Broken X key on A1200

[spirantho]

You are definitely missing a part... without a spring or rubbery thing, the key will stay down and won't come back up. You will also need to open the keyboard and remove the remnants of the old post (you can't get it from the front), and put a new post in its place.
Prise off the C key very carefully - remember to pull it off directly away from the 1200, don't bend it's plastic post or it'll break too. It's not attached, just held on to the post by friction. Make sure you don't lose the springy bit, and take a photo of the back of the key and the springy thing.

[AmigaBruno]

You are definitely missing a part... without a spring or rubbery thing, the key will stay down and won't come back up. You will also need to open the keyboard and remove the remnants of the old post (you can't get it from the front), and put a new post in its place.
Prise off the C key very carefully - remember to pull it off directly away from the 1200, don't bend it's plastic post or it'll break too. It's not attached, just held on to the post by friction. Make sure you don't lose the springy bit, and take a photo of the back of the key and the springy thing.

Why should I prise off the C key instead of the blank key to the left of the Z key, or the blank key right of the # key?

[spirantho]

Because there's a gap where the 'x' key is - it's easier to get a key off if you can see what you're doing better, which that gap will help with.

[AmigaBruno]

Because there's a gap where the 'x' key is - it's easier to get a key off if you can see what you're doing better, which that gap will help with.

I think I'll remove one of the blank keys instead.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

I think I'll remove one of the blank keys instead.

Your choice, but you really should listen to what he's telling you, as it will be much easier.  FYI the blank keys are used for other keymaps, so they might be blank on yours, but for keyboards used in other countries they'd have characters printed on them.

In any case, given your limited technical skill I'd suggest you might be better off paying the $27 (19 EUR?) for a brand new UK-layout keyboard from AmigaKit.  That sounds like a heck of a deal to me, and there's videos on YouTube showing how to swap it out.

[AmigaBruno]

Your choice, but you really should listen to what he's telling you, as it will be much easier.  FYI the blank keys are used for other keymaps, so they might be blank on yours, but for keyboards used in other countries they'd have characters printed on them.

In any case, given your limited technical skill I'd suggest you might be better off paying the $27 (19 EUR?) for a brand new UK-layout keyboard from AmigaKit.  That sounds like a heck of a deal to me, and there's videos on YouTube showing how to swap it out.

I just need to gently prise off a blank key without breaking anything. It would be good if someone told me the best way to do this.

Of course, the blank keys may be used for other keymaps, but I'm not sure which ones at the moment. I don't actually need to use those keys for word processing or anything else at the moment, because I have other computers which can produce any characters I need in other European languages I speak, meaning German, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Italian, and the artifical but mainly Indo European language Esperanto. The laptop I'm typing this on doesn't even have a key between # and ENTER, while the key to the left of the Z is marked \ and | . I may soon buy a copy of the German language political party game "1990" from Vesalia, so I think I should check what the German A1200 keymap is before deciding which key to remove. At the end of the day, I do need the C key, which is also C on most keymaps, but may not need either of the blank keys.

Of course, if I fail, then I can still buy the brand new UK Amiga A1200 keyboard from Amigakit for less than £19, but at the moment I'm learning about repairs, and you've got more money than me anyway. I already know how to unplug and plug in an Amiga keyboard, because I did this when I fitted my CF hard, as well as years ago when fitting a Kickstart ROM switcher board. I'm trying to avoid spending any money I can if there's something I can do about it, such as making or repairing something myself.

[Kernel]

I don't want to hijack this thread so if someone thinks I should post a separate one, please say so.

I have a similar issue with an A3000 keyboard except that I can still use the post as the post itself broke slightly and the key fell off.  I don't have the key either - I got this keyboard as part of a package deal.

So if anyone knows where I could find a replacement key setup for the #1 (see pic) on an A3000, I'm all ears.

Thanks.

[gertsy]

I don't want to hijack this thread so if someone thinks I should post a separate one, please say so.

I have a similar issue with an A3000 keyboard except that I can still use the post as the post itself broke slightly and the key fell off.  I don't have the key either - I got this keyboard as part of a package deal.

So if anyone knows where I could find a replacement key setup for the #1 (see pic) on an A3000, I'm all ears.

Thanks.

The slot looks the same as a 2000 keyboard key slot. So that's an option. Perhaps even a 500 key might fit. You need the spring too.

[AmigaBruno]

I've finally got round to/dared to remove my Amiga A1200 keyboard and managed to remove the blank key to the left of the Z key. I tried to unscrew the back plate, but although most of the screws came out easily with a large screwdriver tip, there were some I couldn't undo. I'll have to buy a quite small screwdriver ASAP to remove them. Here are the pics of what I found.

The first three pics show that although the blank key has an empty plastic cylinder underneath, the X key's cylinder is full of something. This is actually the remains of the broken post which forms part of all the keys, after I gouged out part of it with some screwdrivers and try to pull it out with tweezers and a bent pin. The fourth and fifth pics show on the left the blank key with its spring and the X key on the right with its post broken off and without a spring.

I plan to go and buy a very small screwdriver, like one for iPod repairs (which I've lost) in the next 24 hours to remove the remaining screws from the backplate. Meanwhile, I'd appreciate any advice anyone may have for me. I'm posting this at 23:14 GMT, which is my time zone.

[gertsy]

You don't need to open the back. Its clear that the key post has broken off in the socket. A thin piece of wire that's not mild steal, such as a spring or hook, straightened but with a small bend in the end should allow you to snag the post and pull it out.

Unless you really want to open the whole thing up.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Buying all these screwdrivers will probably wind up costing just as much as the replacement keyboard. Or just do what Gertsy said. IMHO.

[AmigaBruno]

You don't need to open the back. Its clear that the key post has broken off in the socket. A thin piece of wire that's not mild steal, such as a spring or hook, straightened but with a small bend in the end should allow you to snag the post and pull it out.

Unless you really want to open the whole thing up.

Thanks for this advice! I tried with a bent glass headed pin, but that didn't work.

[AmigaBruno]

Buying all these screwdrivers will probably wind up costing just as much as the replacement keyboard. Or just do what Gertsy said. IMHO.

I only need ONE screwdriver of the right size. Here's a whole set of them which is much cheaper than the replacement keyboard, though.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16-mini-screw-drivers-small-tiny-little-laptop-set-precision-screwdrivers-i96-/201041731064?pt=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item2ecf055df8

[AmigaBruno]

Here's an update. I finally removed the broken key debris from the X key position by gouging it out with a bent paper clip. It seems fairly clear now, but I'm not sure. It's just been lying around for a few weeks, because I'm not sure if all the key remains have been removed, or how to fit the spare spring and key top into that position. Can anyone tell me if the A1200 would now detect the blank key from left of the Z key being pressed down, although it's not defined in the keymap I'm using? Of course, the keyboard is over 99% working, so it would be a shame to discard it.

I'll upload a pic here ASAP. I need to make a decision on whether or not to buy a replacement keyboard in the next couple of days.

[AmigaBruno]

Sorry for the big delay in posting any more pics! The pics attached to this message show the current state of the keyboard. I don't know what to do next. I don't know what happened to the spring underneath the X key, or how to fit the spring from the blank key to the X key position. I hope to get some answers in the next one or two days, otherwise I'll have to buy a new keyboard. The whole point of not buying a new keyboard is to find out how to repair this keyboard and lots of other things which various people like to say are "not worth repairing".

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Ummm... it's been over two months and you still haven't been able to fix this?  Didn't removing the other key make it pretty obvious how these things go together?  IMHO this repair might be beyond your current skillset, save yourself the trouble and buy a new keyboard.  :angry: