Kallikak wrote:
I have 2 Apple II+ keyboards, but each has an irritating minor fault. One has a dodgy spacebar because a bit of plastic has broken off that should hold the metal support in place beneath it, and the power light doesn't display on the other. I like the feel of the second one much more than the first, but it's a bit awkward to not have any visible indication of the machine being switched on. I know the lamp is ok because if I put it in the other keyboard it works.
Check the connection to the light. It could be loose or have bad ground. This is just a general suggestion as I don't have a II+ to look at and know how the light connects.
I was interested in advice relating to the difficulties I may encounter if I completely dismantle the keyboard and try and find the fault. I really don't want to mess up an otherwise working keyboard, and I am quite wary since the first thing I did was to slightly (only slightly) tighten a couple of screws beneath the area near the power light position and that stopped about 4 or 5 of the left hand keys from working at all. :-(
First, work with the keyboard with the bad spacebar to familiarize yourself. This way, if you screw up, it's on the worst keyboard. You might also be able to fix this one with a bit of epoxy depending on how the spacebar is broken.
I do agree, it's nice to have the extra notification that the system is on. I often turn off the monitor when I'm going to be away for a while. I would prefer a better blanking method but one works with what one has.
Cheers Mike T