[Coco] Coco3 Keyboard

[Robert Emery]

----- Original Message ----
From: Chester A Patterson <vchester at setec-cr.com>
To: "Coco @ maltedmedia.com" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 12:41:10 PM
Subject: [Coco] Coco3 Keyboard


Hi. Recently I bought a fried CC3 on ebay. Removed the TV modulator and
it works fine. Except that only the letter keys work, none of the other
keys work (F1, F2, Alt, Ctrl, shift, numbers, etc) I tried cleaning
contacts. Nothing. I took apart the keyboard, cleaned it up, and uppon
reassembly found that the contact foil doesn't line up correctly with
the screw holes and key pins when the contacts sit correctly on the
springs. About a 1/4" off. How the previous owner ever got any use out
of this CC3 I have no idea. Perhaps only joystick use. A very peculiar
occurance. Anyone else this happen to?

===============================================
 
Are you 100% certain that it's not upside down/flipped left-right?
Seems like it wouldn't be that tough a mistake to make, being a
fairly symmetrical design.
 
That said, I've noticed on more than one CoCo3 keyboard sections
of the traces turning from silver to black, apparently due to oxidation.
This seems to lead to intermittent operation of either a row or column
of the keyboard grid, getting progressively worse until it quits working
altogether.
 
I've not tried repairing a keyboard in this codition. Perhaps our resident
chemist, Robert Gault, could shed some light on whether this might
be reversible... Tarn-X ?
 
I wonder if a keyboard manufacturer could/would duplicate the mylar
flexible circuit in reasonable quantity.
 
Bob