ...
Based in the charming village of Hanslope in Buckinghamshire, UK, I bring over 30 years of experience in web development. From creating my first website for the Open University in 1993, through being part of the dot com boom, to my explorations in SaaS and AI over the last few years, my journey has been a rich tapestry of web projects, big and small, both funded and bootstrapped. Originally developed during the pandemic, at the start of 2025, I released the next iteration of YourPCM, version 2, which is all about 'Easy Contact Management for Small Business Owners'. Is it a CRM? Yes, but I don't call it that because people glaze over at the mention of such things. CRMs are boring, difficult to get to grips with, and it's a nightmare to get help when you need it.  YourPCM is none of those things! It's simple to use, well-supported, feature rich and beautiful, right out of the box. It's available on a simple monthly subscription with no long-term tie-in. Book a demo or grab your own 14-working-day free trial and discover why YourPCM is all about easy contact management for small business owners.  My head is in the cloud, my heart belongs to the web, and my soul is filled with such beautiful code 💗

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