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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: aidanmulvenna on Tue, 26 November 2013, 13:03:35

Title: Spacebar Woes
Post by: aidanmulvenna on Tue, 26 November 2013, 13:03:35
My spacebar has become very wobbly - as in it will make an annoying sound, even if it was barely touched. This only happens on the right side.

The metal stab spring is very bendy too.

The plastic stabilisers come out if i try to take off the spacebar.

Is it the plastic, metal or cap that is doing this, or a combination?
Title: Re: Spacebar Woes
Post by: Photoelectric on Tue, 26 November 2013, 13:37:42
Get some teflon/pipe tape and put a small square over stabilizer inserts.  If you don't have teflon tape, just use some transparent plastic wrap you get in large rolls for food storage purposes.  Insert the covered stabilizer pieces into your spacebar, and they will fit snugly, without fallilng out.  It also helps to lubricate the metal stabilizer bar where it inserts into the white insert pieces.  You need proper grease for that.  I've seen good reviews for MechLube from elitekeyboards.com.
Title: Re: Spacebar Woes
Post by: metalliqaz on Tue, 26 November 2013, 13:39:14
Yes you want them to fit snug.  They are usually too loose on SP keys.  I use little squares cut out from my receipts. (thin paper)
Title: Re: Spacebar Woes
Post by: esoomenona on Tue, 26 November 2013, 13:41:30
I used little pieces of toilet paper and that worked just fine. Easier to tear little pieces as your going along than to cut up pieces of other types of material, IMO. But really, any sort of thing along these lines will do it for you.
Title: Re: Spacebar Woes
Post by: aidanmulvenna on Tue, 26 November 2013, 15:57:48
Where exactly do i put the squares?

Sorry for not understanding.r
Title: Re: Spacebar Woes
Post by: esoomenona on Tue, 26 November 2013, 15:58:43
Place them over the open stem hole on the cap, then stick the stabilizer insert into the hole, pushing the squares in with it.
Title: Re: Spacebar Woes
Post by: Photoelectric on Tue, 26 November 2013, 16:01:10
I've made photographs for this before, here:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=47605.msg1015571#msg1015571
Title: Re: Spacebar Woes
Post by: CPTBadAss on Tue, 26 November 2013, 16:01:56
Thank you Photoelectric. I'm borrowing those :D.
Title: Re: Spacebar Woes
Post by: aidanmulvenna on Tue, 26 November 2013, 16:29:52
That clears it up, photo.

Thanks again.

I have stashed that on opera.
Title: Re: Spacebar Woes
Post by: CPTBadAss on Tue, 26 November 2013, 16:31:24
I've also added it to Simple Questions Simple Answers (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=40501.0#post_YY).
Title: Re: Spacebar Woes
Post by: aidanmulvenna on Tue, 26 November 2013, 16:38:17
Nice.  (I am a man of few words).
Title: Re: Spacebar Woes
Post by: rowdy on Tue, 26 November 2013, 23:25:49
Personally I found teflon tape too thin and fiddly.

A 1cm square of plastic ziplock bag worked wonders for me.
Title: Re: Spacebar Woes
Post by: terran5992 on Wed, 27 November 2013, 00:32:10
I used blu-tac . A bit permanent but get the job does well