Topic
16 videos.
Keys that do not register on an old computer usually come down to dirt, worn contacts or a failed membrane. Which one applies depends on the machine, so work out the keyboard type before ordering parts or taking anything apart.
For Amiga 500 keys with contacts of too high a resistance, Hey Birt's method reports what failed first and what worked. A brittle Commodore 64 case and a full keyboard clean are in this RavenWolf video, with the mainboard left for a later episode. Part two of the SX-64 restoration takes on the keys and the built-in screen together.
Inside the SX-64, the tube and flyback store a high voltage that lingers well after the plug comes out, and a hard knock can make the tube implode, so wear eye protection, and do not hold the tube by its neck. The case also holds a mains supply. Any soldering is a burn risk with fumes to vent, and older joints contain lead.
Publication or museum
The Commodore SX-64's built-in CRT and its keyboard are tackled in part two of The Retro Collective's Trash to Treasure restoration series, with part three still to come.
Hobbyist or repairer
Do all the capacitors in a ZX Spectrum need replacing? The maker also asks whether a membrane keyboard can be repaired, why the machine runs hot and how to connect it to a flat-screen TV.
Hobbyist or repairer
A second Casio VX-4 Pokécon has a keyboard circuit board badly eaten by leaked battery residue, and the video works through a Pace Cir-Kit repair and a new battery contact spring.
Hobbyist or repairer
An Amstrad CPC464 and its MP1 module go on the bench with a buzz, no power, a broken keyboard and a faulty cassette, to find out whether they can be saved.
Hobbyist or repairer
Will a badly weathered Commodore 64 work again? Part 1 opens it up, inspects and washes it, then moves on to the keyboard, retrobright treatment, springs and chip testing.
Hobbyist or repairer
An untested Acorn Electron bought as spares or repair turns up keyboard problems and instability as it warms, and Retro Tech Repair works through them by trial and error.
Hobbyist or repairer
Why does a bread-bin Commodore 64 flash psychedelic characters? The repair goes through a colour RAM swap, a PLA replacement and a sticking shift lock key, then a round of tests.
Hobbyist or repairer
Never-opened since new, a TRS-80 Color Computer gets a keyboard repair, a composite video output mod, a motherboard recap and a clean, with chapters for each job.
Hobbyist or repairer
Amiga 500 keys that no longer register are the starting point for a method of reviving key contacts with too high a resistance. The video reports what failed and what worked.
Hobbyist or repairer
A brittle Commodore 64 case that no longer holds screws is fixed with a case saver kit, before the keyboard is stripped, cleaned and serviced.
Hobbyist or repairer
An Apple IIc is cleaned, whitened with Retrobright and given a keyboard repair, using a 12% hydrogen peroxide solution and replacement rubber feet.
Hobbyist or repairer
New 3D printed key stems are designed for an HP 86 keyboard. The maker strips the machine down and explains the stem design, with files and board photos linked.
Hobbyist or repairer
A Commodore PET from the late 1970s gets its keyboard repaired, its screen brightened and its case cleaned by The 8-Bit Guy, who goes through each job in turn.
Hobbyist or repairer
Crusty, unresponsive keys on a Commodore 64C keyboard are tackled by cleaning the keyboard and the contacts of the keys that failed, after an earlier repair of the machine.
Hobbyist or repairer
Why do some Commodore 64 keys stay dead after an isopropyl clean? The maker argues that over-cleaning the rubber pad and contacts does harm, and adds a further step to revive them.
Hobbyist or repairer
A Spectrum Plus with dead keys gets a new keyboard membrane. The video opens the case, lifts out the metal shield and the old three-layer membrane, and finds a damaged ribbon cable.
