A1000 keyboard repair

[Jope]

Some A2000 keyboards have the Cherry Black switches, which were the absolute best keyboard switches you could buy back in the 1980s!

Unfortunately those cherry switched keyboards have a Philips made controller in them, which makes them slightly incompatible with some software with a tightly timed keyboard routine.

You may never actually encounter such software, but worth noting anyway. :-)

I would be very curious to know if you have those same switches in your A1000!

They are not cherry switches, but they are mechanical switches that are soldered in place.
http://jope.fi/amiga/amikbd/a1kdetail.jpg

I mean the keyboard connector on A1000 is a standard US phone jack (I think its called RJ-11

It's not an RJ11 phone jack, but a phone handset jack, with 4P4C modular connectors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modular_connector#4P4C

[Jope]

I read a long time ago that Commodore used to use Alps Space Invaders switches.  I think that is what is in the pic.

Alps maybe for the A1000, not sure. I remember there was a discussion about these A1000 switches on EAB this year, but I don't remember whether anyone reached a definitive conclusion. I no longer have any A1000 keyboards so I can't check what is written on the switch. It may also be an ancient Mitsumi switch.

Space invader switches were made by NMB and Commodore had keyboards made by them for a brief period in 1987. Many rev3 A500s with the molded C= logo and early A2000s after the Cherry/Philips period used those keyboards. They're easy to distinguish thanks to the Commodore logo instead of the left Amiga key.

http://jope.fi/amiga/amikbd/nmbdetail.jpg
http://jope.fi/amiga/amikbd/nmbtop.jpg

The NMB feels nicer than any other Amiga keyboard in my opinion. :-)

Ah yes!  I remember now!  I knew all this stuff in 1985...  I remember chatting with you on IRC around 11 years ago...

Hello! :-)

where did all the years go?

I find myself asking the same question all too often these days. :-)

I bought an RJ-11 cable and haven't tried it yet, just in case it is the cable. I doubt it though, since the connection is serial and only specific keys seem affected.

Yeps.. If you get any keypresses through at all, it isn't the cable.

Now it looks from subsequent posts like RJ-11 was not correct. Should I not try it at all??? Will I cause problems if I do?

It won't fit in the connector, so the only potential damage you could cause is if you force it in with the aid of a hammer or something. :-) The 6P6C connector used in the RJ11 cable is quite a bit wider than the 4P4C connector.

If you check the wikipedia page, there is one more peculiarity about the handset cable, and that is, that the wire order is mirrored between the connectors at each end. If you intend to make your own cable, be sure you flip the order, otherwise you'll swap gnd and +5, and that will usually result in smoke.