Cleaning the IBM Model M cable?

[mr626]

Hello,

Apologies if this has been covered before. Just wondering what methods people use to clean the Model M cable? The coils in the cable make it a bit harder to clean than a normal 'straight' cable.

I'm guessing the best bet would be to soak it in a bucket of something, whilst having both ends of the cable hanging over the side. My only worry is if the cable has any tiny splits in it that I can't see that would let moisture in.

At least my board has the removable cable- not sure how you'd go about cleaning a permanently attached coiled cable.

[Lanx]

gloved hand, clorox cloth/wipe, try not to stretch it out, and yes look out for broken cables, these keyboards are 20years old and i'm sure have suffered abuse, bound to be something.

[Pretendo]

What makes it even better (ie, worse) is that the permanently attached cables are often more cheaply made.  I've seen these cracked clean open.  Not a candidate for anything but the driest methods of washing.

On the removable,  I've had luck with just Windex and a cotton cloth. Goo Gone for places where previous owners stuck tape to the line.  It's a little more time consuming but will work without worry.  In my experience the centers of the coils don't get that dirty anyway.  You won't need to clean them as much.

[Lanx]

also if you get the proper 5.5mm nut driver, you can open the case and remove the wire and not have the keyboard get in the way.

[fohat.digs]

I have gotten some really dirty ones where the insides of the coils were horribly dirty in a bad way. I have wet-washed them, and was more worried about water wicking into the connectors.

Bagging the ends in plastic seemed pretty good, and I wrapped a piece of paper towel inside the plastic, so if a little water did get it, it soaked into the paper instead of wicking into the wires.

Even a fairly stiff sponge and strong laundry detergent was not good enough to remove the crud from the inside of one coil.

I have not tried it yet, but cleaners made from citrus oil work wonders, but I would rinse well afterwards just in case.

[nick2027]

Try the ultimate cleaning combo: Spray Nine + Mr Clean Magic Eraser

[litster]

Along the same line, is it possible to un-stretch a stretched coil cable?

[mr626]

Thanks for the replies all- has given me some good ideas on how to go about cleaning it.

[Clickey]

I have had trouble cleaning coiled connectors too. Couldn't think of a way that didn't take a really long time and got the dirt off well. On the plus side, you can just get a new model M cable, if it is the detachable kind. I have some new ones for sale :wof: