Should you buy a Model M? Screw mod, repair & parts

To reattach the springs without doing the bolt mod i've always rotated the springs. You can put some electrical tape on a toothpick, then put the pick in the spring and push down on the spring with the tape and twist. I have done quite a lot of keys that way on both model M and model F. Its also easier to remove the springs by twisting them off and gently pulling, they dont get elongated as much.

My favorite characteristic of buckling spring that no other modern clicky switch gets right is that the click, tactility and actuation are all in perfect alignment. I actually prefer the feel and sound of my Kailh clickbar switches but it's too easy to click the switch without actuating, or double-press without un-clicking. The click on a Model M serves a practical purpose of eliminating any ambiguity about whether a key is active or not.

I recently restored a Model M of a PS/2 model 50 (still under restoration). It was incredibly dirty, dusty, crapped, and even with pieces of cement inside. I had to disassemble it completely. The incredibly difficult part when putting it together was the plastic base of the keys. Since I had to eliminate all the plastic pins, like you did, I had to invent something to hold it back again. Instead of screws I did it with small pieces of L-shaped metal (pieces of paper clips) that went through where the plastic pins were before, heating them to go through the plastic and they will remain fixed. And since this base is curved, adapted to the metal base, I had to make a curved support with cardboard. Thus, the plastic base was placed upside down, with the keys facing down, and the cardboard "ribs" between the keys so these could fall in place, and taking the appropriate shape to be able to place the metal base on top, pass the metal pins and bend them tightly to keep both pieces together correctly. Good part of the problem was those plastic segments being falling apart one form the others. Three keys did not work well, but I already fixed one without disassembling the keyboard again, I still have to adjust two others, the backspace and another that I don't remember

1:30 Computer Tech Center

25:39 You mean ISO keyboard. ANSI is the standard US layout.

Putting that spring back on the flapper (and removing it too), a light twisting motion helps by unloading the coiled tension to make it looser.

18:25 this barrel plate looks sturdy, but I bolt moded very fragile barrel plates, I made at least 7 bolt mods, here is a technique to never crack the barrel plate especially those fragile 80's barrel plates: 1) leave the barrel plate attached tot the steel plate when you start drilling; 2) make just one hole clean the plastic rivet and add a bolt and nut, repeat step 2 for all the rivets, one by one, 3) unscrew the barrel plate and clean the plastic shrapnels from drilling the rivets 4) screw it back together It adds more time to the whole thing but is extra safe. Also there is the advantage that there is no misaligment with the steel plate. Don't forget: don't tighten to much the bolts and nuts.

I have a late-80's 122-key M keyboard from an old terminal. I did an Soarer mod internally by disconnecting the cable from the internal header and plugging the mod in there.

5:07 you can use a toothpick stick it in one end of the spring and the other end in the flapper bump and once you fixed it on the dedicated bump on the flapper and just try and push the toothpick and screw the spring.

I am a software developer. The keyboard, which I am using every day is the same Model M which I got 1993 (or 94? sooo long time ago). It still works perfectly fine. I use it on a cheap PS2-USB-Adapter on my 2022 Dell Laptop. I am addicted to the sound it makes, when I'm typing. The keycaps are already quite dirty (again). Once I will need to pull them off again, put them into a little bag and put them into the washing machine (40°C). In the 30 years I use this keyboard, I did this 2 or 3 times already. The keycaps still look great. I'm actually not a fan of IBM stuff, I still love Amiga and Macs, but this keyboard is just worldclass.

Wow, that's a lot of work to get those back to life and happy. I've never taken mine apart and I hope I won't have to any time soon. Nice work!

I had a model m all the way into college up until like 2008 or so but my new computer didn't have any PS2 ports so I bought a USB keyboard and stuck it in a box where it promptly disappeared. 😢

Vintage cherry fan here, I have a keyboard from 1985 wich is keycap kompatible with new glorius caps and vice versa. It is similar to the AT layout of the model F. ❤

I use a Unicomp Model M, and absolutely love it. As I'm a programmer, I spend most of my working day typing so the idea of using a cheap keyboard with poor tactile response is anathema to me. I can't understand why the vast majority of my colleagues are content to use the awful keyboards or the one on a laptop - even when I'm using a laptop, if I'm at a desk I'll connect a keyboard to it. The only downside to the Model M is how loud it is, so I do have a Filco with Cherry MX silent keys for offices where the noise is an issue.

It looks like the sticker on the back says Product of: Computer Tech Center

That is a Spanish layout keyboard, but the C with a tail is not a Spanish character, so it doesn't look at all "Spanish." I really don't know why it's included other than the possibility that Catalan uses it. Catalan doesn't use the tilde-N, but those are the only differences between the character set. Spanish and Catalan both use the acute and grave (á, à) so I think the tailed-C is there for universal compatibility in Spain for both Spanish and Catalan.

Oh how much I love Model M repair videos. I have only done one full bolt mod on my Unicomp Model M 104. My other Model M 102 was made by Lexmark, and OEM'd to Dell in '92 with an original Dell Logo. Only 5 lost rivets, and works just fine. I considered a screw mod, but thought that if the keyboard works and feels fine, there is no reason to do the mod. Thank you for your video on the Model M repairs. Always enjoyed them, and this one is no exception.

I don't know why people call it a bolt mod and then use machine screws. Screws use drivers, nuts use wrenches, it has nothing to do with whether it uses a nut or not. If it's point and has sharp threads it's a self tapper, if it's meant to go into metal threads it's a machine screw, or machine bolt if it uses a wrench.

I’m in the middle of doing one as of typing this. Waiting on a few parts from Unicomp. Done multiple

As IBM used to say.... How yah gonna do it? You're gonna PS/2 it!