deskthority

Hi the're fellow DeskThorities,

I have been browsing the forums and I have not found the question I need to know.

I have seen some really smart keyboard enthusiast so I thought I would register to ask the question, and hopefully stay around for some good advise.

so enough of the waffling I have a Qpad mk-85 and like a idiot I spilt a beer yes a beer...... ooh dear, It still works but about 5 keys including the space bar cherry red switch is so sticky and I don't want to clean it using isopropyl alcohol and ruin the whole keyboard could someone tell me would these switches that go on a Filco keyboard fit on mine.

http://www.keyboardco.com/product/cherr ... linear.asp

Thanks for taking time to read my long arsed post.

Cherry MX switches are indeed interchangeable. A cheaper source for them is 7bit, right on this forum:

http://deskthority.net/marketplace-f11/ ... t2760.html

Swapping them does require a bit of work, though. Your keyboard is backlit, right?

http://www.qpad.com/products/keyboards/mk-85/

The LEDs thread through the switches like staples, so you have to take the LED off to get the switch out, for every one you want to replace. Quite a bit of desoldering and soldering up again.

Of course, you can in fact open up MX switches. The outside shell is two pieces that clip together. Might be less work to try that route instead. But I'd just dab some alcohol on each affected switch first — right at the bit where the red slider drops inside the shell — and press them a good few times to see if that fixes it first. Just a little shouldn't do any harm.

Wow, thank you so much for the quick reply.

I didn't know you can take them apart, I thought the only route for me was to de solder and resolder.

Sorry to be a pain but how do they come apart while still soldered to the board, I am really not that technical.

And thank you again for the great reply was very informant.

Regards

Depends whether there's a plate. The switches can either be plate mount, where they all clip into a metal plate, or PCB mount, where they all just sit on the PCB instead. Open up the keyboard and you should be able to tell.

Plate mount means you're out of luck. They need to come out. (Some plates have cunningly shaped holes so you can in fact pop open the switches while they're in place. But it's quite unusual.) To take the switches out of the plate, you've got to desolder the whole lot from the underlying PCB!

Thank you Muirium, You have been really helpful.

You're welcome. Keyboards survive worse. You don't even want to know what a mess an IBM Model M can swallow! Or what's involved in getting it out again…