VOGONS


First post, by pixelatedscraps

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I’m working my way slowly through my dream 97-98 rig while I wait for more parts (why can’t realisations of missing parts come in one go vs a trickle?) and one of the ones I’m looking forward to the most is using the Intergraph Concertmaster Multimedia keyboard.

Does anyone have any tips for disassembling and cleaning a keyboard such as this? I can see some fusty bits in between the keys and while the air blower and alcohol wipe route is always easier, I’m thinking a bit of careful deep cleaning could be in order this time.

My ultimate dual 440LX / Voodoo2 SLI build

Reply 1 of 4, by retardware

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Pull caps of keys, switches and pots, disassemble, submerge in warm water a while to soften the crud, clean with a soft sponge, wipe dry, place under blower to evaporate the rest of humidity.
No alcohol needed except for particular non-water-soluble dirt.
Clean the board using vacuumer and brush.
Reassemble.
After that it 's like new.

Reply 3 of 4, by retardware

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Oops, forgot to mention to use soft detergent, just which you use for dish cleaning.
This will soften and remove fatty cruds (finger dirt, coffee splashes etc).

Usually I only need alcohol for marks from ballpen , rubber "scratching" etc which don't dissolve in water.
And alcohol sometimes dulls plastics irreversibly, which can be annoying.

Reply 4 of 4, by pixelatedscraps

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These are undoubtedly what one should do in cases like these (I’m lazy) but I didn’t get as far as really scrubbing it all down and bathing everything in a bubble bath. Some q-tips, toothpicks, a spudger to remove the caps, isopropyl alcohol, an air blower and a handheld vacuum and lots of kitchen towels and I’m pretty happy with the results. Now I just need to find some retrobrite…

My ultimate dual 440LX / Voodoo2 SLI build