Open Computing History Project

Our hardware group has written up the repair notes we have collected over the past year for membrane keyboards found in early 1980s home computers. Membrane keyboards were cheap to make and are now the most common point of failure in the machines we receive.

The notes cover the usual problems: cracked traces on the ribbon tail, keys that stop registering after the conductive ink wears off, and connectors that have corroded from years in a damp basement. For each machine we list what has worked for us, what has not, and which repairs we consider reversible.

The notes are a working document. We would rather publish them now with gaps than wait until they are complete, so please send corrections and additions.