Time for a New Keyboard

[zild1221]

I purchased a used Compaq MX 11800 a few years ago for $15, just to see if I liked Cherry Browns. I ended up loving the Browns, and the board worked flawlessly. Today I popped all the caps off and did my monthly thorough cleaning, however, I ran into a couple problems.

First off, two switches got stuck in the up position. I put the cap back on, went to press down, and nothing happened. I took the cap back off and tried wiggling the cross shaped part of the switch, and that didn't do anything. I got a little frustrated with it, and tried the brute force method... Trying to slam it down didn't work either. I gave up and took the switch off the board.

The next problem is the clip on the shift key that holds the metal bar in place. It is worn down and won't hold the bar in place.

I think I got my money's worth out of the board, and that it is finally time to move on. I like the Browns so I want to stay with them. Also my new desk is kind of a tight squeeze. Tenkeyless would be optimal, even though I like having a numpad, however, a compact design would work as well. I don't have a huge amount to spend on this, so the cheaper the better. Also, I'm not opposed to buying used. What would you guys suggest at this point?

Also, is there any buyer interest in loose brown switches? I have almost a full board of them. I have all the key caps in perfect condition as well if anyone is interested. Anything to put towards a new keyboard would be awesome.

Thanks for your input in advance!

[N8N]

Alternately I have some of the remains of a Cherry POS board if you want to try to fix your 11800.  Some people love 'em, personally the non-standard layout drives me nuts, is the only reason I sold mine.  Other than that they're great keyboards and what's nice about them is you can use them as "switch try boards" because they're not plate mounted... wanna try Ghetto Reds?  Ergo Clears?  Only a couple hours' work even if you clean and lube everything.  I'd be happy to throw a couple switches and some of the stabilizer parts in an envelope for you.  I could also sell you a working G80-8200 with browns, but that's waaaaay bigger than a 11800, or even a standard sized keyboard.  (I used one as my own switch try board for a while... the one w/ browns has cleaned and lubed switches because it's been completely apart; the one with clears is just cosmetically cleaned.)

[IvanIvanovich]

Cherry G80-1865LXNEU-2, or maybe check out the Plum 96 though it is not available with browns yet, it is pcb mount so you could swap the stems on your old board to it. I think either of those are the smallest with numpad boards that are readily available and both are close to $100ish new. Else if you want to go tenkeyless there are a lot of options in huge range of budget.