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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Raoul on Thu, 24 March 2011, 18:11:09

Title: Model M Spacebar
Post by: Raoul on Thu, 24 March 2011, 18:11:09
Hi

So I just got a model m off ebay (finally) and its 99% awesome. All the keys are functioning and register, I just seem to have a problem and I'm not sure if it requires a full key replacement or if there is some ghetto mod that can be done. Basically this is what the right little clasp for the stabilizer looks like:

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=3672&stc=1&d=1249832200) (courtesy of ripster when googling a solution)

I can hit the spacebar anywhere from the middle to the broken side, but if I hit it on the left side, it sortof goes up at an odd angle. Is a replacement key the only option here?

Thanks
Title: Model M Spacebar
Post by: Raoul on Thu, 24 March 2011, 18:31:23
Well I managed to get it to work with a thin strip of duct tape, because the side closest to me is still intact (while the opposite one broke) it just needs to be held against it and it functions perfectly. Something like a putty that hardens might be a better fix, but this works so far. Really enjoy typing on the keyboard, feels great.
Title: Model M Spacebar
Post by: False_Dmitry_II on Thu, 24 March 2011, 18:49:04
There are many such kinds of material. One I just used is called JB weld. Others are green stuff" which is for warhammer 40k wargaming and such.

Only problem with that is you wouldn't want the stuff to harden onto the metal because I'm pretty sure its supposed to be able to move.
Title: Model M Spacebar
Post by: Raoul on Thu, 24 March 2011, 18:59:51
Quote from: False_Dmitry_II;318008
Only problem with that is you wouldn't want the stuff to harden onto the metal because I'm pretty sure its supposed to be able to move.


Yeah thats exactly what I was thinking, perhaps I would need to put some sort of lubricant or something on the stabilizer so it doesn't bond.
Title: Model M Spacebar
Post by: escargot on Thu, 24 March 2011, 19:38:47
Yeah, green stuff is a good option, it sticks good against plastic. Just model the broken bit onto the spacebar, let it dry and if you modeled it relatively similar to the original it should work perfectly.