WOYS Discord! Really excited to talk about Macs, upgrades, accessories and repairs with you guys. Hop in and tell me about your Mac setup… discord.gg/ZMpSk875qN
It wasn't too long ago in the grand scheme of things that MacBook Pros had convenient doors on the back for replacing the RAM, HDD, and battery. Now, many models have batteries glued into the case, requiring other crucial components to be replaced as well as the case. It's more of a "brain transplant," really, moving the logic board and monitor into a new case furnished with the battery, keyboard, speakers, mics, and more. The 2023 models are just marginally better for having serviceable batteries... that can't be removed without voiding your warranty. Don't get me started on the Mac Studio - a powerful series of beasts to have the most dangerous part of a computer (its power supply) be the first thing exposed after opening, and requiring a repairperson to also move delicate cables just to eventually change the clock battery. Then there's Apple not only disabling third-party display repairs but also adding fuzzy lines to look like a faulty repair, practically insulting the competence of a DIY or hobbyist repair job that would have worked
That is probably too pessimistic a view. The Apple Silicon Macs are practical and long-lasting, and my previous iPhone lasted over 6 years and still worked fine when I replaced it. The M1 MacBook Air has been a solid laptop that remained competitive with PC laptops in its price range until Apple finally stopped selling it this year…Apple sold it new for four years, much longer than most Macs ever made, because that’s how well it worked for people, and many owners still love theirs despite never opening them up. Yes, I used to own the PowerBook G3 with its two modular bays (for batteries, drives…) and the removable keyboard so that you could get at the RAM, hard drive, and more. The price for that? It was a beast with poor structural integrity that made creaking noises when carried, and developed a problem where when I picked it up, sometimes it would just die because an electrical contact would come loose somewhere inside. I replaced that PowerBook after 3 years. My current M1 Pro MacBook Pro will be three years old this year, and I see no need to upgrade or replace it, so it is going to stay in daily service longer than my “modular, upgradable” PowerBook G3. It still feels new as it plows through work, feels solid, and it is the best Mac I have bought since my first one 25 years ago. My current Mac is overall a much more satisfying computer, even without being upgradeable, and I prefer it to what some call the “good old days.” I might agree with you if you were talking about the last generation of Intel Macs. I have one of those MacBook Pros, and it might be the worst Mac I ever owned.
Worst part is if you actually look back it's been nearly 20 years since they shifted to the "shakedown and imprison" business model. Not surprising coming from a CEO who hired a private force of police impersonators to intimidate not only their own employees but also the general public into behaving how they want them to, but still sucks.
What are you talking about??? My last iPhone lasted half a decade before I replaced it, and honestly i didn’t even need to replace it, I just wanted something a bit faster and a better camera. I only had like 2 issues with it, and those were all solved by just restarting it. That’s 1826 days of flawless operation with no maintenance. If you had a car which went half a decade without a penny of maintenance you would consider that a reliable car would you not?
I've modded 2 of these in the past with LEDs. I uses the 5 V from the USB port to power a LED on the left and the right poking out through the "motherboard housing" part. I just melted little holes in with a soldering iron to poke the heads of the LEDs through. Gives it a subtle underglow through the clear plastic.
@SamFigueroa bro du bist ein macher, gerade auf deinem channel nachgeschaut und dann hat mich deine webseite angelacht und du machst einfach alles ngl crazy was du alles anstellst bei gott
These things actually sound/feel a lot better if you put thin coat of 205g0 lab on the key cap stems/slides. I also put some foam in the bottom case and replaced the cable with a USB-C braided one, and it’s so much better and able to be used with a modern computer.
I loved mine until I accidentally managed to pour a cup of coffee into it. The coffee (with sugar in) then managed to eat through one of the membrane traces and wiped out half the cursor keys and the num pad. I may have been able to fix the traces with conductive paint that I had for shielding an electric guitar cavity, but didn't think of that at the time.
Thanks for the suggestions, no you can’t solder to a plastic membrane. A dishwasher won’t fix tracks that have been eaten away. I did use the conductive paint to fix an old Casio calculator membrane that had been damaged by leaking batteries. Also white vinegar or an acidic bathroom cleaner like Cillit Bang is great for cleaning battery compartments and contacts if alkaline batteries leak. Just don’t put it anywhere near the circuit board.
I found a 20-year-old PS/2 keyboard in a dumpster once. It had a massive coffee stain on it, but after re-aligning one pin on it and cleaning it up, it worked perfectly.
Whenever I'm putting a keyboard like that back together I normally add a dab of silicone grease there the springs click back in. I've also found the best way to clean the keys is put them in a large protein powder shaker with warm water and a drop of detergent, find a bottle brush that fits in the hole and go to town with your best...erm... churning action. It's not perfect but will get you 90% of the way.
I don't buy anything Apple anymore myself, but what exactly makes them not practical? Their phones, laptops, and tablets are all simple to use, and will do most anything you throw at them with flying colors. There are cases where the competing operating systems will do something dramatically better (e.g. Windows is dramatically better at running Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, on account of the fact that MacOS cannot launch it at all), but there are also cases where Apple's operating systems do something dramatically better than the competition (battery life per MaH is industry-leading). I now prefer Windows and Android, for a variety of reasons. But the cheapest iPhone from 2018 was doing everything I needed a phone to do in 2023, and the reason I decided I wanted a new phone was not because I had a critical need that wasn't filling but because I felt like treating myself to trying something new, and Samsung's folds looked cool (they are cool).
@@sparky6757 I often judge practicality by the products/services' price tags, compare to the value that they offer. And ESPECIALLY their longevity. If I were to set aside a kidney for something, I'd be well damn expected it to last a life-time or two. There is more than enough content around to tell you that they're not worth it.
The problem is that many users today think they are very technical but in fact, are not, so they don’t see the practicality in products which are not directly related to TikTok videos of cartoon porn. I’d love to hear how a smartphone or watch or set top video streaming device or tablet or laptops or desktops are “not practical”. Literally every large tech company is using mainly Apple machines to build trillion dollar companies, but somehow random dorks on UA-cam know better. 🙄
Using one of these daily. I was also surprised of how easily I could fully dismantle and clean it the first time I did so. I also once managed to pour half a glass of wine in it, but after a thorough clean, more or less full wet cleaning with a finishing round of IPA, it still works perfectly. I had to dismantle it even further and fully clean the membrane and contacts, but even that was fully doable, albeit time consuming and fiddly. I have spent many years in various countries and the one thing I have always brought with me is a USB keyboard with my preferred layout. This model is one the ones that have traveled with me more than most keyboards not attached to a laptop 😉 (I used to have an old Sun keyboard that went missing, I liked that one as well.)
