DMG4449@RITVAX.BITNET (11/25/88)
I am having a rather irritating problem with my //e at home. I decided
to take it apart and clean it with cotton swabs. I disconnected the
joystick (in the game port), the speaker, and the keyboard cable. When
I hooked everything back up, everything seemed to be running fine. Except,
my E key did not function at all. Built-in diagnostics found no errors
either. Is this serious? Do I need the keyboard replaced?!?!?! Any
suggestions would be appreciated.
Daniel
Daniel M. Greenberg -=- Rochester Institute of Technology '92
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Compuserve : 71641,1311 | GEnie : D.GREENBERG2 | PHONE : [716] 475-4295shawn@pnet51.cts.com (Shawn Stanley) (11/30/88)
DMG4449@RITVAX.BITNET writes: >I am having a rather irritating problem with my //e at home. I decided >to take it apart and clean it with cotton swabs. I disconnected the >joystick (in the game port), the speaker, and the keyboard cable. When >I hooked everything back up, everything seemed to be running fine. Except, >my E key did not function at all. Built-in diagnostics found no errors >either. Is this serious? Do I need the keyboard replaced?!?!?! Any >suggestions would be appreciated. The seriousness of the situation is hard to ascertain without looking at it, I'm sure. Network hardware repair is, at best, difficult. I suggest you check your connections. If you find no problems there, take the keyboard out again and examine the area around your E key and the leads involved, checking for scratches or breaks. Or maybe even a piece of cotton stuck up under your E key... you never know... UUCP: {rosevax, crash}!orbit!pnet51!shawn INET: shawn@pnet51.cts.com
kamath@reed.UUCP (Sean Kamath) (12/02/88)
In article <317@orbit.UUCP> shawn@pnet51.cts.com (Shawn Stanley) writes: >DMG4449@RITVAX.BITNET writes: >>I am having a rather irritating problem with my //e at home. ... >> Except >>my E key did not function at all. Built-in diagnostics found no errors >>either. Is this serious? Do I need the keyboard replaced?!?!?! Any >>suggestions would be appreciated. > >The seriousness of the situation is hard to ascertain without looking at it, >I'm sure. Network hardware repair is, at best, difficult. > >UUCP: {rosevax, crash}!orbit!pnet51!shawn >INET: shawn@pnet51.cts.com Your most probably have a bad keyswitch. The Apple //e used both long and short stem Alps keyswitches, where the ][+ used SMK type. They can run you about $6.00 from a dealer. The way to check this is simple. Whip out your keyboard, but plug it back in. THen take a short piece of wire and short the terminals of the 'E' switch. If an 'E' magically appears, you need to replace the switch, or fix it. I suggest replacing it. However, I have succesfully repaired the switches. It is not easy, but you disassemble the switch and reseat the thin metal film that acts as contact. A can of gold endz or whatever comes in handy, as well as tweezers and needle nose pliers to remove the switch. Alternatively, you can solder two wires to the terminals, and when you want an 'E' just touch them together. . . :-) :-) :-) There was an article in a mac-magazine recently on how to fix them. I might also be able to get a keyswitch for you off a dead keyboard if it's the right type. Sean -- UUCP: {decvax allegra ucbcad ucbvax hplabs}!tektronix!reed!kamath CSNET: reed!kamath@Tektronix.CSNET || BITNET: kamath@reed.BITNET ARPA: kamath%reed.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu US Snail: 3934 SE Boise, Portland, OR 97202-3126 (I hate 4 line .sigs!)
ART100@PSUVM.BITNET ("Andy Tefft 862-6728", 814) (12/03/88)
24 Nov 88 19:09:00 LCL Message-ID: <8812021327.aa13669@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> I had this happen to me, only it wasn't after taking it apart -- it just decided to stop working (the I key). I took the keycaps apart and tried cleaning the key but to no avail. Since the key switches are soldered in rather well, I had no choice other than to take it into a local dealer and get the key switch replaced. $5 for the key, $10 for labor. This was after about 2 years I would guess with no other problems. Since that (it's been about as long) we have had one other key that had that problem but it was only temporary. It fixed itself.
SEWALL@UCONNVM.BITNET (Murph Sewall) (12/03/88)
>I am having a rather irritating problem with my //e at home. I decided >to take it apart and clean it with cotton swabs. I disconnected the >joystick (in the game port), the speaker, and the keyboard cable. When >I hooked everything back up, everything seemed to be running fine. Except, >my E key did not function at all. Built-in diagnostics found no errors Sounds like a good example of the wisdom of the old phrase "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Probably, I should knock on wood by beating my brow against a nearby tree, but my Spring 1983 model //e has sat in my somewhat dusty den being heavily used for 5+ years without much more than occassionally changing boards in slots (and very little of that). I DID have to pop the keycaps off and take a Dust-Buster and a little TV-tuner cleaner to the keyboard a couple of years ago when the "control" key decided to work on only every third press or so. The 1984 model //e in my even dustier office at the University (is in a cabinet however) shows extensive keyboard staining (shinier in the middle of the keys where my fingers touch, but it has had even less (zip, zero, no) maintenance. My position is that (after 90 days of hard use) when you computer finally dies, it's gotten so obsolete that it's time to replace (I hope my //e's will hang-in for Apple's "year of the CPU" (quoting John Sculley referring to 1989) it. [The Far Side shall return (I hope)] Murph Sewall Sewall@UCONNVM.BITNET Business School sewall%uconnvm.bitnet@mitvma.mit.edu [INTERNET] U of Connecticut {rutgers psuvax1 ucbvax & in Europe - mcvax} !UCONNVM.BITNET!SEWALL [UUCP] -+- My employer isn't responsible for my mistakes AND vice-versa! (subject to change without notice; void where prohibited) "Close enough for government work" - source unknown (naturally ;-)