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geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: keebler64 on Thu, 26 April 2012, 14:56:45

Title: Need some keycaps to replace the melted/charred remains of my NEC APC-H412s
Post by: keebler64 on Thu, 26 April 2012, 14:56:45
So, the board I was so "lovenly" restoring, suffered a great loss last night.... In a horrible attempt to dye the keys (I've done this many times before), I suffered a serious attack of A.D.D. and left them on the burner for over an hour while reading the wonderful GH wiki articles, it was the smell of vinegar and charred plastic that wafted in across the house....

So, now I need all of the beige/white keys (minus WASD), or a full set capable of fitting NEC Blues (I don't know what else to call the damn switches, since they're custom ALPS apparently.)

Here's the horror...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/Nicca64/5c2f1dbe.jpg)

EDIT: Also, NEC Keycaps do not like dye either. This was the third 15 minute session, and they were only a molted brown/grey.
Title: Need some keycaps to replace the melted/charred remains of my NEC APC-H412s
Post by: fohat.digs on Thu, 26 April 2012, 17:05:41
Ouch!

Are you dyeing ABS? If so, how?

Thanks for your sacrifice
Title: Need some keycaps to replace the melted/charred remains of my NEC APC-H412s
Post by: Rexxed on Thu, 26 April 2012, 17:25:46
Ouch, that's really bad.  I think that your best bet will be to find another keyboard on ebay since the keycap stems aren't compatible with ALPS or cherry mx as far as I can tell.  I know that my father's been using one of these NEC boards for about 10 years and I'm not looking forward to the day when something more disastrous than a spill happens (the spill was easy to clean up).

A quick search showed these:
missing F3 key
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Computer-PC-Keyboard-PS-2-mechanical-clicky-KeyBoard-NEC-APC-H412-/110865229504?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item19d01526c0#ht_500wt_1229

looks compatible but it's a laptop keyboard so every key might not be the same
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-PC-16-40-MultiSpeed-Laptop-Keyboard-/190669693005?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c64cca04d#ht_500wt_995

hilariously expensive, missing left Alt
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-APC-H412-Keyboard-/190608669340?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c61297a9c#ht_674wt_978
Title: Need some keycaps to replace the melted/charred remains of my NEC APC-H412s
Post by: Squelos on Thu, 26 April 2012, 17:45:02
****ing awesome pic !