rlcarr@athena.mit.edu (Rich Carreiro) (04/22/88)
Last night the (minor) unthinkable happened - the back arrow on my A1000 broke. If pushed down it will not return back up. Thus the question: where can I go to have it fixed? Can it be fixed or do I need a new keyboard? Can I somehow use this to convince my mother to spring for an A2000? Seriously, though - what can I do about this? Thanks in advance, Rich Carreiro ARPA: rlcarr@athena.mit.edu UUCP: ...!mit-eddie!athena.mit.edu!rlcarr BIT : rlcarr%athena.mit.edu@mitvma.mit.edu ******************************************************************************* * Rich Carreiro "Havlicek stole the ball!!!!" * * rlcarr@athena.mit.edu -- Johnny Most 4/15/65 * *******************************************************************************
thomson@utah-cs.UUCP (Richard A Thomson) (04/23/88)
In article <4790@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> rlcarr@athena.mit.edu (Rich Carreiro) writes: >Last night the (minor) unthinkable happened - the back arrow on my A1000 broke. >If pushed down it will not return back up. Try some slip spray on the key mechanism. Remove the key kap and spray into the mechanism with the stuff. This should lubricate and clean the contact. I've had several keys (a and f) on my keboard do this, only not as bad. They would stick for a moment and then release. After applications of the slip spray (try a teflon spray, or one for cleaning electrical contacts) they worked fine. >Rich Carreiro -- Rich -- Richard Thomson 3190 MEB, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 thomson@cs.utah.edu (801) 584-4555: Talk to a machine, they're lonely. Gaia: Its not just a hypothesis, its an epistemology.
lphillips@lpami.van-bc.UUCP (Larry Phillips) (04/27/88)
In <4790@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>, rlcarr@athena.mit.edu (Rich Carreiro) writes: >Last night the (minor) unthinkable happened - the back arrow on my A1000 broke. >If pushed down it will not return back up. Probably a result of either dirt causing the key to stick or the little spring has come loose from its mounting . >Thus the question: where can I go to have it fixed? Can it be fixed or do >I need a new keyboard? Can I somehow use this to convince my mother to >spring for an A2000? If caused by dirt, use some alcohol liberally applied while working the key up and down. If the spring has come adrift, you can remove the keyswitch from the keyboard (by desoldering), taking it (the switch) apart, and putting the spring back in place. This is an operation that can be best described as 'picky', and would be difficult if not impossible to explain in text. If you know any hardware service types who have 'been around the block', and who would be willing to help, I'm sure they can figure it out. Just knowing the key comes apart without being forced should be enough for a good tech to be able to figure it out by looking at it. Other than that, it will require either a new keyswitch or a new keyboard, or an A2000. :) -larry -- Janus? Well, look at it this way. If you squint a little, the J could be Amiga checkmark, and the rest of the word describes MsDos. +----------------------------------------------------------------+ | // Larry Phillips | | \X/ {ihnp4!alberta!ubc-vision,uunet}!van-bc!lpami!lphillips | | COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322 | +----------------------------------------------------------------+
lishka@uwslh.UUCP (Fish-Guts) (04/28/88)
> Can onw just pull up on a key to get the keycap off??? They seem VERY tight, > I could not for the life of me get a keycap off....HELP! :> > > - Doug - > > Doug_B_Erdely@Portal.Cup.Com Yes. I cleaned my keyboard a couple weeks ago (the only other place I have seen more cat hair collect is on a cat!), and toyed with the idea of pulling the caps off. Being the adventurous (or stupid) type, I yanked about half of the little suckers to clean the keyboard with more ease. It *does* work (on an old a1000, at least). However, I question the wisdom of this, as it appears to me that the keyboard caps would "wear out" after pulling them off so often. Not to mention the stress I had to put on the buttons themselves getting some of the key caps off. I've taken a lot of things apart, but I think I will find a better way to clean my keyboard in the future. Any comments from Commodore people? Is it safe to pull the key caps off, say, twice a year? Is there any difference between the various keyboards (well, *obviously* there is *some* difference, but how 'bout in the manner the caps are stuck to the bodies of the keys?). Anyone out there an engineer who has designed keyboards, and if so, do you have any advice? -Chris -- Chris Lishka /{seismo|harvard|topaz|...}!uwvax!uwslh!lishka Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene { lishka%uwslh.uucp@rsch.wisc.edu "My cockatiels control my mind!" \lishka@uwslh.uucp
phils@tekigm2.TEK.COM (Philip E Staub) (04/29/88)
In article <1735@van-bc.UUCP> lphillips@lpami.van-bc.UUCP (Larry Phillips) writes: | |In <4790@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>, rlcarr@athena.mit.edu (Rich Carreiro) writes: |>Last night the (minor) unthinkable happened - the back arrow on my A1000 broke. |>If pushed down it will not return back up. | |Probably a result of either dirt causing the key to stick or the little |spring has come loose from its mounting . [...] I have encountered yet another possibility on my ESC key: the hollow square post coming up out of the keyswitch has a split down one side. When the keycap is pressed down into the post, it causes it to spread. Then when the key is pressed, it binds near the bottom of the travel. How did I fix it? I didn't. For now I'm living with the problem and looking for a solution. (ESC gets used pretty frequently in EMACS 8-( ). |-larry | |-- |Janus? Well, look at it this way. If you squint a little, the J could be | Amiga checkmark, and the rest of the word describes MsDos. |+----------------------------------------------------------------+ || // Larry Phillips | || \X/ {ihnp4!alberta!ubc-vision,uunet}!van-bc!lpami!lphillips | || COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322 | |+----------------------------------------------------------------+ -Phil -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Phil Staub "I do NOT approve. I merely said I UNDERSTAND." tektronix!tekigm2!phils - Spock phils@tekigm2.TEK.COM
kim@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com (Kim DeVaughn) (04/30/88)
In article <325@uwslh.UUCP>, lishka@uwslh.UUCP (Fish-Guts) writes: > > Is it safe to pull the key caps > off, say, twice a year? > > Anyone > out there an engineer who has designed keyboards, and if so, do you > have any advice? Haven't designed any keyboards, but (as with any electromechanical widget), the best advice I know of is: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." /kim -- UUCP: kim@amdahl.amdahl.com or: {sun,decwrl,hplabs,pyramid,ihnp4,uunet,oliveb,cbosgd,ames}!amdahl!kim DDD: 408-746-8462 USPS: Amdahl Corp. M/S 249, 1250 E. Arques Av, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 CIS: 76535,25