IBM Model M Keyboards...

T

The Real Bev

Guest
1. If you spill coffee into one while it\'s powered and it stops working
forever, is there any hope of repair?

2. What\'s the best new replacement?


--
Cheers, Bev
\"What\'s truly sad is that your vote counts the same as mine.\"
-- S. Brown
 
1. If you spill coffee into one while it\'s powered and it stops working
forever, is there any hope of repair?
Click to expand...

You can try opening it up and giving it a good cleaning (all of the
keys and switches, and the PC board), rinse and dry thoroughly, and
check to see if there\'s a fuse on the PCB which might have blown.
There were quite a few different M models with different PCBs and I
haven\'t been able to find schematics, so you\'d have to inspect the one
you have.

If the large IC (the keyboard-control microprocessor) was damaged, you
might be able to repair the PCB if you can find a parts donor (same
M model) on ePay or elsewhere.

>2. What\'s the best new replacement?

If you like the buckling-spring design used in the M (as I do), check
with Unicomp. They\'re still making a couple of models of bucking-spring
keyboard (standard and mini), with both USB and PS/2 interfaces available.
I think they used to offer a repair service for Model M keyboards but
I\'m not sure it\'s still available.

I\'m typing this on a vintage-2001 Unicomp.
 
I have had some success with vintage keyboards simply putting them through the dishwasher - keys down, upper rack, 1/3 the normal detergent. But, be sure the unit does not have an exposed heating element or you might melt the keyboard. Newer keyboards do quite well as long as they are not self-powered (battery type).

Remember - the alternative is landfill, so heroic measures are justified.
 
On Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 6:45:34 PM UTC-7, The Real Bev wrote:
1. If you spill coffee into one while it\'s powered and it stops working
forever, is there any hope of repair?
Click to expand...

Sure; I\'ve given whole keyboards a soak in deionized water ,with a little
alcohol and/or a drop or three of PhotoFlo or similar wetting agent. It worked.

A day or so, with some agitation and pressing of keys, then remove, let drain, and
air-dry for a week before you try it.

Pull keycaps off, and remove casing and cords if possible, first.

On buckling-key keyboards this is all OK; on membrane keyboards, though,
the water wicks into the sandwich layers and never comes out.
 
On 7/27/23 10:34 PM, whit3rd wrote:
On Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 6:45:34 PM UTC-7, The Real Bev wrote:
1. If you spill coffee into one while it\'s powered and it stops working
forever, is there any hope of repair?

Sure; I\'ve given whole keyboards a soak in deionized water ,with a little
alcohol and/or a drop or three of PhotoFlo or similar wetting agent. It worked.

A day or so, with some agitation and pressing of keys, then remove, let drain, and
air-dry for a week before you try it.

Pull keycaps off, and remove casing and cords if possible, first.

On buckling-key keyboards this is all OK; on membrane keyboards, though,
the water wicks into the sandwich layers and never comes out.
Click to expand...
We poured distilled water through it and let it dry overnight (SoCal,
we\'re having a heat wave here). One worked. One partially worked, so
I\'m going to be less gentle with that one and let it dry longer. Yeah,
we have half a dozen waiting for revivification.

The differences are interesting. On one the top just goes on easily.
On another you have to fit the bottom (closest to the spacebar) part in
first and remove some of the keytops and even then there\'s some magical
thing that we\'re missing.

And how many nutdriver sets have a thinwall 5.5mm or 7/32? FEH!

--
Cheers, Bev
Linux -- the ultimate freebie!
 
On Friday, July 28, 2023 at 2:27:15 PM UTC-7, The Real Bev wrote:

> And how many nutdriver sets have a thinwall 5.5mm or 7/32? FEH!

If you have a bench grinder, every nutdriver has a thin wall nutdriver inside it.
Use a hex bit in an electric screwdriver to spin the workpiece, it\'s steadier than
simply handheld grinding.
 
On 7/29/23 6:24 PM, whit3rd wrote:
On Friday, July 28, 2023 at 2:27:15 PM UTC-7, The Real Bev wrote:

And how many nutdriver sets have a thinwall 5.5mm or 7/32? FEH!

If you have a bench grinder, every nutdriver has a thin wall nutdriver inside it.
Use a hex bit in an electric screwdriver to spin the workpiece, it\'s steadier than
simply handheld grinding.
Click to expand...

We ended up buying a very pretty one from Amazon. I love tools.

--
Cheers, Bev
\"It is never fallacious to properly cite Donald Knuth in
lieu of providing your own argument.\" --Sun Tzu
 
In article <ua1brd$2b8j1$1@dont-email.me>, The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> wrote:
> And how many nutdriver sets have a thinwall 5.5mm or 7/32? FEH!

<1644b5ea-0176-4964-870d-d99eeaf83310n@googlegroups.com>, whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com> wrote,
> If you have a bench grinder, every nutdriver has a thin wall nutdriver inside it.

Another possibility: find a socket head capscrew fitting the hexagon
you want to drive. Turn yo the required outside diameter in a lathe.
Make a simple handle with a coupling nut. If you have the time and
creativity, make a nice wood handle.

Regards, ... Peter E.
 
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