Macintosh 512ke keyboard repair

[quantumii]

Hi all,

I am currently working on repairing the keyboard that came with my Macintosh 512k(e).

Four of they keys have broken off, and one of the keyswitches is broken apparently beyond repair. The best fix would be to replace the keyswitch, but I have not found a good source for those yet. ePay had a listing, but $10 for one switch plus $40 something for shipping is just stupid, and is not going to happen.

Do any of you know where I can get those keyswitches? Even better would be a complete keyboard. It is the original Mac keyboard, not the extended one.

I also remember seeing a site which had a how-to on how to fix the keyboard stems with filed down screws, but I forgot where I saw it. Do you know what site I am thinking about?

If you have a keyboard (either complete or for parts) let me know :b&w:

 

[Mac128]

Your best bet it to buy a Macintosh Plus keyboard, plentiful and cheap. It's the same keyswitch and gives you a backup of spares. Those old plastic stalks are going to start breaking as they get older and more brittle under the stress of use. Get yourself a copy of Larry Pina's Macintosh Repair

and Upgrade Secrets. Not sure if Tom Lee's tutorial covers that or not. http://68kmla.org/files/classicmac2.pdf

 

[quantumii]

Thanks. I will see if I can get a Plus keyboard for a reasonable price. Thanks for the PDF link as well, it is a really useful guide

 

[beachycove]

A thought and a question:

1. I have found that sometimes electronics contact cleaner sprayed down into the switch can raise an apparently failed switch from the dead.

2. Are these standard Alps switches like those used in the Extended Keyboard II or are they different?

 

[Osgeld]

1) switch the words "apparently" with "temporary and probably worse off", there's oil in there!, which mixes with dust to form bleh, most mechanical switches claim self cleaning

Self cleaning is debatable, A co worker pulled some beige box 386 out of the ditch a few years ago and I nabbed its keyboard once he found out what it was, thumping on the non responsive keys fairly hard for long lengths of time yielded a good clicky keyboard. Worked mostly great daily for over a year, then I got my IBM and the ditch keyboard went into the room on a computer that is not used that much, in the end it had reverted back to its original state in a couple months

 

[Paralel]

That reminds me, I have to clean my clicky IBM...

 

[quantumii]

Hi,

1. The dead switch is dead because the stem is snapped too far down, and the previous owner tried to glue it back on. Now it is stuck with glue too. I tried to fix the 3 other broken ones, but the glue I used does not stick to the plastic. The glue was Loctite btw.

2. This is a keyboard which came with a 512k E, and I believe that it is the same as the 1st Mac keyboard.

I tried to look for a Plus keyboard to get parts from, but ePay yielded no reasonable results. I found a original Mac keyboard for $98, and a Plus one for $78. This is plain stupidity as far as I can see, so if anyone here have a cheap Plus or original Mac keyboard to sell me, that would be nice

 

[Mac128]

I tried to look for a Plus keyboard to get parts from, but ePay yielded no reasonable results. I found a original Mac keyboard for $98, and a Plus one for $78. This is plain stupidity as far as I can see

Yes it is, and there are numerous threads dedicated to its stupidity ... :beige:

If you have some patience, some reasonable offers will result. Check the completed listings for Macintosh Plus keyboards and you'll find numerous ones, several listed at $14 which did not sell. I've seen them for considerably less too. Someone here might have an extra one though. I know I have a damaged one somewhere in which about 6 keys are broken, but I have no idea where it is at the moment ...

Oh, you might also try searching in VIntage Mac by model number and/or the word "keyboard" in title and description as it turned up this Mac Plus keyboard for $.99

http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-Computer-Inc-Model-M0110A-/150464957477

 

[quantumii]

Cool, thanks for the eBay link. This guy seems to only ship to the states, though, but I can ask him if he wants to ship international. I could always use JetCarrier, but that will give me an extra $40 shipping cost.

Also, if you find that broken Plus keyboard, I will gladly take it off your hands for a few bucks. After all, I only need some new keyswitches and a keycap or two.

 

[quantumii]

Well, I've placed a bid after asking the seller if he would ship international. Now I play the waiting game

 

[epooch]

I am quite certain that I repaired a mac 128k keyboard with a switch from an old broken apple IIe. you should be able to find those pretty cheap.

 

[trag]

I am quite certain that I repaired a mac 128k keyboard with a switch from an old broken apple IIe. you should be able to find those pretty cheap.

I don't think they're the same size keyswitches. I bought some new platinum IIe keyboards (the extended ones with the number pad) to use for just that purpose and found that the keyswitches are not quite the same.

On the other hand, I mentioned this on the Classic Computer email list and someone said that it could work. He said he drilled new holes in the keyboard PCB for the tabs from the IIe keyswitch (spacing is a little wider than the original) and then just connected the tabs up to the original traces on the board and it worked great.

So the IIe switches might work, but it might take a bit of hackery to do it. I haven't tried it out myself yet. It would be nice to find some use for those IIe keyboards. I've offered them for sale a few times, but IIe owners all seem to have working keyboards.

 

[epooch]

Come to think of it, it may have been an apple II+ that I used. I know the key and switch was a drop-in replacement.

 

[quantumii]

Thanks for the info, guys. I will try to get a Plus keyboard to harvest switches and a keycap from.

 

[Mac128]

I don't think they're the same size keyswitches. I bought some new platinum IIe keyboards (the extended ones with the number pad) to use for just that purpose and found that the keyswitches are not quite the same.

Keep in mind the Platinum IIe did not come out until 1987 and the keyboard was specifically modified to match the IIGS keyboard, which does not have the same layout as the Mac Plus. Even when then Mac Plus went Platinum, no effort was made to update the keyboard layout, even after the SE & Mac II came out (which now that I think about it is a little surprising, considering that the Plus was sold for another 5 years, and the obscene amount of money Apple was making in those days). In fact nothing changed except the color. At least the Platinum 512Ke got the extended keyboard.

The 128K-Plus used standard "long-stalk" Alps key switches, but a common problem according to Larry Pina, was using short stalks which while compatible, required a different key cap, and later Apple ADB keyboards used key-switches from more than one manufacturer. My guess is that, at least the IIGS ADB keyboard and Platinum IIe may have used completely different key switches, despite the Platinum IIe's resemblance to the Mac Plus and its beige IIe predecessor.

So it's entirely possible that all of the beige Apple products used the same Alps key-switches at least up until the IIc and IIGS which were the first to change the keyboard design entirely. The Platinum IIe most likely just used the same keyboard circuit board that was being put into the IIGS ADB keyboard (which was likely derived from the //c), and therefore the same key-switches. Keep in mind the Apple II was made at a completely different factory (and state) than the Macintosh.

 

[epooch]

The Apple II+ keyboards had shiny green keys that are shorter than a mac, but the switch might be the same. The early Apple IIe keyboards (brown or beige) use the same key caps as a Mac, just different colors and different color print. I need to double check, but that leads me to believe I used an early apple IIe keyboard. I will see if I have any extras laying around if you are interested.

 

[epooch]

I checked this weekend and the keyboard I used appears to be a late apple II+ keyboard. It has brown, textured keys. The key switches appear to be identical, except that the II+ uses little plastic risers to get the key up to the right level - the same level as a 128k keyboard. The little risers can be modified if you need.





The key caps are very similar except for the color.

I can ship some switches out to you if you want. Let me know.

 

[quantumii]

Thanks This looks like it would work fine! How much do you ask? I think 6 switches would cut it (I need to replace 4, and it is nice to have 2 spare the next time one breaks)

Let me know over PM so we can sort it out there!

Thanks again