Re: Problem with IIe keyboard

[dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Dave Althoff)]

Bill Shuff (bill2060@cris.com) wrote:

(stuff about using solvents to clean keyboards snipped)

: I would agree that WD-40 is not the best choice if one is going to try
: to spray something into a keyswitch.  I find that WD-40 gets gummy in
: time.  I would use TV tuner cleaner or a contact cleaner.  The good ones
: used to be made with freon, but I do not know what substitutes are used
: now.  It will be very difficult to get sufficient cleaner into a
: keyswitch so that the contacts are wetted and cleaned.  The only
: keyswitches that I find are reliably cleaned by a spray are those on 
: IIgs keyboard switches.  The stems of the keyswitch have a hole in the
: top, making it easy to get the spray into the keyswitch.

WARNING!!  WARNING!!  WARNING!!  WARNING!!  WARNING!!  WARNING!!  WARNING!!

The Clean Air Act that took away our Freon has been causing me all kinds
of headaches because suitable replacements for Freon do not actually
exist.  If you are using a contact cleaner, be aware that the non-CFC ones
fall into two categories:

a)  Those which are electrically conductive.
Freon is non-conductive, so you can use it on circuits which are alive. 
Back when I was using it to clean VTR heads, it was useful to be able to
spray down the unit while it was running.  Using a "suitable" replacement,
I managed to blow up a VTR power supply 8-(

b)  Those which attack plastics.
Freon is safe for plastics.  The non-conductive substitutes I have used
will destroy plastic parts (including the chassis of your keyboard switch)
such as that nylon gear I melted in a Sharp VTR.  Yeesh!  What a mess that
was!

(end warning)

If you are fairly handy with a soldering iron, replacing the keyswitch on
a ][e keyboard is fairly easy.  I'll type up and post detailed
instructions.  Also, if you remove the keyswitch, you can gently pry it
open and apply DeOxIt directly to the contacts inside, then put the switch
back together and reinstall it.  A laborious process, but the last time I
bought keyswitches, Micro Center charged me $10 each for the darned things.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
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