Instead of "Yet Another Bolt Mod Guide" I thought I would just share some lessons learned and of course some pictures from my experience bolt modding the mighty IBM Model M keyboard. There are already plenty of guides floating around (including the pages in the geekhack wiki) so I won’t into great detail… just some handy tips
As everyone knows the old IBM Model M keyboards are pretty much bullet proof however they do have a weakness - a small thermal exhaust port, with a shaft that leads directly to the main reactor… errr wait, I mean plastic rivets! These plastic rivets tend to break off causing hammers to fall out of their seat and result in different key behaviour or even worse, key death!…. Nurse! We need a bolt mod stat!
So a bolt mod is pretty straight forward:
1) You open up the old model M tank
2) Remove the remaining plastic rivets holding together your delicious IBM sandwich
3) Drill holes through the plastic barrel plate where the old rivet trees used to grow
4) Swear under your breath as you fumble using tiny nuts and bolts to reassemble everything
5) Test out your awesome keyboard and join the bolt mod club
Easy right? Now on to some handy tips and pictures!
Tip - Rush getting it done! We all know that a job done in half the time always renders twice the results! So try to do this as quick as you can! WRONG!
Set aside a couple of hours and take your time, especially when drilling! This is what a well drilled hole looks like… are you turned on? But seriously, the aim of the game is to drill right in the centre of the old plastic rivet stem (between the two moons) making sure you do not go too close to the sides.
Tip - Look out for that extra hole near the Enter key - you didn’t drill it but it is there! If you put a bolt through this hole it may stop you from putting all the layers back together again and you might even crack the plastic as there is no matching hole on the steel plate for this one to poke its head through.
Tip - Speaking of cracking! Always remember you are working with some pretty old plastic here so be careful. Make sure that all of the bolts you have installed comfortably fit through the steel plate and also don’t over tighten the bolts! Otherwise you might end up having to pull everything apart again to glue your mistakes back together…
I hope some people find these quick tips helpful and good luck with your bolt mod. Keep on clicking.
