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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: AKIMbO on Sat, 24 November 2012, 11:01:47
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....I bought 2 "broken" Model Ms for part on ebay for an uber cheap sum of $15 shipped. Turns out both boards are 100% functional and just need a few bent springs replaced. I open the Model Ms, turn them over to separate the PCB from the barrel plate and.....
(http://i46.tinypic.com/286u780.jpg)
What the motherlovin butterflies and cupcakes is this? Plastic!? Plastic rivets! Do I really have to chisel all this off just to replace some springs. Someone tell me I'm riding the short bus and there's an easier way to separate the PCB and barrel plate on Model Ms.
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Nope. You'll have to remove all the plastic rivets and do a bolt mod to separate them.
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FML....my opinion of model Ms just went way down.
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Of course you have to chisel those rivets off. That's why some people do bolt mods for their Model M's, since those plastic rivets are known to get brittle and break off over time.
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Melt the rivets down into new keycaps. Win! ;D
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It's possible to change springs without bolt-modding, I use this contraption...
[attachimg=1]
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How old is the keyboard?
And in what year did the springs become broken?
I have always wondered how long springs last.
I guess buckling springs don't last nearly as long as cherry springs / alps springs / etc. due to the weird sideways movement in Buckling Springs?
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It's possible to change springs without bolt-modding, I use this contraption...
(Attachment Link)
Teach me....please!
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Take Seven Deadly Cocktail Sticks, some sticky tape (not stretchy), a sharp knife, a file, and a 2mm or 3mm drill bit.
0. check that your cocktail sticks fit inside the spring.
1. cut the pointy bits off, and pick a nice smooth one for the centre.
2. bundle together and tape - not too tightly, so the centre one slides.
3. remove the centre one and tidy the ends of the other six.
4. use the drill bit to make a small dimple in the end of the centre one (helps locate it on the hammer).
Removing a spring without damage is not something I've bothered trying to do.
To fit a spring...
1. extend centre and pop a spring on (as in the pic).
2. locate end of centre stick on spring seat on the hammer (use finger to hold spring on stick!).
3. push, and twist (clockwise, iirc). Or just push. Not too hard though. As long as you only go as far as pushing the springs coils up against each other, it will return to it's normal length afterwards. Ideally you want to rotate it so the very end of the spring wire is at the rear of the keywell (or just load the tool with it in that position, if just pushing).
It's mostly successful :D Obviously not as good as opening up the 'board, but a lot easier!
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Or if you want to be super lazy, you can order just the internals from Unicomp. As in backing plate + membrane + spring assembly, sans keycaps. They're pin-compatible. (Excepting M13/EnduraPro, which is electrically incompatible.)
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Removing a spring without damage is not something I've bothered trying to do.
Sandy55's Chopstick of Death method (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=5265.0) lets you fit and remove springs, (almost) always without damage if you're careful.
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Sweet...it worked. I used a half baked version of Soarer's tooth pick/cocktail umbrella. Put the spring on the toothpick, pressed down on the spring while it was on the hammer, and turned clockwise with a pair of needle nose pliers (while the spring was on the toothpick and being depressed on the hammer).
Now I have one working Model M that I didn't even expect to have. Thanks guys!
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What kind of connector does that Model M have? 5-pin DIN?
What do you plug it into to know that it works?
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What kind of connector does that Model M have? 5-pin DIN?
What do you plug it into to know that it works?
It uses a PS/2 connector. I use a PS/2 to USB converter (not adapter) in order to get it working with a modern PC.
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Now I have one working Model M that I didn't even expect to have. Thanks guys!
Result!
Cocktail sticks...
(http://www.stopthatcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/cocktail-sticks.jpg)
Toothpicks...
(http://metro.typepad.com/.a/6a00e5517d263f8833011278fa383628a4-800wi)
Much the same :D
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standard metal picks (i have a fluke branded one that i got with my multimeter many moons ago) work well for this too.
and yes, plastic rivets. it's a bit of a sore spot with the guys at unicomp. on further reflection, rknize and i have decided that it's actually a brilliant design from a manufacturability and uniformity standpoint, but no, it doesn't have the durability one would want.
that said, i have been playing around with bolt tension and thinking very hard about this recently, and i'd prefer to have the unicomp guy's construction jig to melt the plastic rivets down rather than having to bolt everything together any day of hte week.
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Oh, yes, the melting plastic is super-fast and easy in a factory setting.
Bolt-modding is a labor of love, but the results are good and solid. (you should know, mkawa!)
I have a few nice Model Ms laying around that I would like to bolt-mod and sell, but my last experience was disappointing to say the least.
Without making at least $40-50 for the process, it just isn't worth it. I simply would not be willing to put forth the time and effort on rebuilding a 1391401 only to have to sell it at, or below, the current "new" Unicomp price. I did it once and won't do it again.
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It might be worth bolt-modding 122s if you did a layout swap while you had it apart.
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Glad you figured this out before you started chopping rivets. I've replaced many springs from the top with no issues.