Such a beautiful keyboard! I absolutely adore the late 90s to early 2010s Apple design language. We have one of these keyboards in our house collecting dust. I would use it, however the keys seem to be a bit inconsistent with the amount of pressure being needed to push the key down (some are just way too hard) and when you press the edge of most keys, they either don't push down at all or require a ridiculous amount of force to do so.
This keyboard is actually my daily driver on my main PC. I also use one when working on customer's computers. I keep a wireless mouse dongle inserted so I just plug in 1 cable and have my keyboard and mouse ready to go.
Apple actually intended these USB ports for the mouse, the iMac G3's keyboard (and also the A1243 slim Aluminium keyboard) had a usb port on the left and right end and the mouse cable was purposefully short so you could also place the mouse on the left side of your keyboard.
Thank you, for this step-by-step guide on cleaning your vintage "glossy white" wired Apple USB Keyboard. My first came with my "glossy white" 20-inch G5 iMac and, I feel right in love with this Keyboard. Currently, I have three working units: one is very junky looking used with my primary desktop a "space gray" trash can size Mac Pro, the second is fair looking used on my vintage 20-inch G5 iMac, and the third one that looks brand new which, I keep in its box. In addition, I also have this Keyboard's wireless Blue-tooth twin which, is always a lot of fun to use (smile...smile).
We had similar keyboards when I was in high school in the graphics design room, we had both white ones like the one in the video as well as ones with black keys. I hated typing on them so much, keys randomly got stuck and didn’t register key pressed half the time.
Old membrane keyboards, such as the Lenovo Preferred Pro II, sometimes used lubricant in the stabilizers and keys. I once gave one lenovo keyboard a thorough cleaning, but it became unusable when all the old lubes went away :D It's worth at least relubricating the stabilisers, dielectric grease works fine. But for anything else, thinner lube is must.
I've got two of these, and both of them have sort of binding keys, that, if you press them slightly off centre they get jammed. It's super annoying.. Not sure if mine are just worn out, or if they're all like that?
I have used a Mitsumi membrane keyboard from mid 90s for a long time. It's a bit of a pest to reassemble since the rubber actuators are not in a sheet but installed individually, and eventually the channels that support the keys got worn down making some of the more frequently used keys especially Ctrl that i often press a little off centre unpleasant to press down, the channel was no longer keeping the keycaps straight and made too much friction. Also the membrane silver print foil layers, well the conductive layer on those had worn through, but i patched it up with automotive rear window heater repair fluid. The plastic quality on the Mitsumi was quite delightful otherwise, no yellowing at all. As such i don't think any membrane keyboard is forever. The Mitsumi's rubber at least stayed in good shape. I have checked out some Cherry membrane keyboard which spent a few years on the shelf and the ruber layer has started hardening up. I do think eventually any silicone or TPU will break down even nicer quality and will harden or tear, it shouldn't survive 40 years. In most membrane keyboards, i find that the keycaps unclip easily from the back of the spillboard, you might need the right tool though. I think the most practical life long keyboard is mechanical. I have fished a wet G80-3000 out of a dumpster that got rained into more than 20 years ago, and it had been well used previously before it got there, the case was very yellowed, and it still works fine. It did have bad contact, but a little contact spray solved that and you can just solder out and replace individual switches if need be. Additionally PBT keycaps are tough wearing and not susceptible to say cigarette burns, i used to smoke, nor are they susceptible to acetone fumes like when you do your fingernails. I currently have been using a cheap Chinese mechanical TKL for the last 8 years, with occasional care it types like new, and i can rebuild and modify it in a number of ways for years to come, and it's quite heavy and stable. I really love the NKRO feature, or rather, i don't want to be using a non-NKRO keyboard any longer if i can help it. This one only has ABS keycaps, so i might replace them but they're not too terrible yet. Yeah there's a little bit of a shine but they're double shot so it's OK, it's fine for it to look used. I have seen some "fancy" keyboards which were in use for mere few months where the keycaps became really nasty as they were black painted and lasered keycaps and the clear keycap base started peeking through the worn paint layer, i don't feel this sort of wear pattern is acceptable.
Thank you for a very detailed and insightful comment. I think in terms of consumer hardware from bigger companies like Apple, these keyboards are among the longest lasting. I reckon I can get another 10 years from this one. Haven’t been able to try a Mitsumi, but will look into those. There’s a good chance apple made a million or more of these. The fact that most of them aren’t still being used today is a real problem, and it’s horrible to think how much waste that’s led to. It’s nice to know they can still be used, though, which I suppose is the moral of the video’s story. Ideally more people will start to pick up the philosophy of buying things for life, and that will enact change on a bigger scale. We’ll see!
@@montaguebarnabasltd I heard BTC membrane keyboards from the 90s still work well. These use PA slider stems to reduce friction and wear, and separate keycaps sitting on top. They don't look particularly amazing though, being BTC. Mitsumi keyboards have come and gone a long time ago, i haven't seen one sold since late 90s. BTC stopped making keyboards even earlier i think. Used to love Mitsumi ball mice as well in the 90s, but well i don't think i would want one right now. Not that i know what exactly i do want, i am probably making my own shape and my own charging system for the g305 whenever i get around to that. There kind of aren't high performance mice for women, and if there is one like maybe the g705, the price is outrageous! Xtrfy m4 is a shape that almost works for me but omg the price, and i don't need all the air holes.
I‘m currently using this keyboard for my pc because my mechanical keyboard broke after 10 years. It’s not as good as a mechanical keyboard but it does what it’s supposed to do, I only have to clean it
Apple used to make some incredible keyboards that put all their modern ones to shame. They came with Alps mechanical switches, they are considered superior to Cherry MX and their clones in many regards. The mechanical keyboard aficionados who know about them tend to have them as one of their favorites and would give a kidney to have Alps come back. Alps switches’ major weakness is dust, they are worse than other designs at keeping it away and not letting it interfere with switch operation.
My neighbour gave me a older apple keyboard it’s the model that has the trans dark blue caps and the usb port on either side and I cleaned it all except for the bottom since I don’t have the right screw bit
I rook apart many of these for cleaning. Ingave the key caps a bath in demin water and a lab detergent called Mucasol. Then a bath in demin water and good time for drying. The caps look as new and you even get the nice slightly rough feeling back
I recently cleaned mine. I didnt go that deep as mine was much cleaner. I dont use it anymore but it looks pretty good.. It looks great with my G5 iMac
Unfortunately it’s way too big for my. I’m still looking for a wired compact Apple keyboard. W/o the numpads you know. I found one chicklet version but those are very rare I’ve learned and somehow a entire column of keys from the 0 and - keys to the m key doesn’t work and I’ve no idea how to repair that😓
I've got both the wired and the wireless version on this keyboard and love typing on it. If only it could be somehow converted to a mechanical keyboard with backlight... if there was a conversion kit available that would retain the aesthetics, I would be buying that for sure.
I loved this keyboard. When I bought these second hand, I used to pop out the keys, put the keys in my dishwasher, a good vacuum of the kb tray and it was like brand new !
