How to open an unopenable IBM M

[Spyre]

second time writing this, i hope this works now
So, i got myself a cannon screw 7/32", but my keyboard was so ****ed lame, that i couldn't open with it.

btw, that wasn't cheap. I bought it for 16R$, that's 7$US.
inb4, i saw some random guy on the internet laughing about using a pen to open the keyboard, but, yolo, i tried.

Guys, it worked out. LIKE ****ING MAGIC. Seriously, 5 days and 16R$ after...

You need: -Heat
               -Cheap pen (I stole mine from my sister, IT'S FREE)
               -Heavy Metal
Take the tube of the pen, or whatever that stuff is called, and heat the edge, but not that much. Then, put into the screw, and
apply some pressure. Wait till it gets cold, and be happy with the cheapest 7/32" in the world. No drills, no money spent.
SWEET.

My first real topic here, and i apologize for my horrendous english. Correct me, please.
I hope i could help, and this should work with other Keyboards and stuff lol

[o0002]

Thanks for sharing that with us 
Are you going to attempt a bolt mod?

[Spyre]

Not really. I think i can't do it by myself And i can't make someone get the job done, because no one here can do it either. XD

[o0002]

These YouTube videos make it look easy:

[fohat.digs]

Ha Ha Ha

You are young, am I right?

Acquire tools all your life. It is a pain to cart them around with you, but they make every task easier.

[Spyre]

Ha Ha Ha

You are young, am I right?

Acquire tools all your life. It is a pain to cart them around with you, but they make every task easier.

I am! Only 16. Yes, that is the kind of tip that i want to hear. Thank you very much :d

These YouTube videos make it look easy:

I didn't know that i can find that stuff on YouTube lol This make my life easier, at some point. Thanks for sharing :d

[o0002]

I have not yet managed to acquire a Model M but I'm looking forward to attempting a bolt mod. It doesn't actually look too difficult. Or am I being overconfident?

[Spyre]

Well, at least for me, looks like if i touch the rivets, the keyboard will be dead forever and ever. I am kinda scared to repair this keyboard, i know i can't find another one XD

[fohat.digs]

It doesn't actually look too difficult. Or am I being overconfident?

If you can drill several dozen very small holes very accurately there are no other significant problems.

[Spyre]

It doesn't actually look too difficult. Or am I being overconfident?

If you can drill several dozen very small holes very accurately there are no other significant problems.

NOT EVEN SCARED. /irony

[o0002]

In that first YouTube video that I posted the chap uses some sort of fixed drill (that's the technical term  ) to make the holes. Obviously I don't own one of them but I have managed to drill many holes into walls over the years without too many mishaps. Is it possible to drill freehand as it were?

[o0002]

More on bolt modding:

http://wiki.geekhack.org/index.php?title=Modifications:IBM_Model_M:Nut_and_Bolt_Mod

[Spyre]

Maybe i'll do it, maybe i won't. If i get money enough for a drill

[fohat.digs]

Is it possible to drill freehand as it were?

What he skips over briefly at the 7 minute mark is the crucial aspect of the whole affair.

Without a drill press, you need to use a tool like a Dremel, with a sharp fresh bit, at the slowest possible setting, held with both hands, wearing safety glasses and moving in very close, to drill straight down.

Having a "starter" to keep the drill from "walking" is of utmost importance. The best method is to create a small depression with a tiny spherical burr tip on your Dremel. The 2nd best is to use a pointed tip on your soldering iron to make a crater at the center of what was previously the shaft of the rivet.

[chyros]

Oh wow! Thanks, I haven't been able to open up my Model Ms due to not having the nut driver yet, definitely giving this a try soon .

Do you have to do this with a loose 7/32" screw, or can you do it into a Model M channel directly?

[Spyre]

Oh wow! Thanks, I haven't been able to open up my Model Ms due to not having the nut driver yet, definitely giving this a try soon .

Do you have to do this with a loose 7/32" screw, or can you do it into a Model M channel directly?

Into the Model M The plastic doesn't stuck if it's cold, and you can easily remove. And no residues. :3

[hwood34]

That certainly is an odd way of doing it

[fohat.digs]

Just buy the damn tool and quit messing around!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Performance-Tool-W30921-7-32-X-3-Nut-Driver-/400557801899?hash=item5d431b01ab&item=400557801899&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr

[Oobly]

Ha Ha Ha

You are young, am I right?

