So, I guess taking the spacebar off of a model F XT to clean it was a bad idea.

[supamesican]

Anyone know how to get it back on? Or now that its off anyway should I just do the spacebar mod for it I've seen talked about?

[mike52787]

You need to completely disassemble the board. There is no way to get it back on.  I learned this the hard way and had to take the board all apart. if you want, I can do it for you. I am actually typing on my F XT right now.

[supamesican]

I dont mind taking it apart to put it back on, wouldnt be the first keyboard tear down I've done. What all do I need to do? I'll just do it thursday before I go to my families for food.

Ether that or I'll do some mod for the fun of it, ether way I dont mind taking my stuff apart to fix it, especially this keyboard since the way I understand it it was kinda made to be serviceable.

[mike52787]

I can send you detailed pictures of disassembly of mine. You may also want to replace the foam on the board if it has disintegrated. I have to open mine anyway to fix a spring.

[wodan]

If you took the space bar off a IBM XT, chances are you broke the stabilizer. Post a pic of the space bar

[mike52787]

If you took the space bar off a IBM XT, chances are you broke the stabilizer. Post a pic of the space bar

I dint break mine when I pulled it off. All that happened was I pulled the wire out of the notches.

[supamesican]

I'm hoping I didnt break the stablizer, I took some tweezers and messed with them/it and it seems to work just like a normal one should still, it just wont go back on.  I was as careful as I could when I took it off.  IF it is ded can it be replaced or is it just a parts board?


I would really appreciate the pics man, then I can see how its done.  The foam is more or less dead. I took the case off before, what type should I get to replace it?  Oh and will I need anything other than my screw driver?

[E TwentyNine]

Don't worry too much about it, you'll get it back together.  Your board is not a parts board.

[supamesican]

Yeah... That was kinda a dumb thought for me to have, its a model F XT for crying out loud, gonna take a lot more than that to make this board a parts board. I've seen a 100% tear down and spring replacement before that still worked.

Thankfully for now my model m can hold me over

[mike52787]

When you do it, I would suggest screwing 2 wooden blocks down onto your workspace to hold the board in position, bending the tabs back, pressing it down, and then bending them back into place. when putting the spacebar on, its a good idea to thread some floss around the little peg on the back of the hammer, and tie a weight onto the ends of it. make sure you put the spacebar onto the board before you reassemble it. I can show you specifics when I do it. I can work on it tomorrow, and send you pictures of the process.

[supamesican]

That sounds good, since I wont be working on mine until thursday/friday.

[mike52787]

This should be all you need to get it back together. If you have any questions dont be afraid to ask.
http://imgur.com/a/vCBGI

[supamesican]

if I were to get my keyboard elevated enough would I *have* to take all the keys off? Its no problem to do it, I have the tools, but if I dont have to I may try not.

[Tangtawan]

oh no, will the same issue happen with the Model F AT?

[mike52787]

if I were to get my keyboard elevated enough would I *have* to take all the keys off? Its no problem to do it, I have the tools, but if I dont have to I may try not.

nope. it is absolutely necessary to take off all the keycaps.

[fohat.digs]

nope. it is absolutely necessary to take off all the keycaps.

And if you don't get it back together properly, you will have to take them all off and put them back on each time. Expect multiple iterations.

I have done this dozens of times and still make mistakes often.

ATs are the same as far as the space bar goes.

[mike52787]

nope. it is absolutely necessary to take off all the keycaps.

And if you don't get it back together properly, you will have to take them all off and put them back on each time. Expect multiple iterations.

I have done this dozens of times and still make mistakes often.

ATs are the same as far as the space bar goes.

surprisingly enough when I did my guide everything worked first try. I think bending the tabs back is a much easier method than actually slotting it back together like every other guide except my own says to.

[E TwentyNine]

surprisingly enough when I did my guide everything worked first try. I think bending the tabs back is a much easier method than actually slotting it back together like every other guide except my own says to.

I worry about metal fatigue when bending, so if they're very snug I'll bend them out *slightly* then slide it out.

[mike52787]

surprisingly enough when I did my guide everything worked first try. I think bending the tabs back is a much easier method than actually slotting it back together like every other guide except my own says to.

I worry about metal fatigue when bending, so if they're very snug I'll bend them out *slightly* then slide it out.

Ive disassembled my xt probably about 9 times, and have no signs of metal fatigue. Its such a thick piece of steel I dont think that there will be much effect.

[E TwentyNine]

surprisingly enough when I did my guide everything worked first try. I think bending the tabs back is a much easier method than actually slotting it back together like every other guide except my own says to.

I worry about metal fatigue when bending, so if they're very snug I'll bend them out *slightly* then slide it out.

