Compaq 386 Portable Keyboard Cable

[Hal9000]

Hi,
My keyboard cable cracked apart and I'm looking for a replacement. Anyone know of a place or perhaps has an extra? I was thinking of just getting a 5 pin coiled extension and soldering it in.

 

[mark66j]

I have a keyboard from a Compaq Portable III that I am stealing parts from for other machines, but I think the cable on that one is probably frayed also. The covering on these does not seem to have held up very well over the years. So you might be better off with a fresh cable.

 

[Hal9000]

Yeah OK, I don't know what it was about the particular material they used, but it just "crumbles" after 20 years. Many have the same issue.

 

[Neosodium]

Mine did this right where it meets the keyboard, so I took the keyboard apart and moved the frayed section inside, wrapped it with insulating tape and put a cable tie on so it couldnt come back out.

 

[Hal9000]

I saved the original keyboard and drew out a wiring diagram where it solders to the board. I just need to find a tightly coiled 5-pin cable to solder in and I can rebuild that one. I got lucky, I found a portable III keyboard on E-bay on overall good shape.

I was thinking there might be a way to preserve the cord material by treating it with a heavy coating of "Armor All" or a similar Vinyl fabric protective spray. any ideas?

 

[Neosodium]

After actually getting to test my keyboard properly it would seem one of the wires has split. The keys work fine but if the wire is moved to one side nothing works. I'd like to fix this if possible but I get the feeling it's going to need a new cable. If I were to cut the wires where the break is and resolder them all, does anyone know a better way of holding it all together than electrical tape? Furthermore, how important is that pesky shielding? it would make splicing it all back together a real pain.