Looking for advice for A1200 keyboard repair

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I've bought a used Amiga 1200 in great condition, with the exception of a broken space bar. At the time of the purchase I thought this was something I could fix on my own, but so far I haven't been able to fully repair it. I've tried a few things but I'm looking for advice now.



On both sides a piece of plastic was broken off that holds the metal bar in place.

Here's two detailed images:

Image: Keyboard without Space bar key
Image: Closeup of broken plastic

I've had multiple attempts to repair this. The best result I had so far was with a zie-tie that pulls the metal bar to the black plastic:

Image: Close up of zip-tie repair
Image: Zip-tie repair

(The lower image looks like the bar is slightly bent, but that's just the camera. it's 100% straight and rotates without any resistance)

The key is now functional, however the sensitivity is, compared to other keys, noticeably different and the space bar doesn't trigger sometimes when pressed on the extreme left or right.

Did anyone do a repair job like this in the past? I'd appreciate any suggestions.

[Daedalus]

There's not a whole lot to the mechanism really as you can see, but I would suggest that the positioning of the metal bar is actually quite critical. At the extremities of the key, the difference in positioning of the bar will be magnified. I would say that the zip tie fix appears to be a reasonable fix in principle, but the position in the photo appears to be maybe 0.5-1mm away from the bar's intended position. That may be enough to cause problems when the key is pressed at the opposite end.

I don't know how practical it is, but if the zip ties could be secured so that they only hold the upper part of the metal bar in place, with the remaining part of the original bracket securing the bottom near side of the bar, maybe it will be closer to the original position and the operation may be improved.

[sneckburger]

file off the old clip / holder and 3d print a new plastic one and glue it in place.
could improve the design a little and even use a m3 insert instead of screws.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Press-Fit...YBA:rk:16:pf:0

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Thanks for both your replies!

I thought about fully replacing the whole clip, but I don't even know what the broken off piece of plastic is supposed to look like and at what height the metal bar is supposed to be sitting: Exactly on the lower plastic or slightly above?

Anyone knows of a gallery or archive of a disassembled keyboard?

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Quick update: Earlier today my kid played with beads and they appear to be a perfect match:

I cut out a segment and they fit perfectly and don't need any glue to stay put.

The extreme left/right now triggers properly, but the overall sensitivity is still not right. I think the center trigger or spring needs some further adjustments.

I'm getting there...

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Final update to this thread: I bought a replacement plastic back plate with proper clips from Ebay and fully dis- and reassembled my keyboard. Now everything works perfectly.

All my attempts simply weren't accurate enough, just as Daedalus suggested: The metal bar attachment needs to be placed 100% exact.

PS: As a bonus, I made a time lapse video of the back plate switch:
[ Show youtube player ]

[Hewitson]

Congratulations on the repair, but ugh... music. You've lost me on the video.

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Originally Posted by Hewitson

but ugh... music.

Yeah, sorry Music is always difficult. That track come up on Slay Radio during the repair and I cannot resist any comic bakery remix.