Ive disassembled my xt probably about 9 times, and have no signs of metal fatigue. Its such a thick piece of steel I dont think that there will be much effect.

You're probably right.  But to me it's a "why risk it" scenario.  I get the job done fine with sliding things together.

[kekstee]

You need a lot of clamps to reassemble, I had to apply pressure at six points around the edges before I could slide it back together.

Also use floss or a nylon thread to hold down the spacebar flipper, as mike suggested.

[mike52787]

You need a lot of clamps to reassemble, I had to apply pressure at six points around the edges before I could slide it back together.

Also use floss or a nylon thread to hold down the spacebar flipper, as mike suggested.

If you did it like I showed, its much easier, and you don't need any clamps. Not sure why more people don't do it that way.

[E TwentyNine]

You need a lot of clamps to reassemble, I had to apply pressure at six points around the edges before I could slide it back together.

Also use floss or a nylon thread to hold down the spacebar flipper, as mike suggested.

From what I've heard assembling an F-122 is a beast, I'm sure fohat can attest to that.

But an XT/AT?  Hand assembled no problem.  XT a little harder but not by much.

[mike52787]

You need a lot of clamps to reassemble, I had to apply pressure at six points around the edges before I could slide it back together.

Also use floss or a nylon thread to hold down the spacebar flipper, as mike suggested.

From what I've heard assembling an F-122 is a beast, I'm sure fohat can attest to that.

But an XT/AT?  Hand assembled no problem.  XT a little harder but not by much.

I assembled my 122 really easily the same way I showed to assemble the XT. Its super easy if you don't try to do that bull**** where you slide it back together

[supamesican]

if I were to get my keyboard elevated enough would I *have* to take all the keys off? Its no problem to do it, I have the tools, but if I dont have to I may try not.

nope. it is absolutely necessary to take off all the keycaps.

Fair enough. Do I need to do anything for the janky long + on the side or does it just look worse than it is? I have one wire keycap puller so I'm hoping thats enough. And do I need it upside down when I put the caps back on like on model ms?

[E TwentyNine]

You don't need the board to be upside down when you put the keys back on for M or F.  Just have the whole assembly tilted slightly away from you so the springs stand up in the barrel correctly as you place the keys.

[mike52787]

if I were to get my keyboard elevated enough would I *have* to take all the keys off? Its no problem to do it, I have the tools, but if I dont have to I may try not.

nope. it is absolutely necessary to take off all the keycaps.

Fair enough. Do I need to do anything for the janky long + on the side or does it just look worse than it is? I have one wire keycap puller so I'm hoping thats enough. And do I need it upside down when I put the caps back on like on model ms?

Yeah, as e29 said, no need to flip it upside down. For the big + key, I typically just take the case off and pull it off with my fingers. you can use a wire puller if you want to, but theres no need.

[supamesican]

Awesome, I'll get to work on it tonight and let everyone know how it goes. Wish me luck.

[supamesican]

I am not the first person to take this apart, all but one of the top tabs are already bent up.

I got this from a guy who got it from an estate sale. I really hope the original owner was into taking care of stuff and did this.

[supamesican]

welp got the bar and everything on just fine, then one of the cables going to the controler broke. I guess I'm not surprised this is a 34 year old board.  I dont feel like fixing that, I ordered an AT last week anyway. I think I'll sell this and let someone who likes to tinker more than I do fix it. Whats a good price for a board that needs a new cable? I'll throw it on ebay this weekend and just use my model m until the at gets here this weekend.

[fohat.digs]

Prices go all over the place on those.

Lot_Lizard's project makes the switches worth $0.50 each and the key caps are well-liked although they don't make a complete set.

[supamesican]

Huh, well since it looks like the prices are around $150 for a working one I'll probably go 100 or so when I put it up then. I could just fix the wire, but I have a new one coming anyway I was just going to throw this back on ebay when it got here regardless.

[fohat.digs]

it looks like the prices are around $150 for a working one

Really? Are you looking at "Sold Listings" or asking prices?

To me, $100 seems like a top price for a pristine specimen, although somebody on DT claimed to have gotten $150 for one with an internal Teensy.

[supamesican]

Both. Granted that would be a buy it now price with a best offer thing so I can haggle cause I like to haggle. Plus a low starting bid thing to see whatever works.

[kalrand]

Two comments:

1) When you said that "all but one of the top tabs are already bent up." I think you might be confusing "the bent tab" and all the other tabs that sort of hook over the back plate. Only one would be totally bent over when you take the assembly out. Did you bend all the hooking tabs back?

2) If you take a picture of what broke, we might be able to help you with a quick fix. Otherwise, whoever you sell this to is going to have a much better idea what "cable to the controller broke" means, and you'll get more money if it's not serious.