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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: supamesican on Mon, 20 May 2019, 07:33:50

Title: Should the foam always be replaced on a model f?
Post by: supamesican on Mon, 20 May 2019, 07:33:50

Yeah that's something I've been wondering for a while. I've never replaced mine and it works well enough, but I want to make sure I take care of it right.

Title: Re: Should the foam always be replaced on a model f?
Post by: chyros on Mon, 20 May 2019, 08:22:08

Absolutely not.

I'd recommend only changing it if it's really necessary. 

Title: Re: Should the foam always be replaced on a model f?
Post by: supamesican on Mon, 20 May 2019, 09:21:35

Awesome, thank you!

Title: Re: Should the foam always be replaced on a model f?
Post by: fohat.digs on Mon, 20 May 2019, 18:12:54

Thomas is right.

That said, I have cracked open half a dozen each XTs and ATs, and probably 2 dozen 122-key terminals. The majority of XTs and ATs had good or acceptable foam, perhaps 2/3 to 3/4 of them, but 80%+ of the big boys had poor-to-utterly-disintegrated foam. I theorize that while XTs and ATs were consumer products kept indoors, terminals were corporate/industrial machines that were probably tossed into warehouses, at best, when decommissioned.

Having replaced foam often enough that I am proficient at it, I consider it de rigueur for a rehab, and only bypass it occasionally.