🚀 go-pugleaf

Probably mechanical - something stopping the electrical contact being made
in the switch. I'd disassemble and give a good clean, but you may not wish
to attempt that. If you do, don't blame me if you break it further!

Paul Durrant

In article <AJ1CAGAWsKe0Ew5a@ambo.demon.co.uk>,
Robert Wilson <robert@ambo.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> The "l" and "." keys on the keyboard of my Mac LC630 have stopped
> working.  I've taken the cover of the keyboard off and huffed and puffed
> in such gaps as there are without prising the keys off, but no change.
> 
> With these two characters failing, is this likely to be a mechanical
> problem (ie if I dismantle it enough will I probably find a hair or
> something in the works), or is it more likely to be something electronic
> (ie new keyboard)?
> 
> I'd be really grateful for any tips ...
> -- 
> Robert Wilson

>Paul Durrant
>
>In article <AJ1CAGAWsKe0Ew5a@ambo.demon.co.uk>,
>Robert Wilson <robert@ambo.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> The "l" and "." keys on the keyboard of my Mac LC630 have stopped
>> working.  I've taken the cover of the keyboard off and huffed and puffed
>> in such gaps as there are without prising the keys off, but no change.
>> 
>> With these two characters failing, is this likely to be a mechanical
>> problem (ie if I dismantle it enough will I probably find a hair or
>> something in the works), or is it more likely to be something electronic
>> (ie new keyboard)?
>> 
>> I'd be really grateful for any tips ...
>> -- 
>> Robert Wilson

Don't get angry with me if it breaks your keyboard even more, but I heard
that immersing them completely in water for 1-2mins solves just about any
problems.

In article <B09F0263966832944@0.0.0.0>,
pdurrant@durrant.demon.co.uk (Paul Durrant) wrote:

>Robert Wilson <robert@ambo.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> The "l" and "." keys on the keyboard of my Mac LC630 have stopped
>> working.  I've taken the cover of the keyboard off and huffed and puffed
>> in such gaps as there are without prising the keys off, but no change.

>Probably mechanical - something stopping the electrical contact being made
>in the switch. I'd disassemble and give a good clean, but you may not wish
>to attempt that. If you do, don't blame me if you break it further!

Just one thought; doesn't the keyboard map into groups, and aren't 'l' and
'.' in the same group? It might be the onboard chip...

Anyway, the best idea might be to get a new keyboard; there are cheap ones
available nowadays and if cheap PC keyboards are anything to go by they may
well have a better feel than the expensive Mac ones.

I'm still pining for the cheap, cheerful, totally wonderful Cherry keyboard
I had on my first PC clone. It lent wings to my typing. It's the only thing
I miss from my PC days...

-- 
Peter

In article <Frogoz-2411972234470001@xplt.demon.co.uk>,
Frogoz@xplt.demon.co.uk (Tom Berriman) wrote:

>Don't get angry with me if it breaks your keyboard even more, but I heard
>that immersing them completely in water for 1-2mins solves just about any
>problems.

Hmmmm. I tried that with a monitor that had had coffee spilled on it and
lost about ten keys (hell, it came from work and they had wisely thrown it
away). Into the water. It lost another twenty keys. None of them ever came
back. 

-- 
Peter

Tom Berriman <Frogoz@xplt.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> >Paul Durrant
> >
> >In article <AJ1CAGAWsKe0Ew5a@ambo.demon.co.uk>,
> >Robert Wilson <robert@ambo.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> >> The "l" and "." keys on the keyboard of my Mac LC630 have stopped
> >> working.  I've taken the cover of the keyboard off and huffed and puffed
> >> in such gaps as there are without prising the keys off, but no change.
> >> 
> >> With these two characters failing, is this likely to be a mechanical
> >> problem (ie if I dismantle it enough will I probably find a hair or
> >> something in the works),

There's a very good chance that dismantling and cleaning the key
switches will fix the problem.  You might need to re-shape part of the
switch contacts.  This is not very easy to do - I've done it with an old
Mac keyboard and do not wish to repeat the experience.

You might try getting a can of switch cleaner and squirting it into the
body of the affected keyswitches - see if you can get some inside, and
work the key a bit.  It often works wonders on that kind of thing.

> >> or is it more likely to be something electronic
> >> (ie new keyboard)?
> >> 
> >> I'd be really grateful for any tips ...
> >> -- 
> >> Robert Wilson
> 
> Don't get angry with me if it breaks your keyboard even more, but I heard
> that immersing them completely in water for 1-2mins solves just about any
> problems.

That's likely to wipe out any hope you ever had of getting the keyboard
working again.  My initial verbal comment is best written `Ahhhhhh!!!!!!
Stopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopit!'  I could carry on
with the point that water won't clean the contacts at all, and will
cause corrosion, push dirt from its out-of-the-way places into places it
might cause problems, etc., etc.

It's just vaguely possible that full immersion in a suitable organic
solvent might do the trick, but it's just as possible that you'll use a
solvent that dissolves something vital as well as the dirt.

Rowland.


