Re: IIE Keyboard Repeating

[jthielen@VNET.IBM.COM (James A. Thielen - Schaumburg, Il.)]

In <1NOV199404353050@vax2.concordia.ca> Mitchell Spector writes:
$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
$

This is not a simple case of sticky keys. When the computer is booted is starts
off by issueing continious RETURNS then when I do a reset it issues the letter
1 continously. This goes on until another key is pressed, then that key is
issued until another is pressed.

Jim

Advantis - A Networking Services Company
Schaumburg, Illinois

          "Keeping the Riff-Raff and Interlopers out of the systems!"