I’m still regularly using an IBM model M keyboard that originally came with an IBM PS/2. On the underside is a label showing the date it was produced in late 1987. Built to last, in Scotland.
I loved that keyboard, but it didn't last. I got maybe 7 years on it, then it broke, some keys weren't working anymore and it had to be replaced. Replaced it with the then just new wireless "magic" keyboard, which now has a crooked Q key but still works to this day, battery is fine too. Waiting till it fully breaks to get the new actually magic keyboard, the one with the fingerprint scanner on it, as that would be actually magic to no longer manually enter passwords all the time.
I would love to see you update this by adding an internal USB 3.0 hub - maybe a USB-C port to replace the hardwired cable, and 1x USB-C downstream port and 1x USB-A 3.0 downstream port. That would be really useful! Only tricky part would be getting the ports from the donor hub mounted correctly, but someone with 3d printing skills could probably design some brackets.
I'm quite partial to the M7803 keyboard and once cleaned one of that model which had belonged to the late author, Michael Palmer, following The 8-Bit Guy's retrobright method
my grandpa has this keyboard at his desk, it just brings back nostalgia of being young in his home and him working in the office and hearing him clack away
This is very interesting! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one... I brought mine out of storage late last year and refurbished it too. I wish I had seen your video back then!
Although I still like the look of it, I have to be honest: It's the worst keyboard I ever typed on. We had them at university more than 15 years ago - quite new ones - and I always loathed having to work with them. The most mushy, imprecise feel but at the same time rather hard to press keys. They replaced this keyboard with the A1243 model and went the opposite way (for me at least) - it's sooo good!! I still use it to this day (actually typing on it right now) on both Windows and Mac machines and couldn't be happier.
Mine got dripped on by an aircon unit at work and corroded the traces down the left side. Sad times all round. Until a contractor bought the bluetooth version in a shockingly poor state. Which I then bought off him and swapped the keys/backboard over (because they used the same keys but not the same traces for... reasons).
Yeah, it's does look easier to disassemble than a lot of modern keyboard. But it's still a membrane keyboard, and you pulling out the keys by hand instead of pushing it from below with a pinch will degrade at least the horizontal stabilization due to the clips becoming loose or snapping altogether at some point. Also the rubber domes degrade after time depending on your usage. For example gamers can wear out wasd in 3-5 years. For keyboard to actually serve for ages it needs to be a mechanical one with some sturdy plastic keycaps (pbt doubleshot for example).
I found a 20-year-old PS/2 keyboard from AOpen in a dumpster last year. It has a massive coffee stain on it, but after re-aligning one pin on its connector and cleaning it up, it works perfectly. It's currently one of my best keyboards, in fact. I have two keyboards that are a decade and a half newer than it and they're already falling apart from age. They just don't make things like they used to, I guess.
I somewhat recently cleaned one I used with a server. It was way more dirty than this one, needed a lot of scrubbing. Used it for a while for my work setup. Funnily enough a Windows laptop. I stoppen using the keyboard when I got a Macbook, opting for a Logitech keyboard that was wireless. But it is a decent membrane keyboard. Very sturdy
I have one of these that Iam currently trying to repair... It got water damaged and iam waiting for silver conductive paint to fix some trayces.. Hopefully I'll get it back to working status
I use Kemo L100 which is easily available and cheap, or maybe ask in auto parts store for rear window heater repair fluid, it's the same. It is tricky to use though, you need to shake it vigorously for a minute or two, then quickly uncap the vial and do your painting within about 20 seconds of shaking, then cap it and shake it again for at least a number of seconds before you use it more. It takes some practice. If the liquid is separated and not thoroughly mixed, you might get a line which looks proper but isn't conductive. I suspect the silver particulate clumps together after a little time and the carrier binder ends up insulating it, forming just microscopic conductive islands but not being conductive end to end of a line. Make tests with your paint on a piece of plastic or transparency, let dry, test resistance, to make sure you are using it properly and don't get that issue. I usually use a wooden toothpick with a flattened slightly splayed out end to apply it, because i figure a brush or somesuch will just absorb and waste a lot of material.
@@panzerbuern4138 yeah for me these are local brand products, which tend to be very accessible and well priced, but in other parts of the world they may not be :D
I can attest these things strength and durability. We got these in my second grade year and when I went back to visit in 2018 nearly ten years later they still had these. Also, many computer classes we had people would fight to use these keyboard because they were just that good.
I recently got one of these for free, I fully took it apart and even cleaned the little membranes, it’s my only keyboard so I use it regularly. Also, I think the keyboard is actually kind of clacky, it’s just enough to sound good, but not too loud to be annoying.
I loved that Keyboard.. I put mine in the dishwasher a few times to clean.. I just had to spray some WD40 in-between the layers after each wash but I had it for years.
its just a regular rubber dome keyboard that fills with dust and turns yellow quickly. some of apples older keyboards are even easier to take apart and service as well.
Possibly, but this one has integrations into macOS still, not to mention it’s far less ugly than most from the era. The USB ports are a huge plus, and so is the curved design.
subbed when i heard your English accent, for some reason nearly all of the tech people I follow are Americans! So often they recommend apps/products that either don't work the same or just don't have the same use cases over the pond. So its great to see variety with a brit!
@@glenesis I’m looking into getting an Extended Keyboard II lol. Been reading up about keyboards and I’d love to try a mechanical Apple ADB one, even if I need an adapter.
cheap membrane keyboard made by some chinese brand: -It's garbage. cheap membrane keyboard made by some chinese brand and sold by apple: -Omg its wonderful, i love it. (reselling profit +300%)
@@montaguebarnabasltd it’s usually a result of fluid ingress, but find a keyboard that old that hasn’t seen some cola or coffee. I have a friend who swears by the aluminium wired version that replaced it. Still full sized and has usb ports but with laptop style scissor keys. I’m inclined to agree with him. I used a mechanical for a couple of years and never got used to it. I use the Apple magic keyboard at work and the MX mechanical at home. The Max mechanical has low profile keys which get on with more than the full travel Cherry MX style.
I don't have this keyboard but I have the G4 variant but the plastic is cracked. I also have the early Intel iMac variant too. Shame they don't output enough power to reliably allow for USB drives to be plugged in but the ports are handy for the likes of mice. Would be cool if you could retrofit it with USB 3 and or C ports and enough power to manage that
Love your enthusiasm for this keyboard (in spite of it's limitations). You should check out an IBM Model M (it's gonna be more than a few quid though) if you can find one at a non-extortion price.
That was probably the best keyboard I ever had. Sadly, knocking a full glass of wine into the keyboard ruins them completely. One of the things I always liked about the Mac design philosophy that Jobs always demanded was minimizing cabling, and the Mac Cube was amazing in it's era. You had the Cube itself which had a power cable, and then phone or Ethernet connections, and a place to plug that amazing sound system into. Then their was one cable to the monitor for everything. The keyboard had one cable to the monitor, and the mouse into the keyboard.
