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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: spingal on Thu, 20 January 2011, 16:08:04

Title: Model M Keyboard HELP
Post by: spingal on Thu, 20 January 2011, 16:08:04

Greetings,

I took apart my Unicomp USB Endurapro (Model M) keyboard to clean the crevices.  (Almond milk all over the board, wonderful).

I have a loose 5th wire (black).  The other 4 wires (red, black, yellow, white) all have designated places but I don't recall this 5th wire being loose when I took the keyboard apart.  Any idea where it goes?  

Please see my pictures if you need any visual guidance.

Thanks!
Spingal

Title: Model M Keyboard HELP
Post by: Phaedrus2129 on Thu, 20 January 2011, 16:09:57

Maybe a grounding wire? Don't know what it would ground to though. Perhaps it grounds to the backplate?

Title: Model M Keyboard HELP
Post by: JohnElliott on Thu, 20 January 2011, 17:07:08

I agree that it's almost certainly the cable shield, but I'd expect it to end in a washer, like this:

(http://www.seasip.info/Misc/Images/1227T_controller.jpg)

Perhaps there's a suitable washer on one of the screws holding the controller to the keyboard, and the wire has broken off from it?

Title: Model M Keyboard HELP
Post by: Lanx on Thu, 20 January 2011, 17:25:40

the washer musta been stripped off by accident?

Title: Model M Keyboard HELP
Post by: Aim Here on Sat, 22 January 2011, 07:40:16

When I had to take my Customiser apart, there was some sort of a grounding wire soldered to a metal clip on the steel backplate - it looked awfully like the clip above and to the right of the Pause key in one of your pictures, though it was in a different place. There was no washer.

Title: Model M Keyboard HELP
Post by: spingal on Thu, 27 January 2011, 12:37:51

Thanks for the help.  The black wire was not attached to a washer like the picture above:(

Title: Model M Keyboard HELP
Post by: keyb_gr on Thu, 27 January 2011, 14:07:17

Quote from: spingal;285819

Thanks for the help.  The black wire was not attached to a washer like the picture above:(

Then it's prolly this:

Quote from: Aim Here;282776

When I had to take my Customiser apart, there was some sort of a grounding wire soldered to a metal clip on the steel backplate - it looked awfully like the clip above and to the right of the Pause key in one of your pictures, though it was in a different place. There was no washer.

Said clip is seen in your first pic. Best pull it off before soldering the cable, that backplate would make a nice big heatsink.

Quote from: ripster;285829

Technically I don't believe shield should be attached at both ends anyway.  Keyboard manufacturers ignore that rule of thumb.

The connection in question seems to be the only one between shield and backplate here, so no worries about ground loops.