Re: Turn on Apple to preserve it?

["Michael J. Mahon" <mjmahon@aol.com>]

Mike Willegal wrote:
> Aside from the issue with the capacitors, keyboards are more likely to 
> stay in working order with occasional use.  I would not only power on, 
> but I would attempt some activity that required keyboard input.  Try 
> playing one of those old text adventure games or write a game in basic 
> of your own design.

All but hermetically sealed switches benefit from regular use, since
the friction of most contacts when operating makes them self-cleaning.

When most metals are exposed to air, they undergo surface oxidation
which interferes with good electrical contact.  A few "noble" metals
are exceptions, but they are sufficiently expensive that most contacts
either aren't coated, or have such thin coats that after some use, the
actual points of contact are scratched through to the underlying base
metal, which then oxidizes.

-michael

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