I still daily drive a 2009 3rd Gen iPod Touch as an mp3, audiobook, and podcast player. Battery lasts for hours. The only reason I don't use the other apps is because I can't.
I bought one of these for cheap last year, because...I like a real beefy keyboards and it reminds me of my first 486DX50 PC .Nostalgia and effectiveness !
You acknowledged this a little bit when talking about membranes, but this keyboard feels terrible. Unfortunately the worst feeling apple keyboard in my opinion.
Ah, it’s a Tag Heuer Professional 3000. They were made in about 1985-89 I believe. Not a super valuable watch, but even if I had the money I don’t think I’d want something too expensive!
Did you ever had a problem when pressing on the edge of a key, its really hard to press in? If yes, how did you solve it? If no, how do you think i can solve it? It happens on mostly all keys
UA-cam tech channels: “buy new stuff buy new stuff buy new stuff…” UA-cam hipsters: “buy new stuff that feels old” This video: at least some common sense!
That LED on the caps key is neater than any keyboard today. This is the reason people loved Apple, and some still do, not realising this is not what Apple does today. 😢
Yup! That's my favorite Apple keyboard as well! As others have said, I really loved the late 90's - early 2010s design language from Apple. I would love it if they brought it back -- or at least offered it as an alternative to the flat slab keyboard they offer now (albeit with mechanical keyswitches.)
not sure if its the camera or the lighting, but you should look into chemical treatments for removing the slight yellowing white plastics tend to start to undergo once they've been around a while. This keyboard is starting to look like it could use it.
The reason is funny because every keyboard I have ever owned still works… I think wired keyboards are just super durable. Even my dads old PS2 Keyboards all work on modern machines
Current Apple keyboard, bin it when the battery fails, or worse expands and bulges to the point it warps the plastic case, which you can’t remove without damaging the keyboard….Yes seen this happen.
At 2:56 you did not put the wire back around the pins as it was when you took it apart. Not a big deal as long as the usb cable isn’t pulled on, but just bothers my ocd and perfectionist mind.
I threw a similar Apple keyboard away, a few years ago, because one of the keys stopped functioning. If I had realised that it could have been repaired then I would have kept it.
I have a couple of these around. One of them works, and one doesn't. The non-functioning one will probably make a good project at some point to see if I can figure out what's wrong with it. Ive always liked this keyboard and never found it to be particularly uncomfortable to use. It is a bit loud, but otherwise it's fine.
Unfortunately it's pretty unlikely that you'll be able to use this in another 20 years for the simple reason that the membrane will inevitably break down over time, regardless of use - it will harden and turn brittle where it needs to buckle, and keys will either become stuck in a pressed down state or will just not bounce back as they're supposed to. And as the membrane is one large sheet, even a single broken bump can make the entire keyboard unusable.
WOYS Discord!
Really excited to talk about Macs, upgrades, accessories and repairs with you guys.
Hop in and tell me about your Mac setup…
discord.gg/ZMpSk875qN
Aaaaá
Just an FYI, you can remove those scratches from the transparent case. Apparently headlight scratch remover does a great job on things like this.
@@So_It_Goes_ could be really useful. Thanks.
Lived through this era … it’s the biscuit collector model
I called it the crumb catcher.
Ah yes, the turn-upside-down-and-shake-for-a-buffet
i have the model that released before this one and the transparency does not make it any less noticeable... lol
100%
Practical, long lasting and easy to repair? Words that no one would use to describe Apple products today unfortunately
It wasn't too long ago in the grand scheme of things that MacBook Pros had convenient doors on the back for replacing the RAM, HDD, and battery. Now, many models have batteries glued into the case, requiring other crucial components to be replaced as well as the case. It's more of a "brain transplant," really, moving the logic board and monitor into a new case furnished with the battery, keyboard, speakers, mics, and more.
The 2023 models are just marginally better for having serviceable batteries... that can't be removed without voiding your warranty.
Don't get me started on the Mac Studio - a powerful series of beasts to have the most dangerous part of a computer (its power supply) be the first thing exposed after opening, and requiring a repairperson to also move delicate cables just to eventually change the clock battery.
Then there's Apple not only disabling third-party display repairs but also adding fuzzy lines to look like a faulty repair, practically insulting the competence of a DIY or hobbyist repair job that would have worked
That is probably too pessimistic a view. The Apple Silicon Macs are practical and long-lasting, and my previous iPhone lasted over 6 years and still worked fine when I replaced it. The M1 MacBook Air has been a solid laptop that remained competitive with PC laptops in its price range until Apple finally stopped selling it this year…Apple sold it new for four years, much longer than most Macs ever made, because that’s how well it worked for people, and many owners still love theirs despite never opening them up.
Yes, I used to own the PowerBook G3 with its two modular bays (for batteries, drives…) and the removable keyboard so that you could get at the RAM, hard drive, and more. The price for that? It was a beast with poor structural integrity that made creaking noises when carried, and developed a problem where when I picked it up, sometimes it would just die because an electrical contact would come loose somewhere inside.
I replaced that PowerBook after 3 years. My current M1 Pro MacBook Pro will be three years old this year, and I see no need to upgrade or replace it, so it is going to stay in daily service longer than my “modular, upgradable” PowerBook G3. It still feels new as it plows through work, feels solid, and it is the best Mac I have bought since my first one 25 years ago. My current Mac is overall a much more satisfying computer, even without being upgradeable, and I prefer it to what some call the “good old days.”
I might agree with you if you were talking about the last generation of Intel Macs. I have one of those MacBook Pros, and it might be the worst Mac I ever owned.
Worst part is if you actually look back it's been nearly 20 years since they shifted to the "shakedown and imprison" business model. Not surprising coming from a CEO who hired a private force of police impersonators to intimidate not only their own employees but also the general public into behaving how they want them to, but still sucks.
Well practical and long lasting, yes, but easy to repair? Hell no.
What are you talking about??? My last iPhone lasted half a decade before I replaced it, and honestly i didn’t even need to replace it, I just wanted something a bit faster and a better camera. I only had like 2 issues with it, and those were all solved by just restarting it.
That’s 1826 days of flawless operation with no maintenance. If you had a car which went half a decade without a penny of maintenance you would consider that a reliable car would you not?
I've modded 2 of these in the past with LEDs. I uses the 5 V from the USB port to power a LED on the left and the right poking out through the "motherboard housing" part. I just melted little holes in with a soldering iron to poke the heads of the LEDs through. Gives it a subtle underglow through the clear plastic.
That is super super cool. If you make/made any videos be sure to send a link!
