Author Topic: Should the foam always be replaced on a model f?  (Read 1721 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline supamesican

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 222
Should the foam always be replaced on a model f?
« on: Mon, 20 May 2019, 07:33:50 »
Yeah that's something I've been wondering for a while. I've never replaced mine and it works well enough, but I want to make sure I take care of it right.

Offline chyros

  • a.k.a. Thomas
  • * Esteemed Elder
  • Posts: 3515
  • Location: The Netherlands
  • Hello and welcome.
Re: Should the foam always be replaced on a model f?
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 20 May 2019, 08:22:08 »
Absolutely not.

I'd recommend only changing it if it's really necessary. 
Check my keyboard video reviews:


Offline supamesican

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 222
Re: Should the foam always be replaced on a model f?
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 20 May 2019, 09:21:35 »
Awesome, thank you!

Offline fohat.digs

  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 6567
  • Location: 35°55'N, 83°53'W
  • weird funny old guy
Re: Should the foam always be replaced on a model f?
« Reply #3 on: Mon, 20 May 2019, 18:12:54 »
Thomas is right.

That said, I have cracked open half a dozen each XTs and ATs, and probably 2 dozen 122-key terminals. The majority of XTs and ATs had good or acceptable foam, perhaps 2/3 to 3/4 of them, but 80%+ of the big boys had poor-to-utterly-disintegrated foam. I theorize that while XTs and ATs were consumer products kept indoors, terminals were corporate/industrial machines that were probably tossed into warehouses, at best, when decommissioned.

Having replaced foam often enough that I am proficient at it, I consider it de rigueur for a rehab, and only bypass it occasionally.
 
When a Fool gains power, the First thing he does is Silence the Wise.
The Next thing he does is Gather other Fools around him.
The Final thing he does is Destroy the Nation.
- Plato