Acquire tools all your life. It is a pain to cart them around with you, but they make every task easier.

I am! Only 16. Yes, that is the kind of tip that i want to hear. Thank you very much :d
...

If you don't mind me adding my thoughts on this: Buy good quality tools. Good tools will be useful your whole life and it's worth spending a bit to get decent quality ones. You don't need to get Snap-On / Stahlwille when you're young and can't afford it, but don't get non-branded junk. It's better to get one great screwdriver that'll do the job forever than a set of cheaper drivers that won't last.

On the other hand, this is a rather non-standard tool size and will not likely be needed again (unless you get into modding model M's as a living?), so the makeshift tool is absolutely fine in this situation.

[Snowdog993]

If you have a Home Depot or Lowe's nearby, you can also get a 1/4" 5.5mm deep socket.  The Kobalt version shown in the picture is actually attached to a plastic key-type mold that works perfectly as a do-it-yourself 5.5mm (or 7/32") driver.
It's about $3 at Lowes, but you can find them at any hardware store that sells them.

Edit: Had to show off the tool!

[bueller]

Ha Ha Ha

You are young, am I right?

Acquire tools all your life. It is a pain to cart them around with you, but they make every task easier.

This. I saw tools as disposable when I was younger and would constantly lose them, now that I have a good tool box I find doing DIY tasks so much easier with the right hardware. It does cost a little bit to get set up but if you buy bits and pieces slowly within a couple of years you should have most stuff covered.

[pr0ximity]

Is it possible to drill freehand as it were?

What he skips over briefly at the 7 minute mark is the crucial aspect of the whole affair.

Without a drill press, you need to use a tool like a Dremel, with a sharp fresh bit, at the slowest possible setting, held with both hands, wearing safety glasses and moving in very close, to drill straight down.

Having a "starter" to keep the drill from "walking" is of utmost importance. The best method is to create a small depression with a tiny spherical burr tip on your Dremel. The 2nd best is to use a pointed tip on your soldering iron to make a crater at the center of what was previously the shaft of the rivet.

If you have patience, this is not as intimidating as it sounds. I bolted mine by hand with a dremel and only one of the holes I drilled was off-center enough not to use, the rest were within the needed tolerance. I found the old soldering iron method was best for me, a spherical tip on the dremel moved around too much by itself on the uneven rivet stub, but one with steadier mitts than me might have more luck.

[fohat.digs]

a spherical tip on the dremel moved around too much by itself on the uneven rivet stub,

I use chisel tips on an Xacto knife. I use an older imperfect blade to cut off the rivet heads to separate the plates.

Then I switch to a fresh clean sharp blade and carefully trim the cut shafts into "flat-topped mesas"

I would not even try to drill out the shafts without this step! (note: I have a couple of dozen bolt-mods, all by hand)

After drilling the holes, I use my chisel tip Xacto for the 3rd time, to trim and flatten each one yet again.

In every case, I try to leave the shaft as long as possible (after all, those shafts have been going through the holes all along).

I put on my reading glasses to get very close, use both hands on the knife, resting my wrists on the surface, and push the chisel point straight away from me. 

[XMIT]

I keep a 5.5mm deep socket driver in a drawer just for keyboard work. I've probably used it to open a dozen keyboards at this point. I'm going to invest in a 4mm shallow socket driver for bolt mod work as well. Even if I already have the tool in the garage it is nice to have a dedicated one.

I will second everything that everyone said before me about acquiring tools, particularly quality ones. For most jobs the correct tool costs about as much as the labor to ask someone else to do it, and then you learn something, can do it again for free, and can charge others for your services.

In particular, maintainable tools are really excellent. If you have an Allen key (hex key) and the tip gets rounded, you can just grind it down to get a fresh tip. Not so many tools are serviceable like this but some are.

As for removing rivets for bolt mods - I recently got a chisel tool, with a sharp leading edge and a big sturdy handle. I have not used it yet but I suspect it will work really well. (I can re-sharpen it in the future if need be.)

[o0002]

Reading about people's experiences in bolt modding is really helpful. Gives me a lot more confidence.