-- 
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In article <AJ1CAGAWsKe0Ew5a@ambo.demon.co.uk>,
Robert Wilson <robert@ambo.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> With these two characters failing, is this likely to be a mechanical
> problem (ie if I dismantle it enough will I probably find a hair or
> something in the works), or is it more likely to be something electronic
> (ie new keyboard)?

Might be either.  You may have foreign bodies stopping those keys
from working as you suggest.  In order to get them out you might
have to disassemble the key caps as far as you can and blow air
over what's left.  Unfortunately, you may have a problem involving
something eating-away at the metal tracks in the keyboard.  This
might continue eating away until it reaches more and more characters.

Until you resolve your problem, you've been able to 'type' those
characters somehow in the above post but might like to know about a
Control Panel called 'PopChar', earlier versions of which are share-
ware and available in the Mac archives.  This allows you to use the
mouse to 'click' on any character.  You might find it more convenient
than using the 'Key Caps' DA.

Simon.
-- 
Simon Slavin -- Computer Contractor. | Excessive quoting from Shakespeare:
   http://www.hearsay.demon.co.uk    |                  gag me with a folio.
Check email address for spam-guard.  | -- sclerc@ernie.bgsu.edu (Susan Clerc)
Junk email not welcome at this site. | I receive about 2.5 junk emails a day.

In article <1d0a5mb.1r1rjoz1rfqb40N@p55.nas2.is2.u-net.net>, Rebecca and
Rowland <real-address-in-sig@flurbletigibbet.rhubarb.foobar> writes
>There's a very good chance that dismantling and cleaning the key
>switches will fix the problem.  You might need to re-shape part of the
>switch contacts.  This is not very easy to do - I've done it with an old
>Mac keyboard and do not wish to repeat the experience.

Well, I've poked around, and the thing seems to be undismantleable.  It
seems to be a set of layers of rubbery stuff with tracks on and a bottom
metal plate all held together by sort of melted plastic blobs (or meted
pastic bobs as it would come out on the Mac).

Perhaps, with a bit of ingenuity, I can get away without the missing
character; but without the stop I am going to have to write rather wordy
sentences - I can be verbose, but not pro ix! 
-- 
Robert Wilson

Robert Wilson <robert@ambo.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> In article <1d0a5mb.1r1rjoz1rfqb40N@p55.nas2.is2.u-net.net>, Rebecca and
> Rowland <real-address-in-sig@flurbletigibbet.rhubarb.foobar> writes
> >There's a very good chance that dismantling and cleaning the key
> >switches will fix the problem.  You might need to re-shape part of the
> >switch contacts.  This is not very easy to do - I've done it with an old
> >Mac keyboard and do not wish to repeat the experience.
> 
> Well, I've poked around, and the thing seems to be undismantleable.  It
> seems to be a set of layers of rubbery stuff with tracks on and a bottom
> metal plate all held together by sort of melted plastic blobs (or meted
> pastic bobs as it would come out on the Mac).

Hmm...  Is this an Apple keyboard?  My Apple Keyboard II, Apple
Keyboard, Mac Plus keyboard, and Mac 512Ke keyboards are all
dismantleable (I'm not sure I believe in that word).  None of them has
layers of rubbery stuff - they're all key switches soldered into place.

But if it's all held together by melted plastic blobs and you've got
layers of rubbery stuff, it does rather sound as if you'd have to be
very brave to poke around inside it good and proper.  Things that are
held together by melted plastic blobs are often not very easy to
re-assemble (he understated).

> Perhaps, with a bit of ingenuity, I can get away without the missing
> character; but without the stop I am going to have to write rather wordy
> sentences - I can be verbose, but not pro ix! 

My best guess without seeing the offending item is that you've got a
thoroughly duff keyboard which needs replacing.  I'd be inclined to see
if I could buy one second-hand (uk.adverts.computers or somesuch), and
once I'd got a happy, working Mac, *then* I'd see if I couldn't fix the
bloody thing...

Rowland.

-- 
Remove the animal for my email address:   rebecca@astrid.dog.u-net.com
Sorry - the spam got to me.          
PGP pub key A680B89D; fingerprint: F5605EAE F56F2C0B 818F3319 5227767F
                                   What?  Don't ask me - I don't know.

Rebecca and Rowland <real-address-in-sig@flurbletigibbet.rhubarb.foobar>
wrote:

> > Don't get angry with me if it breaks your keyboard even more, but I heard
> > that immersing them completely in water for 1-2mins solves just about any
> > problems.
> 
> That's likely to wipe out any hope you ever had of getting the keyboard
> working again.  My initial verbal comment is best written `Ahhhhhh!!!!!!
> Stopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopit!'  I could carry on
> with the point that water won't clean the contacts at all, and will
> cause corrosion, push dirt from its out-of-the-way places into places it
> might cause problems, etc., etc.
> 
> It's just vaguely possible that full immersion in a suitable organic
> solvent might do the trick, but it's just as possible that you'll use a
> solvent that dissolves something vital as well as the dirt.


you may be horrified, but all my kbds recieve this treatment every year
or so. I've never had a problem, indeed this strategy fixed a Dell kbd 
with the very kind of problem being discussed. The ick that seems to 
stop keys working seems to dissolve pretty well in water, as it is all
too often coffee or cola.

-- 
'ric