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Keypad-Fix Review – Carbon Pad Keyboard Repair

Keypad-Fix Review – Carbon Pad Keyboard Repair

#KeypadFix #Review #Carbon #Pad #Keyboard #Repair

“Tech Tangents”

I was asked for help on fixing a Commodore PET someone I know has and they wanted me to try out this Keypad-Fix product that is intended to coat the carbon pads.I’d never tried it out

Their website if you want to see more about it:

(And just a note, this is NOT a…

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31 Comments

  1. I'm surprised you didn't start by researching the old 8-Bit Guy video where he does the same PET keyboard repair.
    I think his keyboard fixer was a metallic conductive paint… Similar method and results.

  2. Perhaps the owner can search out a MSDS for the product – it could very well be graphite/carbon in a volatile suspension, especially if it's a bit whiffy while drying.

  3. I appreciate you reminding us each time you use your vacuum on a circuit board. Even though I know you grounded it I still feel my skin crawl when you do it.

  4. I bet there's a market for old electronics repair, but I doubt it pays enough for anyone in the US to do it as more than a side thing. Maybe we just don't value old electronics enough, yet.

  5. Recently tried a similar product to restore the buttons on an Agilent 54622D oscilloscope. Work's a treat for now but we'll see how it fares for long-term efficacy.

  6. Those little carbon contacts are common in game controllers; I've always cleaned them with a q-tip and isopropyl alcohol, rubbing them just enough that they are dark black afterward, and not shiny or dusty. I've also heard of rubbing them on paper or some other surface to do the same thing. Occasionally though some don't have much carbon on them and it could come off altogether.

  7. You were way to sparse with the coating. You should have dipped the swab directly into the container and left enough liquid on the surface so a surface tension was crated. Diasasemble and redo the work. Sloppy work is terrible!!!

  8. The MSDS sheet ("Anders Products Keypad Fix" msds) shows it's mostly PVA (white glue) water (potentially part of the white glue too) and graphite (16% w/w). Not far off with your closing thoughts!

  9. Firstly, that product reminds me of the stuff the Engineer drinks just before his DNA unravels at the start of Prometheus. The 8-bit guy did this a while back, but he got such a small amount of fluid in his product that it only just did one keyboard. I think your product seems like less of a stinge when it comes to quantity.

  10. Massive coincidence, I needed to learn how to do this to fix my KORG music keyboard. I took it apart once and cleaned the pads and it got worse@! so i knew I need to put some kind of coating on it but i didnt know what

  11. Instead of a pencil I would recommend graphite lock cylinder lubricant rubbed into a piece of paper in the same way. Pencil graphite has clay in it to give it strength. That may cause it to wear down faster or it might keep the contacts clean because of the abrasion I can't say, but it will affect it's conductivity. If it doesn't work you can always go back.

  12. There is a MUCH easier fix for the pads. I've been fixing Atari 5200 controllers and remote controls for 30 years using my method. Take the pad and drag it (LIGHTLY) across a piece of copy paper. The first time it will leave a dark mark. By the 3rd time, it won't leave a mark at all and then it will work fine. I have literally never had one that wasn't fixed with this method.

  13. Wonder if this stuff would work on earlier Alps integrated dome switches used in the TRS-80 Model 4. I've been dreading working on mine as each and every keyswitch would have to be desoldered and disassembled to get to the dome contacts…really wish they hadn't changed the keyboard mechanism from the Model 3.

  14. i like glob mop brand swabs for cleaning, they tend to last longer per swab. found out about them from a head shop but use them for everything now. you can get ones that bend and ones that don't but the wooden handle on the standard ones is very strong for scrubbing and the tips can hold alot of gunk

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