Re: re Northgate keyboards

[jr_fox@xxxxxxxxxx]

Alison Tartt wrote:

> My OmniKey 102 has developed a sticking Enter key. I've tried removing the
> keyboard cover and using a pressurized duster to clean out the fuzzballs.
> But that didn't help. Is this the kind of problem that is considered
> "unfixable" or "not worth fixing"? For a while, I used the Enter key next
> to the keypad, but for me that was too inconvenient. Fortunately, I had a
> spare 102 squirreled away and have now switched, but I hate to just pitch
> the malfunctioning one. If anyone is interested in it (and if you think you
> can fix it or get it fixed), let me know. I'd like to find it a good home.
>
> Alison Tartt
>

At this point, I can't be sure, but I have my own theory of what went wrong
with mine. Some keys weren't functioning properly. So I did a light once-over
vacuuming, when -- if I had it to do over again -- I would have vacuumed the
keyboard thoroughly, with maximum suction. (My assumption being that shooting
compressed air in there might just wedge some dust in deeper, or redistribute
it. Vacuuming seemed like a better idea.) THEN, I sprayed some freon type
electronic contact cleaner all in under and around every key. (Note to those
concerned about the environment: it wasn't actually freon, which hasn't been
sold to the public for some time. It WAS approved for cleaning electronics
switching, etc., and is supposed to evaporate completely, leaving no residue.)
After this treatment, some of the problem was much improved -- sticky keys in
particular -- but two keys became much worse. Over the passage of time since
then, the faulty "K" seems to have mostly cleared up, but the "L" is still very
flakey. Most keypresses of it, no matter how hard or soft, yield nothing. Or
else I get a machine-gun LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL effect. My theory is that I
dislodged some grit with the solvent, to worse results. On the other hand, the
underlying ALPS switches can deteriorate all by themselves, or so I've been
told. It may just have been time for that key to fail. Post-treatment, the
NumPad ENTER key also rarely works. But after like 12 years, this keyboard
owes me nothing. I've been putting it off, but the spare is waiting in the
wings.

Guess we'll just have to wait out those backordered Avants, though.


Jordan