@SamFigueroa bro du bist ein macher, gerade auf deinem channel nachgeschaut und dann hat mich deine webseite angelacht und du machst einfach alles ngl crazy was du alles anstellst bei gott
I remember doing the same as a kid with a couple of red LEDs. Probably not adding LEDs to any new keyboards 😂
These things actually sound/feel a lot better if you put thin coat of 205g0 lab on the key cap stems/slides. I also put some foam in the bottom case and replaced the cable with a USB-C braided one, and it’s so much better and able to be used with a modern computer.
Any change 2 replace the old batteries-compartment with AA-batteries into an upgrade with an USB-C charging battery??
I loved mine until I accidentally managed to pour a cup of coffee into it. The coffee (with sugar in) then managed to eat through one of the membrane traces and wiped out half the cursor keys and the num pad. I may have been able to fix the traces with conductive paint that I had for shielding an electric guitar cavity, but didn't think of that at the time.
Really you'd want to fix traces with enameled copper wire anyways
Spilt red wine in my friends one, had no idea it was fixable so bought him another.
Should have thrown it in the dishwasher (no soap), and it would have probably been fine
Thanks for the suggestions, no you can’t solder to a plastic membrane. A dishwasher won’t fix tracks that have been eaten away. I did use the conductive paint to fix an old Casio calculator membrane that had been damaged by leaking batteries. Also white vinegar or an acidic bathroom cleaner like Cillit Bang is great for cleaning battery compartments and contacts if alkaline batteries leak. Just don’t put it anywhere near the circuit board.
I found a 20-year-old PS/2 keyboard in a dumpster once. It had a massive coffee stain on it, but after re-aligning one pin on it and cleaning it up, it worked perfectly.
Whenever I'm putting a keyboard like that back together I normally add a dab of silicone grease there the springs click back in.
I've also found the best way to clean the keys is put them in a large protein powder shaker with warm water and a drop of detergent, find a bottle brush that fits in the hole and go to town with your best...erm... churning action. It's not perfect but will get you 90% of the way.
I especially appreciate the grease tip. Will probably be going back and doing that. Thanks
What a shame.. they used to make beautiful AND practical products
I don't buy anything Apple anymore myself, but what exactly makes them not practical?
Their phones, laptops, and tablets are all simple to use, and will do most anything you throw at them with flying colors. There are cases where the competing operating systems will do something dramatically better (e.g. Windows is dramatically better at running Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, on account of the fact that MacOS cannot launch it at all), but there are also cases where Apple's operating systems do something dramatically better than the competition (battery life per MaH is industry-leading).
I now prefer Windows and Android, for a variety of reasons. But the cheapest iPhone from 2018 was doing everything I needed a phone to do in 2023, and the reason I decided I wanted a new phone was not because I had a critical need that wasn't filling but because I felt like treating myself to trying something new, and Samsung's folds looked cool (they are cool).
@@sparky6757
I often judge practicality by the products/services' price tags, compare to the value that they offer.
And ESPECIALLY their longevity. If I were to set aside a kidney for something, I'd be well damn expected it to last a life-time or two.
There is more than enough content around to tell you that they're not worth it.
Dun dum 😂
The problem is that many users today think they are very technical but in fact, are not, so they don’t see the practicality in products which are not directly related to TikTok videos of cartoon porn. I’d love to hear how a smartphone or watch or set top video streaming device or tablet or laptops or desktops are “not practical”.
Literally every large tech company is using mainly Apple machines to build trillion dollar companies, but somehow random dorks on UA-cam know better. 🙄
Using one of these daily. I was also surprised of how easily I could fully dismantle and clean it the first time I did so. I also once managed to pour half a glass of wine in it, but after a thorough clean, more or less full wet cleaning with a finishing round of IPA, it still works perfectly. I had to dismantle it even further and fully clean the membrane and contacts, but even that was fully doable, albeit time consuming and fiddly.
I have spent many years in various countries and the one thing I have always brought with me is a USB keyboard with my preferred layout. This model is one the ones that have traveled with me more than most keyboards not attached to a laptop 😉
(I used to have an old Sun keyboard that went missing, I liked that one as well.)
Thanks for watching, and giving us your story!
Such a beautiful keyboard! I absolutely adore the late 90s to early 2010s Apple design language. We have one of these keyboards in our house collecting dust. I would use it, however the keys seem to be a bit inconsistent with the amount of pressure being needed to push the key down (some are just way too hard) and when you press the edge of most keys, they either don't push down at all or require a ridiculous amount of force to do so.
Me too!
You’ve described that very accurately. Cleaning the board does help a fair bit, though.
@@montaguebarnabasltd I've been hesitant to do so as it might not change anything, but I'll definitely be trying it out after your video!
Had same thing with just regular PC media keyboard. It was very nasty inside, something sticky was spilled all over it.
This keyboard is actually my daily driver on my main PC. I also use one when working on customer's computers. I keep a wireless mouse dongle inserted so I just plug in 1 cable and have my keyboard and mouse ready to go.
Came today much the same.
Apple actually intended these USB ports for the mouse, the iMac G3's keyboard (and also the A1243 slim Aluminium keyboard) had a usb port on the left and right end and the mouse cable was purposefully short so you could also place the mouse on the left side of your keyboard.
Do the volume up, down and mute work on a PC?
@@kuchenblechmafiagmbh1381 yeah this mimics the ADB mouse and keyboard arrangement.
@@AndyK.1 yes
That screw driver looks oddly familiar ;) Love the video! Makes me want to get that keyboard 😁.
Much appreciated x
You can always borrow the keyboard in the vid ;)
Thank you, for this step-by-step guide on cleaning your vintage "glossy white" wired Apple USB Keyboard. My first came with my "glossy white" 20-inch G5 iMac and, I feel right in love with this Keyboard. Currently, I have three working units: one is very junky looking used with my primary desktop a "space gray" trash can size Mac Pro, the second is fair looking used on my vintage 20-inch G5 iMac, and the third one that looks brand new which, I keep in its box. In addition, I also have this Keyboard's wireless Blue-tooth twin which, is always a lot of fun to use (smile...smile).
Nice one. I have a different Mac Pro keyboard from 2008. Still going strong and I don't expect it to break anytime soon.
We had similar keyboards when I was in high school in the graphics design room, we had both white ones like the one in the video as well as ones with black keys. I hated typing on them so much, keys randomly got stuck and didn’t register key pressed half the time.
Nah they’re not the most pleasant to type on, but if you look after em these are invincible and do the job fine :)
@@montaguebarnabasltd these were at a high school, so saying they’ve been abused would be an understatement haha ^^
You didn’t properly thread the USB cable through the three posts at 2:29, this will cause the cable to tug on the pcb and possibly break the board.
Fixed at 3:05 ;)
Old membrane keyboards, such as the Lenovo Preferred Pro II, sometimes used lubricant in the stabilizers and keys. I once gave one lenovo keyboard a thorough cleaning, but it became unusable when all the old lubes went away :D
It's worth at least relubricating the stabilisers, dielectric grease works fine. But for anything else, thinner lube is must.
