Re: IIE Keyboard Repeating

[spector@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article jthielen@VNET.IBM.COM writes...
>
>My son's IIE started to act up this past weekend. What ever key pressed is
>repeated until the buffer is full. When you press another key, it then starts
>repeating.

	I've experienced the very same problem a number of times before. It's
happened on my Apple ][+, two of my Apple //e's and once with my Apple III.
The problem, I believe, is caused by something creating a contact within the
key-switch box (what each plastic keycap is resting on). If any kind of liquid
gets caught inside the box-switch, that key will auto-repeat until it
_completely_ dries out. I've cleaned my keyboards with rubbing alcohol before
and it's taken many hours -- sometimes a day or two, before it completely 
evapourates. For some reason, prying at the tabs on either side of the 
key-switch causes the problem to disappear for a short while. Try taking
a needle or pin and carefully pry at the sides (with keycap removed of 
course). This method, strange as it may seem, also seems to cure keys
that give little or no response when pressed. I suppose it loosens dirt, 
dust and other foreign objects caught inside the key-switch.

>Any ideas what's wrong?

	Cold boot the //e and press CONTROL-RESET immediately afterwards.
Do this a few times and you can pinpoint the key at fault (whichever key
you see repeating on screen is the one -- if it's always the same key
displayed). One of three things are wrong. A) Liquid got spilled inside,
B) Dirt/dust/etc has worked it's way inside, C) The key-spring is damaged
and constantly pressing on contact inside.

	If it's "A", just wait a few days for things to dry and it'll 
work again. "B", remove keycap and pry and sides tabs with needle until
key stops repeating. If it's "C", then you'll have to install a new key
by soldering in a new one (or you can order a new keyboard from Alltech
Electronics). 

>Jim
> 
>Advantis - A Networking Services Company
>Schaumburg, Illinois
> 
>          "Keeping the Riff-Raff and Interlopers out of the systems!"

Mitchell Spector
m_spect@pavo.concordia.ca / spector@vax2.concordia.ca