minich@d.cs.okstate.edu (MINICH ROBERT JOHN) (07/19/90)
A few weeks ago I mentioned a nagging keyboard prob (shift key doesn't register all the time!) and a bunch of people were gracious enough to send me info on how to clean the keyswitches. Well, I found the time to finally do it (ie, I couldn't use vi anymore :-) but then I couldn't locate the helpful messages I saved. I even looked on the unix machine, typing without keycaps on the swithces... ouch. No luck. Anyone want to offer the help again? I managed to get the thing apart, but there is a metal shild that appears to be glued to the PC board and I can't get to anything that I can clean! Thanx, -- | _ /| | From the desktop metaphor of: Robert Minich | | \'o.O' | Oklahoma State University | | =(___)= | minich@d.cs.okstate.edu | | U | - Bill sez "Ackphtth"
mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) (07/26/90)
Funny you should mention this. I have two classic Mac keyboards, both with failing keys. The situation finally became intolerable and I fixed one today. First, remove the five screws holding the case together. Then, remove the solder from the failing key. This is done by heating the solder joints for the key, then while the solder is still molten slamming the keyboard against a wooden table (or similar surface). I did it at least twice for each solder joint. If you don't like the idea of being so rough with your keyboard, the same effect can be achieved with a product called Solder-Wick. After the solder is removed, the remaining solder is broken by pushing the switch terminal with a probe. I used a small-diameter screwdriver. This releases the switch from its mechanical connection with the circuit board. Then, you remove the switch by pushing on the wings which hold it in the metal frontispiece. Again, I used a screwdriver to push on the wings, first one side, then the other. I was fortunate this was the backspace key, which is easily accessible from the side of the keyboard. You are fortunate in that your problem is with a shift key. After popping out the switch, take it apart. Again, the switch has wings which hold the top plastic part to the bottom part. I used my fingernails to separate the two. Inside, I found a small dustball, which I blew out. Then I reassembled the switch, put it back in the hole, and resoldered it. I'm frankly disappointed that Apple would choose such crummy Alps switches for their keyboard. They're almost guaranteed to fail if placed in a dusty environment, such as my house. 2 keyboards out of 2, in my case. What's the matter with you shitheads at Apple, don't you use your own stuff? Aren't you aware how quickly it fails? Or is that how you want it to be? I should mention that I found a rather surprising amount of rust on the metal frontispiece. There were actually flakes of rust sitting in the bottom of the plastic housing. They looked like termite droppings. I suppose you guys saved at least $0.01 on not giving the metal part a proper coating. Just goes to show what happens when a product is designed by accountants not engineers.
aslakson@cs.umn.edu (Brian Aslakson) (07/27/90)
mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) writes: >First, remove the five screws holding the case together. Then, remove the >solder from the failing key. This is done by heating the solder joints for >the key, then while the solder is still molten slamming the keyboard >against a wooden table (or similar surface). I did it at least twice for >each solder joint. If you don't like the idea of being so rough with your >keyboard, the same effect can be achieved with a product called >Solder-Wick. Jeez fella, I save some of the things I read, and I don't like to have to edit out dumb stuff. Everyone: solder suckers are cheap, they work, go get one. >Lots of handy instructions deleted. Thanks for good instructions! >What's the matter with you shitheads at Apple, don't you use your own >.... Damn! Now I have to edit your article wot I saved for just-in-case-I-have- the-same-problem. Such a mouth! Do you eat with that mouth? Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? Toilet mouth! Here's hoping I don't hafta fix any keyboards. But I'm ready now, thanks! -- Macintosh related: mac-admin@cs.umn.edu All else: aslakson@cs.umn.edu
mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) (07/29/90)
I happen to own a solder-sucker, and didn't use it because slamming the keyboard against the table was more handy. A solder-sucker also is more expensive than a small spool of solder-wick, at least for a one-time application. A solder-sucker also doesn't do as clean a job as solder-wick, though it does about as good a job as slamming against a table. Some of the more prissy readers may prefer solder-wick for this reason. ^^^^^^ -- oops, there I go using a word certain people will want to edit out :-) I think it's fair to use the s-word to describe the designers of a product guaranteed to fail under reasonable conditions. As I mentioned before, 2 out of 2 classic Mac keyboards have failed in my home environment. What made my home environment so hostile to Mac's? Cat hair. I have two cats. When I cleaned out that keyswitch, what I removed was a little ball of cat hair which had accumulated in the switch. I think that all consumer products should be designed to tolerate common elements in the home environment, such as cat hair, cigarette smoke, etc. Failure to do so is bad engineering.
barrey@ka.excelan.com (Barrey Jewall) (08/02/90)
In article <32198@cup.portal.com>mmm@cup.portal.com(Mark Robert Thorson) writes: [In part] >What made my home environment so hostile to Mac's? Cat hair. I have two >cats. When I cleaned out that keyswitch, what I removed was a little ball >of cat hair which had accumulated in the switch. That'l teach you to let your cats play Crystal Quest all night long... Barrey +================================================================+ + San Francisco Giants - 5 1/2 Games Back and Gaining !! + + Hummmm Baby!!! + +===============================++===============================+ + Barrey Jewall ++ "My opinions are my opinions" + + barrey@novell.com ++ (rather self-evident, eh?) + + Novell, Inc.- San Jose, Calif.++ + +===============================++===============================+
ngg@bridge2.ESD.3Com.COM (Norman Goodger) (08/10/90)
In article <32099@cup.portal.com> mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) writes: > >I'm frankly disappointed that Apple would choose such crummy Alps switches >for their keyboard. They're almost guaranteed to fail if placed in >a dusty environment, such as my house. 2 keyboards out of 2, in my case. > >What's the matter with you shitheads at Apple, don't you use your own >stuff? Aren't you aware how quickly it fails? Or is that how you want it >to be? I should mention that I found a rather surprising amount of >rust on the metal frontispiece. There were actually flakes of rust >sitting in the bottom of the plastic housing. They looked like termite >droppings. I suppose you guys saved at least $0.01 on not giving the >metal part a proper coating. Just goes to show what happens when a >product is designed by accountants not engineers. With the name calling you use, How do you expect anyone to take you seriously? I've used Apple Keyboards on multiple Mac's for years. They get dusty, dirty, etc, just like anything else. They have NEVER failed. I suspect that you have a mess beyond the average mess and it would be better if you kept your house cleaner than saying that Apple makes crummy keyboards and other foolish statements that have no basis in fact. Just because you have had poor luck with Apple keyboards just means you are the exception to the rule. I think I read or hear about 6 broken keyboards a year or less. This is far less than any other problem that is real, like the poor power supply in the Plus.. that is something to complain about. I see msgs about those all the time... -- Norm Goodger SysOp - MacInfo BBS @415-795-8862 3Com Corp. Co-SysOp FreeSoft RT - GEnie. Enterprise Systems Division (I disclaim anything and everything) UUCP: {3comvax,auspex,sun}!bridge2!ngg Internet: ngg@bridge2.ESD.3Com.COM