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[MyTechAttic]

Hello everyone,

My second message here... I just Brough my Lisa 2/10 back to life with a fresh install of LisaOffice.  Problem is though that the keyboard is not responding at all.  None of the keys function on it.

None of the keys stick or are sluggish - they all have springiness.  I have tried reseating the keyboard plug, and inspected inside at the I/O board - nothing loose there.  I have even hit the reset button on the back to no resolve.

Before I venture inside the keyboard, does anyone have some ideas?  Again, not one key at all works on the keyboard.  Is this a keyboard issue or is this a keyboard jack or otherwise issue?

Thanks in advance,

Paul@My Tech Attic
www.mytechattic.com

[jamesdenton]

Hi Paul - welcome!

In my experience, if the pads are original and haven't been changed, there's a good chance they'll need replacing to get it working again. I'm sure someone will chime in with some technical details on the hows and whys, but both VintageMicros (originals) and TexElec (repops) may have the pads you need.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/202917396705

https://texelec.com/product/foam-capacitive-pads-keytronic/

[sigma7]

if the pads are original and haven't been changed, there's a good chance they'll need replacing

They probably needed replacing 10-20 years ago!

Before replacement pads became available, we all were making our own, so that's an option if you need only a couple, or suppliers have no stock, but beware that it is not a quick project to make all those pads by hand ... https://lisafaq.sunder.net/lisafaq-hw-kb_repair.html

The density of the foam affects the feel of the keys when they bottom out, but doesn't seem to matter otherwise. I think closed cell foam may last longer.

Note that the metallic disk doesn't actually make electrical contact with the circuit board, so eg. you can't just replace with aluminum tape. Best to reuse the two disks from each key and replace the foam between them.

the keyboard is not responding at all

Although the pads certainly need replacing, there also could be an issue with the wiring in the chassis that connects the keyboard plug to the motherboard, or even a dead keyboard. Once you get the keyboard apart, you could test the bare circuit board by putting one of the insulated disks onto one of the key locations to see if that is recognized by the Lisa.

[MyTechAttic]

Thank you very much for the info. I opened it up and each key has an issue with the foam. I will get a whole batch.