I will probably give that a go soon. Thanks!
That happened to me in this same keyboard.
I have two of these. Love the USB pass-through for my mouse lol.
I've got two of these, and both of them have sort of binding keys, that, if you press them slightly off centre they get jammed. It's super annoying.. Not sure if mine are just worn out, or if they're all like that?
1:07 2:56, you didn’t route the cable properly on reassembly, if you yank it accidentally it might tear the wires inside
You’re right. I went back and fixed it at 3:05 though lol
I have used a Mitsumi membrane keyboard from mid 90s for a long time. It's a bit of a pest to reassemble since the rubber actuators are not in a sheet but installed individually, and eventually the channels that support the keys got worn down making some of the more frequently used keys especially Ctrl that i often press a little off centre unpleasant to press down, the channel was no longer keeping the keycaps straight and made too much friction. Also the membrane silver print foil layers, well the conductive layer on those had worn through, but i patched it up with automotive rear window heater repair fluid. The plastic quality on the Mitsumi was quite delightful otherwise, no yellowing at all.
As such i don't think any membrane keyboard is forever. The Mitsumi's rubber at least stayed in good shape. I have checked out some Cherry membrane keyboard which spent a few years on the shelf and the ruber layer has started hardening up. I do think eventually any silicone or TPU will break down even nicer quality and will harden or tear, it shouldn't survive 40 years.
In most membrane keyboards, i find that the keycaps unclip easily from the back of the spillboard, you might need the right tool though.
I think the most practical life long keyboard is mechanical. I have fished a wet G80-3000 out of a dumpster that got rained into more than 20 years ago, and it had been well used previously before it got there, the case was very yellowed, and it still works fine. It did have bad contact, but a little contact spray solved that and you can just solder out and replace individual switches if need be. Additionally PBT keycaps are tough wearing and not susceptible to say cigarette burns, i used to smoke, nor are they susceptible to acetone fumes like when you do your fingernails.
I currently have been using a cheap Chinese mechanical TKL for the last 8 years, with occasional care it types like new, and i can rebuild and modify it in a number of ways for years to come, and it's quite heavy and stable. I really love the NKRO feature, or rather, i don't want to be using a non-NKRO keyboard any longer if i can help it. This one only has ABS keycaps, so i might replace them but they're not too terrible yet. Yeah there's a little bit of a shine but they're double shot so it's OK, it's fine for it to look used. I have seen some "fancy" keyboards which were in use for mere few months where the keycaps became really nasty as they were black painted and lasered keycaps and the clear keycap base started peeking through the worn paint layer, i don't feel this sort of wear pattern is acceptable.
Thank you for a very detailed and insightful comment.
I think in terms of consumer hardware from bigger companies like Apple, these keyboards are among the longest lasting. I reckon I can get another 10 years from this one. Haven’t been able to try a Mitsumi, but will look into those.
There’s a good chance apple made a million or more of these. The fact that most of them aren’t still being used today is a real problem, and it’s horrible to think how much waste that’s led to. It’s nice to know they can still be used, though, which I suppose is the moral of the video’s story. Ideally more people will start to pick up the philosophy of buying things for life, and that will enact change on a bigger scale. We’ll see!
@@montaguebarnabasltd I heard BTC membrane keyboards from the 90s still work well. These use PA slider stems to reduce friction and wear, and separate keycaps sitting on top. They don't look particularly amazing though, being BTC.
Mitsumi keyboards have come and gone a long time ago, i haven't seen one sold since late 90s. BTC stopped making keyboards even earlier i think. Used to love Mitsumi ball mice as well in the 90s, but well i don't think i would want one right now. Not that i know what exactly i do want, i am probably making my own shape and my own charging system for the g305 whenever i get around to that. There kind of aren't high performance mice for women, and if there is one like maybe the g705, the price is outrageous! Xtrfy m4 is a shape that almost works for me but omg the price, and i don't need all the air holes.
I‘m currently using this keyboard for my pc because my mechanical keyboard broke after 10 years. It’s not as good as a mechanical keyboard but it does what it’s supposed to do, I only have to clean it
Apple used to make some incredible keyboards that put all their modern ones to shame. They came with Alps mechanical switches, they are considered superior to Cherry MX and their clones in many regards. The mechanical keyboard aficionados who know about them tend to have them as one of their favorites and would give a kidney to have Alps come back. Alps switches’ major weakness is dust, they are worse than other designs at keeping it away and not letting it interfere with switch operation.
My neighbour gave me a older apple keyboard it’s the model that has the trans dark blue caps and the usb port on either side and I cleaned it all except for the bottom since I don’t have the right screw bit
I rook apart many of these for cleaning. Ingave the key caps a bath in demin water and a lab detergent called Mucasol. Then a bath in demin water and good time for drying. The caps look as new and you even get the nice slightly rough feeling back
I recently cleaned mine. I didnt go that deep as mine was much cleaner. I dont use it anymore but it looks pretty good.. It looks great with my G5 iMac
Unfortunately it’s way too big for my. I’m still looking for a wired compact Apple keyboard. W/o the numpads you know. I found one chicklet version but those are very rare I’ve learned and somehow a entire column of keys from the 0 and - keys to the m key doesn’t work and I’ve no idea how to repair that😓
I've got both the wired and the wireless version on this keyboard and love typing on it. If only it could be somehow converted to a mechanical keyboard with backlight... if there was a conversion kit available that would retain the aesthetics, I would be buying that for sure.
Absolutely. I’ll be looking into that
how do you connect the wireless keyboard? I've tried many times, to no avail..
@@DaAvengerMenace4 What you mean how I connect? Via bluetooth. MacOS X automatically detects it.
I loved this keyboard. When I bought these second hand, I used to pop out the keys, put the keys in my dishwasher, a good vacuum of the kb tray and it was like brand new !
Yeah I would definitely find a way to backlight it. Just a nice yellow/white light would make that look really classy.
I’m still regularly using an IBM model M keyboard that originally came with an IBM PS/2. On the underside is a label showing the date it was produced in late 1987. Built to last, in Scotland.
I loved that keyboard, but it didn't last. I got maybe 7 years on it, then it broke, some keys weren't working anymore and it had to be replaced. Replaced it with the then just new wireless "magic" keyboard, which now has a crooked Q key but still works to this day, battery is fine too. Waiting till it fully breaks to get the new actually magic keyboard, the one with the fingerprint scanner on it, as that would be actually magic to no longer manually enter passwords all the time.
_That font is _*_godly_*
I would love to see you update this by adding an internal USB 3.0 hub - maybe a USB-C port to replace the hardwired cable, and 1x USB-C downstream port and 1x USB-A 3.0 downstream port. That would be really useful! Only tricky part would be getting the ports from the donor hub mounted correctly, but someone with 3d printing skills could probably design some brackets.
