VOGONS


First post, by NightShadowPT

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Hi,

I am in the process of restoring an old Compaq keyboard (from the early 90s).

Unfortunately, the stabilizers on my space bar both broke on the same place.

C5A39687-2EFE-487D-B2E3-E60B8585B1C5.jpeg
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C5A39687-2EFE-487D-B2E3-E60B8585B1C5.jpeg
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This results in a very wobbly space bar that only works if I press it dead center.

Any ideas on how I could repair this? Thanks in advance.

I leave a few more photos to illustrate:

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NightShadowPT
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Compaq Deskpro M 486/66 - 64MB Ram - Compaq QVision 1MB - Orpheus II Sound
Card - 4GB SCSI HDD + 4GB CF Card - SCSI CD-ROM Plextor PX-32TSi - Adaptec WideSCSI AHA-2740W - 3COM Etherlink III Card

Reply 1 of 3, by BoyCheeky

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I suggest plastic reconstruction using baking soda and super glue: https://youtu.be/n1meoZaHYZo
Take caution and do some research beforehand to determine if any harm will occur with the products of your choice.

Reply 2 of 3, by NightShadowPT

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BoyCheeky wrote on 2022-10-21, 18:01:

I suggest plastic reconstruction using baking soda and super glue: https://youtu.be/n1meoZaHYZo
Take caution and do some research beforehand to determine if any harm will occur with the products of your choice.

That's probably the only viable solution, short of buying another keyboard.

I've been looking into into stabilizers for hand made keyboards, but I am unsure if they would be a good fit, and they cost almost half of what I paid for this keyboard in the first place.

Not sure how well I can do with the super glue and baking soda, but guess there is no harm to try...

NightShadowPT
----------------
Compaq Deskpro M 486/66 - 64MB Ram - Compaq QVision 1MB - Orpheus II Sound
Card - 4GB SCSI HDD + 4GB CF Card - SCSI CD-ROM Plextor PX-32TSi - Adaptec WideSCSI AHA-2740W - 3COM Etherlink III Card

Reply 3 of 3, by NightShadowPT

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Well, it worked like a charm…

The Super Glue and Baking Soda technique saved the day.

Here is a shot with the final result:

76D282B9-8DB3-4A60-BBC4-CCD1E2354707.jpeg
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76D282B9-8DB3-4A60-BBC4-CCD1E2354707.jpeg
File size
1.05 MiB
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213 views
File license
Public domain

NightShadowPT
----------------
Compaq Deskpro M 486/66 - 64MB Ram - Compaq QVision 1MB - Orpheus II Sound
Card - 4GB SCSI HDD + 4GB CF Card - SCSI CD-ROM Plextor PX-32TSi - Adaptec WideSCSI AHA-2740W - 3COM Etherlink III Card