Electrical problem with 1989 IBM Type M keyboard

[Caetrati01]

I have an IBM Type M keyboard that has survided 21 years of heavy duty being used daily, in wich it has performed near absurd feats of durability.

After a routine cleaning it with a high pressure vapor machine (!) some keys stopped working . They seem to work mechanicaly but no effect is seen in the computer, all the other keys work normaly.

The keys that are not working are grouped on the botom line (zxcvvbnm,.- space, enter,ç, left, down and right arrows ). Ctrl, alt Lshift do work.

Do you have some ideas of what to do?

I as the rest of the keys work perfectly, and the malfunctioning keys where the ones who recieved more attention during the cleaning ,the problem may not be in the circuit, so it may have solution. Right now its on the window drying just in case its a problem of vapor condensating into water. Yes, it may have no sense, but it worked after the cleaning woman put it under the shower and brush it with clothes detergent some years ago.... so its worh trying.

Also, i heard that unicorp are still repairng them, but as im from Europe, is there any alternative?.

Thanks in advance for answers.

 

[Chuck(G)]

Is there any point to repairing one rather than simply buying another? They're not rare--and you can order them retail from http://clickykeyboards.com.

Repair of these things isn't easy, but here's a good guide if you've got the stomach for it.

 

[Dave Farquhar]

I once cleaned a 1980s Model M either in a dishwasher or with a sprayer in a kitchen or a shower. I don't remember the particulars, just that hot water under moderate pressure was involved. It didn't work right away. I set it aside to weigh my options, and a few days later, I decided to just try my luck by plugging it in, and it worked. It's still working too, but these days I clean them using less aggressive methods.

So my first inclination would be just to set it aside somewhere for a few days so it could dry very thoroughly, then try again.

 

[southbird]

Wow you guys. If I want to clean a keyboard, I remove the cover, meticulously clean each key cap and the removed cover, keeping everything electrical far away, dry it out completely, and reassemble it. Takes forever, but ... no problems afterward.

 

[Maniak]

If you think you still have moisture in there, put it in a bag with a bunch of rice. You don't "need" to but putting the rice in a cheese cloth will keep them from ending up under the keys. The Rice will absorb the water and speed up the drying BUT if you shake it/roll it etc (without putting the rice in something) you'll get rice under the keys
If you happen to have a bunch of desiccant packs, that is the correct material to use.

BTW, I have also used a dishwasher and the shower to clean my keyboards (Model M's, cheapies don't fare well). I normally leave them outside for a day or so and in the Arizona Heat/humidity (lack of) it is dry pretty quick.

~Mark

 

[Raven]

I cleaned my SpaceSaver a month or two ago, and found that it was easiest to just leave the plastic casing bits out to dry for a bit after using a paper towel to dry the bulk of the water, to clean the keys and dry them one by one, and to only bother cleaning the top (between the posts) of the board itself. The metal piece didn't really seem a necessary task to me, though mine was rusty and I didn't really want to put more water onto the metal anyway. Love that board, it's probably my absolute favorite in my whole collection of keyboards - all it's missing is a trackpoint. ;D

Just my two cents.

 

[Caetrati01]

Thank you for all answers.

I have a personal attachement to this keyboard as it has been with me since i was a child, i will buy a "new" one to canibalize it as last ressort, but before doing so is better to ask.

I had similar problems before with him, i used to put it between two chairs with a stove under it an it always solved the problem. But this time is different, only a few of the keys are not working, vapor may have damaged the plastic membrane under the mechanical part.

Ill try the rice trick.

Btw, the high presure vapor cleaning is not so agressive, provided you dont do it less than 10 cm away or do it in a monday morning , i have been doing for several years every 4-6 months even with normal keyboards an other electronic equipement, and never gave me a problem until now, unlike cleaning with a cloth, as it normaly leaves no watter behind, and it ususaly blows all dust. I have done it to my mother board to clean it with no problems

btw, somebody knows how much can be a shipping between europe en US?.

 

[Dave Farquhar]

Shipping between the United States and Europe is expensive. I took a wild guess at the weight and dimensions to give you an estimate. Based on a weight of 4 pounds and package dimensions of 14 inches x 8 inches x 2 inches (I apologize for the imperial measurements). Shipping such a package to Germany would cost about $32 US. The price to other European countries will be similar.

 

[k2x4b524[]

My vote is to repair it, considering the personal significance to you.

 

[mark66j]

Since it is a whole row of keys, I would suspect either a short of one trace, or a broken trace. A short is probably more likely; as you said it could be water but it is also possible the pressure blew something conductive into the wrong spot. I would first wait quite a while for it to dry out (as in several days) -- even when electronic stuff appears to be dry it still often has moisture in less visible spots. The rice idea is a good suggestion.

 

[Caetrati01]

thanks for the answers, ill let it dry for some days, and post the result.