Amiga 3000 keyboard

[Descombes]

I still have great Amiga 3000 (OS 2.0) in use, mainly as a database for literature and other stuff; for this I use SBASE (I could never afford something like MS Access); SBASE is very powerpul. I don't know how many entries I made in nearly 20 years (thousands), however all can be backed-up on less than 5 floppy disks! And until Windows is ready on my PC, I have already entered the data of a new article. So, it is ideal for a quick job to do.
To my problem: The keyboard is making sometimes trouble. When touching some specific key, the cursors starts moving all the time; when being within a spreadsheet you can easily be at line 1000 when you don't react fast enough by pressing the arrow key.
Does somebody happen to have a replacement keyboard for Amiga 3000? I am ready to pay few bucks.
Many thanks in advance for feedback. Best regards
Arthur Descombes, CH-3210 Kerzers in Switzerland (near Berne)

[danbeaver]

IWell you should ask to buy another keyboard in the Marketplace forum, but in the Hardware Issues forum let me ask if you have tried cleaning the keyboard?  Compressed air will push light junk out between the keys but you can remove the key caps with two paper clips (see below) and remove real gunk with alcohol on a Q-tip. Disassembling the keyboard to clean underneath is not too complex, but keep track of all the tiny screws. You will get to a PCB board where the contacts look like black blobs. Clean any gunk here with alcohol. Then using a rubber based eraser, rub each black dot well, re-clean with alcohol and reassemble.
Key cap removers:  you need 4 hooks to grab the key cap and pull it safely off (prying it with a small screw driver can work but damage the cap); straighten two paper clips to make a pair of straight wires; bind both into equal appearing "U's" and using needle-nose pliers bind small hooks at the very end of each of the U-shaped wires to give 4 hooks. Place the hooks on both sides of a key cap and pull straight up. This will work the same as a (impossible to find) cap removal tool.

Any big box Amiga keyboard will replace another although you may need a cheap adapter. Amigakit sells a PC-style keyboard adapter if you have a PC keyboard you like. I like the old Clickity large heavy IBM keyboards myself.

[Dragster]

To my problem: The keyboard is making sometimes trouble. When touching some specific key, the cursors starts moving all the time; when being within a spreadsheet you can easily be at line 1000 when you don't react fast enough by pressing the arrow key.
Does somebody happen to have a replacement keyboard for Amiga 3000? I am ready to pay few bucks.
Many thanks in advance for feedback. Best regards
Arthur Descombes, CH-3210 Kerzers in Switzerland (near Berne)

Something like that used to happen to my A1200T... as you have been suggested already clean your keyboard but check your machine's PSU as well.. when I had this problem in my A1200T it turned out to be low voltages coming out from the PSU...


Good luck,


Dragster.

[Descombes]

IWell you should ask to buy another keyboard in the Marketplace forum, but in the Hardware Issues forum let me ask if you have tried cleaning the keyboard?  Compressed air will push light junk out between the keys but you can remove the key caps with two paper clips (see below) and remove real gunk with alcohol on a Q-tip. Disassembling the keyboard to clean underneath is not too complex, but keep track of all the tiny screws. You will get to a PCB board where the contacts look like black blobs. Clean any gunk here with alcohol. Then using a rubber based eraser, rub each black dot well, re-clean with alcohol and reassemble.
Key cap removers:  you need 4 hooks to grab the key cap and pull it safely off (prying it with a small screw driver can work but damage the cap); straighten two paper clips to make a pair of straight wires; bind both into equal appearing "U's" and using needle-nose pliers bind small hooks at the very end of each of the U-shaped wires to give 4 hooks. Place the hooks on both sides of a key cap and pull straight up. This will work the same as a (impossible to find) cap removal tool.

Any big box Amiga keyboard will replace another although you may need a cheap adapter. Amigakit sells a PC-style keyboard adapter if you have a PC keyboard you like. I like the old Clickity large heavy IBM keyboards myself.

Jesus, I am Electrical Engineer, but I didn't think that simple cleaning could possibly help. I rather thought that it could be an issue with the key debounce electronics .... And then as usual, replace rather than repair.
I'll try with cleaning :pint:
Best regards
Arthur

[Descombes]

Something like that used to happen to my A1200T... as you have been suggested already clean your keyboard but check your machine's PSU as well.. when I had this problem in my A1200T it turned out to be low voltages coming out from the PSU...


Good luck,


Dragster.

Thanks also for this hint. But this gets already a small not so easy project. I have no scope at home and I don't know if DC meas. will be appropriate. And then you need to know the nominal voltage and where to measure. Not obvious with a computer you bought more than 20 years ago.
Thanks anyway
Arthur