[Coco] CoCo 1 keyboard cleanup

[Charles Hudson]

I disassembled, cleaned and reassembled the keyboard components; 52 of 
the 53 keys are much improved.  The spacebar is not registering, I 
suspect because I damaged the brass contactor in handling.  Anyway, I've 
been through it once now and have learned a lot; I can fix this.  
Definitely worth doing.

A tip for anyone inclined to do the same:  Get or make a frame (an open 
hole in a cardboard box would do) so you can suspend the keyboard with 
the keycaps hanging downward, with no pressure on them.  Makes 
disassembly and especially reassembly much easier.

-CH-

P.S.  Anyone ever see a Keytronic KB500?

On 12/20/2021 8:32 AM, Bruce W. Calkins wrote:
> Early CoCo1 keyboards are easy to disassemble and not all that hard to 
> clean.  Reassembly on the other hand is an requires in patience and 
> attention to detail.
>
> "F" board CoCo1s have the Mylar circuit sheet and connector. There is 
> not much that can help them.
>
> Bruce W.
>
>
> On 12/20/21 7:01 AM, Charles Hudson wrote:
>> I would like to address some of the problems I have been experiencing 
>> with my CoCo 1 keyboard.  I understand it was never considered 
>> top-quality but if I can get to the point of having one character per 
>> keypress I'll be happier.  While there are no dead keys some require 
>> a lot of pressure, some are sticky and some double-strike with ease.
>>
>> I'd like to take it apart and clean it but I don't know much about 
>> this keyboard:  Are the keycaps removable?  What is the mechanism for 
>> recognizing a keypress?  Is it capacitive, like the foil-pad keys on 
>> a Kaypro?  How far can I pull it apart?  Is there anything to look 
>> out for?
>>
>> Thanks for any information.
>>
>> -CH-
>>
>