[TriLUG] keyboards

Wed Mar 4 12:28:08 EST 2015

Air compressor set at 90 PSI and an air gun attachment. Gets all the
crumbs/hair/dust/etc out. No drying time.

On Sun, Mar 1, 2015 at 5:09 PM, David Both via TriLUG <trilug at trilug.org> wrote:
> +1
>
> In the late '80s and early '90s, I worked at the IBM National Support Center
> where we supported IBM PCs. We all had some very funny stories and one of
> mine is about a keyboard.
>
> A dealer (we originally only supported dealers) called and I got the call.
> He said his customer had a bad keyboard and could it be repaired because the
> customer did not want to spend the money to purchase a new keyboard. The old
> IBM keyboards were quite expensive. I told the dealer that the keyboards
> were not repairable and asked what the specific problem was. He said that
> the keyboard actually worked fine, which was one of the reasons that the
> customer did not actually want to pay for a new keyboard. He went on to say
> that the customer's cat had used the keyboard for a litter box.
>
> I told the dealer that the customer had 3 choices. 1 - Live with it, 2 - Buy
> a new keyboard, or 3 - run the old one through the dishwasher and air dry it
> for a few days. I also suggested he might use a hair dryer on low heat for
> awhile to speed the process.
>
> I asked the dealer to call me back to let me know the result, but I never
> heard about it again. Too bad.
>
> The only reason I suggested that at the time was that I had been a Customer
> Engineer for a few years and had cleaned some keyboards using this method.
> The old IBM keyboards were quite durable and very well made. The cheap
> keyboards available these days are horrible. I have s few of the Unicomp
> keyboards and really like them a lot. But as others have said, I have found
> that the key switches sometimes fail. This discussion has pointed me to some
> new keyboard sources and I am willing to pay well for really good keyboards.
>
> Thanks!
>
>
>
> On 03/01/2015 04:53 PM, Sean Korb via TriLUG wrote:
>>
>> +1.  NO DETERGENT!!! Air dry only.  For a good long time (days at least)
>>
>> On Sun, Mar 1, 2015 at 4:50 PM, Ken Mink via TriLUG <trilug at trilug.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I've done the same. NO DETERGENT!!! And no heat drying. Gentle wash
>>> cycle,
>>> then take it out and air dry for a good while. The last one I did was my
>>> wifes Mac chicklet keyboard.
>>>
>>>
>>> On 3/1/15 16:06, David Burton via TriLUG wrote:
>>>
>>>> Do you use detergent?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Mar 1, 2015 at 1:19 PM, Sean Korb via TriLUG <trilug at trilug.org>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>   I've used the dishwasher on keyboards I've given up on.  I let them
>>>> dry
>>>>>
>>>>> for
>>>>> weeks since I usually have a surplus of keyboards.  It's worked on both
>>>>> a
>>>>> Logitech and an HP keyboard so far... I'm typing with one right now :)
>>>>>
>>>>> sean
>>>>>
>>>>> On Sat, Feb 28, 2015 at 8:57 PM, Steve Litt via TriLUG <
>>>>> trilug at trilug.org>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>   On Sat, 28 Feb 2015 16:10:11 -0500
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Ric Moore via TriLUG <trilug at trilug.org> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>   On 02/28/2015 08:26 AM, Peter Neilson via TriLUG wrote:
>>>>>>   Does anyone have a recommendation for a keyboard with better keys?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The keyboard of the Televideo 1603 was a dream. Alas, those days of
>>>>>>> CP/M and keyboard chivalry are long gone. :( Ric
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Yes!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My Kaypro 2x came with this light touch keyboard with even spring
>>>>>> action all the way down, and when you hit bottom, you could go no
>>>>>> further and knew it. This sounds problematic, but in fact it was a
>>>>>> fast
>>>>>> type and I've never had anything like it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I had several of the IBM Clickety Clacks over the years and liked
>>>>>> them,
>>>>>> but while I was writing Samba Unleashed I stopped using them because
>>>>>> they required too much finger pressure for 3K word/day month long
>>>>>> stretches.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I now have a circa 2002 Compaq keyboard that's absolutely wonderful.
>>>>>> Tactical feedback without the 50 decibel sound of the IBM
>>>>>> clickety-clacks, and without the extreme finger pressure requirement.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The only problem is, I eat at my keyboard (excuuuuuuuse me!), so it's
>>>>>> filthy now. What do you guys do to clean up a keyboard? I was thinking
>>>>>> of taking a photo of it, putting all the keys in the washing machine,
>>>>>> cleaning the exterior and somehow the interior too without losing the
>>>>>> springs and rubber domes, and then putting it back together again.
>>>>>> Does
>>>>>> that sound reasonable?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I long for the days when you could get really good keyboards for three
>>>>>> bucks apiece at garage sales and computer swap meets.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> SteveT
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Steve Litt                *  http://www.troubleshooters.com/
>>>>>> Troubleshooting Training  *  Human Performance
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> This message was sent to: Sean Korb <spkorb at gmail.com>
>>>>>> To unsubscribe, send a blank message to trilug-leave at trilug.org from
>>>>>>
>>>>> that
>>>>>
>>>>>> address.
>>>>>> TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug
>>>>>> Unsubscribe or edit options on the web  :
>>>>>> http://www.trilug.org/mailman/options/trilug/spkorb%40gmail.com
>>>>>> Welcome to TriLUG: http://trilug.org/welcome
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Sean Korb spkorb at spkorb.org http://www.spkorb.org
>>>>> '65,'68 Mustangs,'68 Cougar,'78 R100/7,'60 Metro,'59 A35,'71 Pantera
>>>>> #1382
>>>>> "The more you drive, the less intelligent you get" --Miller
>>>>> "Computers are useless.  They can only give you answers." -P. Picasso
>>>>> --
>>>>> This message was sent to: Dave Burton <ncdave4life at gmail.com>
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>>>>> that
>>>>> address.
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>>>>> Unsubscribe or edit options on the web  :
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>>>>> Welcome to TriLUG: http://trilug.org/welcome
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>> --
>>> This message was sent to: Sean Korb <spkorb at gmail.com>
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>>> Welcome to TriLUG: http://trilug.org/welcome
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>> *********************************************************
>> David P. Both, RHCE
>> Millennium Technology Consulting LLC
>> Raleigh, NC, USA
>> 919-389-8678
>>
>> dboth at millennium-technology.com
>>
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>> www.databook.bz - Home of the DataBook for Linux
>> DataBook is a Registered Trademark of David Both
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> --
> This message was sent to: Joseph Tate <dragonstrider at gmail.com>
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-- 
Joseph Tate