I'm quite partial to the M7803 keyboard and once cleaned one of that model which had belonged to the late author, Michael Palmer, following The 8-Bit Guy's retrobright method
I’m still using the flat cable one, I think the next model over, it’s ages old and works perfectly fine
Puttin’ on the ritz.
“spangled gowns upon the bevy of high browns from down the levy; all misfits”
my grandpa has this keyboard at his desk, it just brings back nostalgia of being young in his home and him working in the office and hearing him clack away
This is very interesting! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one... I brought mine out of storage late last year and refurbished it too. I wish I had seen your video back then!
Thanks for watching!
Although I still like the look of it, I have to be honest: It's the worst keyboard I ever typed on. We had them at university more than 15 years ago - quite new ones - and I always loathed having to work with them. The most mushy, imprecise feel but at the same time rather hard to press keys. They replaced this keyboard with the A1243 model and went the opposite way (for me at least) - it's sooo good!! I still use it to this day (actually typing on it right now) on both Windows and Mac machines and couldn't be happier.
I got one at a sunday market.. but the flex PCB was damaged by corrosion meaning many keys do not work. Would you perhaps have plans for a custom PCB?
Bummer. I’m sorry, I didn’t look that in depth at it!
Mine got dripped on by an aircon unit at work and corroded the traces down the left side. Sad times all round.
Until a contractor bought the bluetooth version in a shockingly poor state. Which I then bought off him and swapped the keys/backboard over (because they used the same keys but not the same traces for... reasons).
Yeah, it's does look easier to disassemble than a lot of modern keyboard. But it's still a membrane keyboard, and you pulling out the keys by hand instead of pushing it from below with a pinch will degrade at least the horizontal stabilization due to the clips becoming loose or snapping altogether at some point. Also the rubber domes degrade after time depending on your usage. For example gamers can wear out wasd in 3-5 years.
For keyboard to actually serve for ages it needs to be a mechanical one with some sturdy plastic keycaps (pbt doubleshot for example).
I found a 20-year-old PS/2 keyboard from AOpen in a dumpster last year. It has a massive coffee stain on it, but after re-aligning one pin on its connector and cleaning it up, it works perfectly. It's currently one of my best keyboards, in fact. I have two keyboards that are a decade and a half newer than it and they're already falling apart from age.
They just don't make things like they used to, I guess.
I somewhat recently cleaned one I used with a server. It was way more dirty than this one, needed a lot of scrubbing. Used it for a while for my work setup. Funnily enough a Windows laptop. I stoppen using the keyboard when I got a Macbook, opting for a Logitech keyboard that was wireless. But it is a decent membrane keyboard. Very sturdy
I have one of these that Iam currently trying to repair... It got water damaged and iam waiting for silver conductive paint to fix some trayces.. Hopefully I'll get it back to working status
I use Kemo L100 which is easily available and cheap, or maybe ask in auto parts store for rear window heater repair fluid, it's the same. It is tricky to use though, you need to shake it vigorously for a minute or two, then quickly uncap the vial and do your painting within about 20 seconds of shaking, then cap it and shake it again for at least a number of seconds before you use it more. It takes some practice. If the liquid is separated and not thoroughly mixed, you might get a line which looks proper but isn't conductive. I suspect the silver particulate clumps together after a little time and the carrier binder ends up insulating it, forming just microscopic conductive islands but not being conductive end to end of a line. Make tests with your paint on a piece of plastic or transparency, let dry, test resistance, to make sure you are using it properly and don't get that issue. I usually use a wooden toothpick with a flattened slightly splayed out end to apply it, because i figure a brush or somesuch will just absorb and waste a lot of material.
@@SianaGearz for some reason it's extremely expensive here (about 300% more expensive)
@@panzerbuern4138 yeah for me these are local brand products, which tend to be very accessible and well priced, but in other parts of the world they may not be :D
I can attest these things strength and durability. We got these in my second grade year and when I went back to visit in 2018 nearly ten years later they still had these. Also, many computer classes we had people would fight to use these keyboard because they were just that good.
I recently got one of these for free, I fully took it apart and even cleaned the little membranes, it’s my only keyboard so I use it regularly. Also, I think the keyboard is actually kind of clacky, it’s just enough to sound good, but not too loud to be annoying.
I find it slightly annoying, I’ll admit. Still works for what I use it for lol
I loved that Keyboard.. I put mine in the dishwasher a few times to clean..
I just had to spray some WD40 in-between the layers after each wash but I had it for years.
I’ll keep the WD-40 part in mind
@@montaguebarnabasltd for in between the membrane layers.
I have one of these, sadly some of the keys don't work :(
Is that lovely timepiece an old Vacheron?
It’s a Tag Heuer! From 1985-9 I believe
These are my all time favorite apple keyboard. Really solid feel and takes up minimal desk space
Did this to the same keyboard too a while ago. Definitely an easy restore.
its just a regular rubber dome keyboard that fills with dust and turns yellow quickly. some of apples older keyboards are even easier to take apart and service as well.
I still use mine! I have been using it for more than 20 years! Now with my M1 Macbook Pro
Isn't any old USB keyboard as usable as this one is?
Possibly, but this one has integrations into macOS still, not to mention it’s far less ugly than most from the era. The USB ports are a huge plus, and so is the curved design.
I have a 10 years old Logitech waterproof one. Looks ok, plastic got a bit yellowish, I wonder how it looks like in 10 years.
Get some plastic polish on the clear housing. It will come up like brand new! Did it on one I recently found as well as bleached the keycaps!
I’ll give it a go! Didn’t think there’d be a fix. Thanks
subbed when i heard your English accent, for some reason nearly all of the tech people I follow are Americans! So often they recommend apps/products that either don't work the same or just don't have the same use cases over the pond. So its great to see variety with a brit!
So happy to hear that!
Means a lot :)
currently searching for this thing's predecessor, the G3 Tangerine keyboard. i adore them.
Those are arguably better looking - yup!
I restored an old 1989 ibm model m keyboard. Very satisfying to type on
My fave too. I've got some dead keys. Thanks for the inspiration! Cheers!
Actually my very favorite is an ADB keyboard: the
Apple Extended Keyboard ][
But for USB this one is my fave.
@@glenesis I’m looking into getting an Extended Keyboard II lol. Been reading up about keyboards and I’d love to try a mechanical Apple ADB one, even if I need an adapter.
cheap membrane keyboard made by some chinese brand:
-It's garbage.
cheap membrane keyboard made by some chinese brand and sold by apple:
-Omg its wonderful, i love it.
(reselling profit +300%)
Then why does it need refurbishing?
My school had these keyboards and i remember them as REALLY good
I’ve had several of these fail, where the traces on the membrane break. They’re nowhere near as good as the previous generation pro keyboards.
