@E3E That's coming along quite nicely, I think the 7u modifications were probably worth it Also, did you happen to get a model number or any other identifying information about the board that you sourced those caps from? Do you have any pictures of it before you harvested the caps? I can't remember if you told us or not.
Thanks, man. Definitely feels pretty awesome to have modded a space bar to the point of functioning like an actual 7u Alps made space bar and retaining all of the texture on the top surface. It was painstaking but I'm happy with it!
It's a very obscure keyboard, but it's some kind of Alps integrated dome keyboard.
Here's the one with the caps I need to fix.
These are the only identifying features on the PCB, sadly.
@E3E That's exactly what I want to do. Can you share some more info on the stuff you used?
I want to move a stem on stepped caps lock keycap to fit on a board with non-stepped caps lock key position. I was worried about cleanly cutting the stem in the first place as I was hoping to reuse it, but also there's an option to sacrifice another keycap, cut it completely, and then gain access to the stem. Now I don't know if I can take ABS stem and glue it to PBS keycap, and if I can do it with "plain" two-component epoxy that I have. Any help is appreciated.
Completely unrelated, that NeXT board I got, it has SKCM Creams It's still not in my posession, but soon enough.
Hmmm, how to snap it off clean? Use something to get a good grip on it and snap it off. Alps stems are feeble little things.
When I did stem swaps though, I usually sacrificed another Alps key cap, but that's because I was mainly doing Cherry to Alps mods. Now, for my space bar, I used a space bar with the same profile that was grey so I could make sure the angles were perfect.
You can indeed glue an ABS stem to PBT. That's what I did for the space bar of my Hammer Alps 60% when converting it from Cherry to Alps. I used Loctite Ultra Control Gel for that job, but...
I'd recommend this stuff.
https://www.amazon.com/Plast-aid-80400-Plastic-Repair-6-Ounce/dp/B004DFHSM6You can get the smaller 1.5 ounce kit for about half that price, but I'd say get the big one. Also buy a glass dropper to apply the liquid to the resin powder more precisely.
Here are some reasons why this is better than epoxy or gel super glue for this purpose:
• You can use more or less resin to give more build to what you're working with. In other words, you can use it to make up for lost material or a stem that is not exactly flush if need be.
• It has a number of consistencies to work with. It starts off liquid, turns paste-like as it dries, finally more putty like, then fully hardens. You can control this and extend the drying time depending on how much liquid you add to the mix. It can set in as little as 5 minutes up to 15 or more depending on the ratio.
• It chemically bonds with things like acrylic and styrene/ABS and makes an incredibly strong joint. Otherwise, use more resin to make a strong mechanical bond. That's what I had to do with PBT since it does not react with PBT at all, like most things.
The only downside to trying to use an ABS stem with PBT is that you'll kind of be bonding the stuff to the ABS but not the PBT, so if you need to fix or rearrange it, it could be a little annoying.If this stuff gets on anything that it chemically bonds with, it's going to leave a mark, so make sure it's not on your hands when you're touching ABS caps.
Overall, the stuff is excellent. A thick epoxy would probably work too, but it takes ages to set, and even the 5 minute stuff takes a while (it feels soft for a good while after 5 minutes), in my experience. This has more benefits.
Also, let us know how you like the Creams.