deskthority

How to replace a keytop in a Canon AS-100 keyboard... I cringed when I read this.

For the record, the keyboard has Alps SKFL switches.

WTF?! And that illustration? This from Canon?

Yup.

The page (including illustration) is from the Canon AS-100 Field Service Manual on the 90th page of the PDF copy (Section 5.3.2). The Field Service manual was only for field service technicians so that makes it almost worse than if it was in a regular user manual.

The computer is from 1983 or 1984 so keyboards weren't "a thing" back then Here's one on eBay with some decent pics. I will take pics of mine with further pics of the keyboard when I get a chance.

And I've been using these stupid wire-thingies all the time. So the pros have been using flat head screwdrivers since the early 80s...

I can't decide what is worst, the screwdriver to pop out the key or the adhesive advice, I bet many of you got heart attacks.

Oh come on boys,
are you all so young you never had to lift a keycap before all these handy tools existed?

New tools do not make old methods invalid:

ulises3.14 wrote: ↑I can't decide what is worst, the screwdriver to pop out the key or the adhesive advice, I bet many of you got heart attacks.

I've actually used screwdrivers for precisely this purpose on a Model M and a Model F. It worked really well, and I didn't notice any kind of damage in either case.

Cattus_D wrote:

ulises3.14 wrote: ↑I can't decide what is worst, the screwdriver to pop out the key or the adhesive advice, I bet many of you got heart attacks.

I've actually used screwdrivers for precisely this purpose on a Model M and a Model F. It worked really well, and I didn't notice any kind of damage in either case.

Model M caps are VERY different than alps caps. doing this with alps caps youll break either the cap or the switch 50% of the time.

For the record, I have broken at least two Alps key caps trying to remove them from Apple keyboards prior to me knowing that key pullers existed. Most people don't even know that key caps come off. I looked on the Internet after breaking the second key cap and found that I could use two bent paper clips and used that for a while but it was a better key puller than a screw driver, at least.

kbdfr wrote: ↑Oh come on boys,
are you all so young you never had to lift a keycap before all these handy tools existed?

mike52787 wrote: ↑

Cattus_D wrote:

ulises3.14 wrote: ↑I can't decide what is worst, the screwdriver to pop out the key or the adhesive advice, I bet many of you got heart attacks.

I've actually used screwdrivers for precisely this purpose on a Model M and a Model F. It worked really well, and I didn't notice any kind of damage in either case.

Model M caps are VERY different than alps caps. doing this with alps caps youll break either the cap or the switch 50% of the time.

Hmmm... That's good to know, as I've been considering a keyboard with blue alps switches.