Model M plastic membranes

dellmodelm

19 Jan 2023, 21:30

On model M plastic membranes (the ones on normal buckling-spring Ms, not the rubber-dome ones), do (or can) the membrane sheets themselves wear out and have to get replaced?

This is assuming normal keyboard usage and no liquid damage, etc., and no broken rivets.

Just wondering.
Last edited by dellmodelm on 21 Jan 2023, 21:52, edited 1 time in total.

AndyJ

21 Jan 2023, 02:12

I don't know about "wear out" per se, but sometimes the printed traces will break. The exact cause isn't obvious on a board that can be more than thirty-five years old.

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Muirium
µ

21 Jan 2023, 17:45

Longevity isn’t their primary concern. The general lousiness of Model M compared to Model F is much more pronounced. Those membranes can and usually do work for decades without fail, just as they do in the cheapo rubberdome keyboards where they belong.

dellmodelm

21 Jan 2023, 21:58

Muirium wrote:
21 Jan 2023, 17:45
just as they do in the cheapo rubberdome keyboards where they belong.
Makes me wonder if anyone has modded a model M with PCB contacts instead of the membranes?

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fohat
Elder Messenger

21 Jan 2023, 22:05

dellmodelm wrote:
21 Jan 2023, 21:58

with PCB contacts
Capacitive? Yes, that would be the Model F.

dellmodelm

21 Jan 2023, 22:24

fohat wrote:
21 Jan 2023, 22:05
that would be the Model F.
No, like, modding an actual model M with PCB.

kmnov2017

21 Jan 2023, 22:43

dellmodelm wrote:
21 Jan 2023, 22:24
fohat wrote:
21 Jan 2023, 22:05
that would be the Model F.
No, like, modding an actual model M with PCB.
Yes, plenty of people have done that. Lookup FSSK.

dellmodelm

21 Jan 2023, 22:50

kmnov2017 wrote:
21 Jan 2023, 22:43
Yes, plenty of people have done that. Lookup FSSK.
Cool, didn't know that!

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dcopellino

21 Jan 2023, 22:57

kmnov2017 wrote:
21 Jan 2023, 22:43
dellmodelm wrote:
21 Jan 2023, 22:24
fohat wrote:
21 Jan 2023, 22:05
that would be the Model F.
No, like, modding an actual model M with PCB.
Yes, plenty of people have done that. Lookup FSSK.
Exactly, as i did, following i$ tutorial, you'll get model F's lightness and crispness touch into a model M current layout.

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Muirium
µ

22 Jan 2023, 13:33

Note that all such Model F upgrades for Ms swap in F flippers. It’s not really the capsense per se* that makes F special, it’s those bigger flippers and the hardness of the PCB they work against.

*I’d argue capsense is the critical factor which sets (my also beloved) Topre apart from regular cheapo rubber dome keyboards. Buckling spring brings a great big tactile event all by itself, which any sensing system can see.

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