Apple M0116 - was there a spring under the spacebar?

[mr_a500]

From the title of this thread, I'm sure you can guess that I did something foolish. I spent the last couple days ripping apart and cleaning the motherlode of keyboards that I own. By the time I got to my last keyboard, the M0116, I was in a semi-psychotic state and had become... less careful with my ripping.

Anyway, when I went to put back the spacebar on the M0116, I noticed that the thing doesn't quite work. When you press it on the left, it doesn't come back up all the way. So, I'm thinking there must have been a spring in the hole - which went "boing" and disappeared when I ripped off the spacebar. (...at least it didn't end up in my eyeball)

Can anybody confirm?

[kishy]

Gimme a few, I'll have mine out of the closet of doom soon enough.

[mr_a500]

Holy ****e, you guys are fast!

OK... so now I have to rip apart my computer room to find the damn spring.

Thanks.

[mr_a500]

Gimme a few, I'll have mine out of the closet of doom soon enough.

What a coincidence... the picture of your M0116 is the one that came up in my internet search - which I used to put my keyboard back together when I forgot which keys went where. (some keys are strangely placed compared to the M0115)

[mr_a500]

oops.  No spring.

Just doublechecked.

Spring... no spring... make up your damn mind!

If there's no spring (which is good), then I wonder why it's not working. I've got everything where it's supposed to be.

[kishy]

[EverythingIBM]

Spring... no spring... make up your damn mind!

If there's no spring (which is good), then I wonder why it's not working. I've got everything where it's supposed to be.

You can always throw it out and get an SGI granite keyboard.

[mr_a500]

Yeah, well check this out.


Notice how the bar attaches from the top, not the bottom. I thought it was strange when I tried to assemble it. That's unlike all my other Alps keyboards where the bar attaches from the bottom.

[mr_a500]

You can always throw it out and get an SGI granite keyboard.

I've already got an SGI granite keyboard.

[kishy]

Yeah, well check this out. Notice how the bar attaches from the top, not the bottom. I thought it was strange when I tried to assemble it. That's unlike all my other Alps keyboards where the bar attaches from the bottom.

Huh....lookit mine...

Mounting holes at both top and bottom. Yours looks like top only. Weird.

[mr_a500]

The thing is, it was working perfectly before. I don't see what the problem is. Maybe the ones with the bar at the top did have a spring.

[mr_a500]

My spacebar feels like crap.  Maybe it needs a spring.

Have you checked the stabilizers to make sure the metal bar goes into the hole and the bottom of the stabilizer is seated?  Mine was busted so I had to bailing wire it.

Yes, that's fine. I tried turning around the little plastic holders that hold the bar (which usually rip off with the key), to see if the key would hold the bar closer - but that didn't work. It made the bar snag on the keyswitch.

[mr_a500]

I fixed it! No, it doesn't need a spring. (so ripster was wrong, then right, then wrong again

It looks like the bar wasn't quite in the grooves on the key. The problem is, getting it into the grooves is a real bastard. You can see why they moved the bar to the bottom. On the top, you have to find a way to pull the bar under the key until it goes in the grooves.

To do this, I had to find a piece of metal. I thought to myself, "Where am I going to get a piece of metal... here... in space... at this hour." I got a bobby pin. Now you'll probably ask, "What's a man doing with a bobby pin?" Well, don't ask. I bent the pin, stuck it in and shorted that thing out... I mean... pulled the bar back. Now, somebody get me McCroskey!

(if you don't know what the hell I'm talking about in the above paragraph, watch "Airplane II")


Thanks everybody for your help!

[itlnstln]

Gimme a few, I'll have mine out of the closet... soon enough.

I always knew there was a reason Apple had a rainbow logo.

[mr_a500]

OK, I got the spring wrong for 1 minute but....

Yeah, yeah. I thought you meant the little plastic bar holders and the plastic thingy that has a hole in it that the metal cylinder thingy on the space bar goes into. Those were fine (as I said).

I looked where the bar goes into the grooves on the key and it looked like the bar was in there. It was actually on top of the grooves. With the bar on the top, like it is, it is hard to bend your eyeballs under the key to see properly. Anyway, that's my excuse.

(...to use a quote from "The Life of Brian", "My legs are grey. My ears are gnarled. My eyes are old and bent.")

By the way, what the hell is that video you posted? I can't see embedded flash.

[kishy]

GFDI, I still can't get the spacebar back on. Total board disassembly time is imminent.

[mr_a500]

I had to look up "GFDI"... do you mean "Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute"?
Oh, now I see... you probably mean "God ****ing Damn It".

I can't help but feel partly responsible. (but not completely responsible)

Anyway, it looks like you need total board disassembly. Your keyboard is friggin filthy. Just be thankful that you've got the keyboard with the bar at the bottom. If you had the one at the top, you'd be using acronyms like "WFMUTA!"

[kishy]

Clean it? Why the hell would I do that?

I got it back together. Took top half of case off, pulled off the stabilizer tube from the metal plate (it just clips on and pulls off easily), slid the spacebar into it, then attached spacebar the stabilizer rod and put onto switch. Ensured clips on "tube" were lined up, then pressed down spacebar - success.