Apple IIc keyboard restoration

[tony359]

Hi all,

I'm about to repair/restore my Apple //c and I noticed its keyboard is weird, it's like there is a spongy and deformed membrane under the keycaps. I haven't inspected it yet but wondering whether that used to be a liquid protection membrane which went band over time? Keys feel spongy and I have to press them more than I would to use them.
I couldn't find much around - but it's always difficult to google for those old apples as the search engines assume you're talking about an iPhone!

Has this been discussed before and if so, can someone point me to the right direction please?

Thank you!
Tony

 

[Timo W.]

Remove both the rubber mat as well as the springs sitting on top of the keyswitches. After that, the keyboard will be nice again. You lose the tactile feedback by removing the springs, but the issue is that the springs no longer work after all that time, making the keys very hard to press down.

 

[desertrout]

+1 to @Timo W. 's comment - the rubber mat was only there for switch protection and I've yet to see one age gracefully - it can be removed. The springs on the switches *can* be tweaked and lubricated to help with tactility, which I personally prefer - I've got one IIc here with that keyboard and the springs in place, and it types... reasonably well. Nothing close to the Alps version, but still a little tactility imho is nice to have.

 

[desertrout]

Here's a pretty thorough refurb tutorial for the switches and springs: https://tinkerdifferent.com/threads/fixing-stiff-apple-iic-keyboard-switches.1212/

 

[tony359]

amazing thanks. I see what those springs do, I think I'd like to tweak them a bit rather than removing them altogether. For now I suppose removing the membrane will improve things considerably, thank you a lot!

 

[VERAULT]

Run it through the dishwasher to clean the switches and keycaps. Once dry it will run like a champ.

 

[tony359]

I know the dishwasher is a popular thing but I am not a fan of that. Besides water and dishwasher soap getting inside the switches (I'd clean them manually so I know what goes in and what stays in), I wouldn't recommend using a dishwasher for PCBs and stuff. They contain toxic chemicals and you wash plates where you then eat in the same dishwasher!
Someone might say "I run a couple of cycles afterwards" but I'm not sure lead would easily come off with some water

Please don't take this too harshly, it's just my opinion - and I respect yours of course.

 

[VERAULT]

thats ridiculous....

 

[tony359]

Hi @desertrout and @Timo W.
I've serviced the keyboard today, removed those horrible membranes and lubricated a bit with the SuperLube. I did tweaked some of those springs a bit but mostly untouched. It's night and day! Not the best keyboard indeed but very usable! Thanks for your help!