On 11/26/2012 8:10 AM, J Alexander Jacocks wrote:
All, I have a IIc+ that needs some help. I had thought that I had a broken spacebar key, but as was pointed out to me, at KFest, what is actually broken is the little plastic hook, on the keyboard base, that retains the metal spacebar attachment wire. I have _no_ idea how to fix that.
If you can't find a replacement (and I doubt you will without replacing the whole machine) you need to figure out how to fabricate a replacement. The job you have to do is retain the metal wire whose function is essentially the same as a car's stabilizer bar. You need to make a little upside-down L shaped dohickey to hold the bar down at both ends, giving room for it to slide in and out under the top of the inverted L. Do you have another keyboard from the era you can take apart and look at to get ideas? I think any of the period ADB keyboards are set up the same way.
I can imagine bending a paperclip (it would take a very small pliers to do well...) in a shape that would do the retaining as well as provide lateral anchoring support. Or taking a small piece of plastic and nibbling out a rabbet, and epoxying that down to the board.
I guess it boils down to what kinds of fabrication techniques you're good at/used to, or feel like branching out into?