Damn, first I’ve heard of this. Hopefully not the case for mine, but I’ll keep that in mind for if I need another :)
@@montaguebarnabasltd it’s usually a result of fluid ingress, but find a keyboard that old that hasn’t seen some cola or coffee. I have a friend who swears by the aluminium wired version that replaced it. Still full sized and has usb ports but with laptop style scissor keys. I’m inclined to agree with him. I used a mechanical for a couple of years and never got used to it. I use the Apple magic keyboard at work and the MX mechanical at home. The Max mechanical has low profile keys which get on with more than the full travel Cherry MX style.
@@jabbawok944 never have been a big fan of mech keyboards. They have a certain charm though. Might give the MX a try for those low profile keys.
Apple used to make some actually good products. I've taken apart and modded several ipods and its incredible how well they are made
I don't have this keyboard but I have the G4 variant but the plastic is cracked. I also have the early Intel iMac variant too. Shame they don't output enough power to reliably allow for USB drives to be plugged in but the ports are handy for the likes of mice.
Would be cool if you could retrofit it with USB 3 and or C ports and enough power to manage that
i like using the keyboard that came with the first pc i ever touched, it still works to this day and feels amazing
Love your enthusiasm for this keyboard (in spite of it's limitations). You should check out an IBM Model M (it's gonna be more than a few quid though) if you can find one at a non-extortion price.
I’ll see what I can do.
Thanks for watching!
That was probably the best keyboard I ever had. Sadly, knocking a full glass of wine into the keyboard ruins them completely. One of the things I always liked about the Mac design philosophy that Jobs always demanded was minimizing cabling, and the Mac Cube was amazing in it's era. You had the Cube itself which had a power cable, and then phone or Ethernet connections, and a place to plug that amazing sound system into. Then their was one cable to the monitor for everything. The keyboard had one cable to the monitor, and the mouse into the keyboard.
I still daily drive a 2009 3rd Gen iPod Touch as an mp3, audiobook, and podcast player. Battery lasts for hours. The only reason I don't use the other apps is because I can't.
i'm shocked how easy is to take this thing apart and that it's not filled with glue and anti repair tactics like every other Apple crap
Bought one recentlyish never really licked the typing feel
I bought one of these for cheap last year, because...I like a real beefy keyboards and it reminds me of my first 486DX50 PC .Nostalgia and effectiveness !
i got one of these at a thrift store for 2 dollars a couple years ago and it works great
You acknowledged this a little bit when talking about membranes, but this keyboard feels terrible. Unfortunately the worst feeling apple keyboard in my opinion.
I get what you mean. I’m just forcing myself to get used to it so I can keep it for 2 more decades lol
@@montaguebarnabasltd it is definitely built like a tank I abused the heck out of that keyboard as a kid.
I used to have this keyboard when I was younger, that lasted through many gaming sessions and ragings. :)
curious about your time piece mate
Ah, it’s a Tag Heuer Professional 3000. They were made in about 1985-89 I believe.
Not a super valuable watch, but even if I had the money I don’t think I’d want something too expensive!
Did you ever had a problem when pressing on the edge of a key, its really hard to press in? If yes, how did you solve it? If no, how do you think i can solve it? It happens on mostly all keys
Yes!! I think it can be fixed by oiling the part of the inside of the key which has friction against the layer underneath if that makes sense.
I’ve seen someone put an led strip in side the transparent plastic area
UA-cam tech channels: “buy new stuff buy new stuff buy new stuff…”
UA-cam hipsters: “buy new stuff that feels old”
This video: at least some common sense!
Love that lol.
Thank you
That LED on the caps key is neater than any keyboard today. This is the reason people loved Apple, and some still do, not realising this is not what Apple does today. 😢
That’s a detail I really liked too. Glad to spotted it lol
Mine is getting a little yellow over the years. I believe tossing the key caps in Oxy-Clean will do the job.
I have three of em, one wireless. One of the wired ones doesn't work tho.
Yup! That's my favorite Apple keyboard as well! As others have said, I really loved the late 90's - early 2010s design language from Apple. I would love it if they brought it back -- or at least offered it as an alternative to the flat slab keyboard they offer now (albeit with mechanical keyswitches.)
Agreed. I genuinely would love to see a mechanical rebuild of this keyboard. LEDs are another thing lol.
Thanks for watching!
That was the most positive and wholesome message of the day for me. Thank you!
That’s so lovely to hear, thanks a lot!
Man! Your voice is super nice and soothing
not sure if its the camera or the lighting, but you should look into chemical treatments for removing the slight yellowing white plastics tend to start to undergo once they've been around a while. This keyboard is starting to look like it could use it.
Very slight yellowing yes, I think it’s fine for now though. Will keep that in mind though!
The reason is funny because every keyboard I have ever owned still works… I think wired keyboards are just super durable.
Even my dads old PS2 Keyboards all work on modern machines
Current Apple keyboard, bin it when the battery fails, or worse expands and bulges to the point it warps the plastic case, which you can’t remove without damaging the keyboard….Yes seen this happen.
At 2:56 you did not put the wire back around the pins as it was when you took it apart. Not a big deal as long as the usb cable isn’t pulled on, but just bothers my ocd and perfectionist mind.
Fixed at 3:04 lol
@@montaguebarnabasltd, I did not catch that you had fixed it, thank you
mine is dead and needs screws to be fixed
i list them
Did the same thing on the exact same keyboard - but popped my keys in the dishwasher! Worked a treat :D
Good idea tbh
Will it work on a modern Mac I wonder?
As I said in the video… yes.
This keyboard is 20 years old? It looks like it comes from the future, it is just so clean
You said it works with all your devices, does it include non apple ones?
I believe so, yes.
I threw a similar Apple keyboard away, a few years ago, because one of the keys stopped functioning. If I had realised that it could have been repaired then I would have kept it.
You could probably improve the keyboard if you lubricated the stabilizers and keys with soem keyboard lube
have this one! even though its membrane ,it minecraft's just fine.
I have a couple of these around. One of them works, and one doesn't. The non-functioning one will probably make a good project at some point to see if I can figure out what's wrong with it. Ive always liked this keyboard and never found it to be particularly uncomfortable to use. It is a bit loud, but otherwise it's fine.
Idk how you would do this but put the motherboard of a Magic Keyboard and put the fingerprint reader into lint when case somewhere
Unfortunately it's pretty unlikely that you'll be able to use this in another 20 years for the simple reason that the membrane will inevitably break down over time, regardless of use - it will harden and turn brittle where it needs to buckle, and keys will either become stuck in a pressed down state or will just not bounce back as they're supposed to. And as the membrane is one large sheet, even a single broken bump can make the entire keyboard unusable.
You may be right. I’ll get back to you in 20 years mate ;)
@@montaguebarnabasltd Sounds good! Looking forward to that youtube notification 😂