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Location: Casper, Wyoming, United States

Friday, September 08, 2006

Model 1/3/4 Keyboard and Drive repair

After reviewing several questions about keyboard sticking keys we thought this might be of interest.
After testing several lubricating methods we found that the best was a Silicone based lubricant made by Garcia for fishing reels. This does not conduct electricity. But it should be used with caution always using a Qtip dipped in the lubricant.

For sticking keys used the Qtip to apply a thin coating on the Plunger of the key cap if it is the type that has two half arrows. For the keyboard that has the + plunger sticking out of the mechanical key under the key cap
Never pour any into the mechanical key plunger key hole.

Do not go beyond pulling off the key cap when fixing a sticking or non-working key. If the keyboard is the sandwich type that uses a Mylar printed circuit sheet folded over it can not be repaired.

If is the type of keyboard that uses mechanical keys that are soldered it can be repaired by replacing the mechanical key contact block itself.

We have repaired hundreds of key boards using this product without difficulty. It is also a good lubricate for disk drive rails that the read/write head travels on. Over a period of time they become dry and gummy when not used, preventing the head to travel smoothly to properly read or write to a disk.