The old keyboard seems to be part of my problems now. Back when I used to have one which had little fine steel links, springs and switches under each of the little keys. One by one they went dead. Then got a more modern one, which I refer to as being a $1 Swap meet special. These keys seem not to go straight down, but tilt one or one-half degree to the outside, then either jamb or stall when going down. I lubed them last year with some spray on silicone, and boy did that work OK for about one month. But again amd making for many-many mispelled words due to buttons going down a tad gruffly. The ones in center of the keyboard are OK, it just those over towards the ends I am having troubles with. Think need a new one again. How or where do I locate one of the older style keyboards which had the metal scissors links, the springs and the tiny switches? They did not jamb up. Wm.

Ahh the good old days, when I could charge $60+ to repair a keyboard. The failure of the individual keyswitches was a common problem with the old style keyboard. Many different methods were tried to overcome this. The modern keyboard uses just 3 sheets of mylar. The outer 2 with the keymatrix printed on them and a separator sheet with holes under each key. This reduced the price of keyboards from hundreds of dollars, to just a few. With the modern disposable keyboard, the most expensive part is the keys themselves. This is where manufacturers can save production costs. My advise, throw away the cheap and nasty keyboard you are using and replace it with one that feels right.

I don't know where you would get a new one like that these days, but you can certainly find used ones very similar to that. You would get them at places that have old used keyboards, but that type you had are very hard to find now. The successor to those, IBM / Lexmark ones, are easier to find used and even more reliable than the one you had - I have several of the latter and they are bulletproof, unless you spill something conductive on them in the wrong place (they are supposed to be spill proof), or you break wires inside the cord (usually right where it enters the keyboard) - I am using one right now. They have good springs that never fail, keys that never stick, they never squeak. They do not make the clicky noise when you press the keys - many people found the clicking annoying - that was the downfall of ones like you had - they did not sell well. They look very similar to what you had, they weigh more than most keyboards - up to 5 pounds - like yours likely did. Most are 101 key, three led's top right; most are PS/2 connected, some are AT connected, you can use a standard adapter to connect to PS/2. Most have the IBM logo on the top left, some have nothing or something brand on top, but most have a label underneath says they were made by Lexmark, or they have the IBM logo on top, IBM on the label underneath. The earlier ones were made in the US and can be fully disassembled to clean them. The later ones have plastic post retainers melted on their ends to retain the steel plate that holds the underside of the keyboard together inside the case. The date they were made on the label would probably be 1999 or earlier - most of the last ones were used on many IBM models including PS/2's. Vendors of used stuff tend to re-sell these despite their age because they know they are reliable. Try the keyboard before you buy - wiggle the cord near where it enters the keyboard to be sure that's okay. E.g. this one - IBM on top with blue background, made by Lexmark for IBM on label - part number 71G4644 - Model M - made 1995 in USA - CANADA......CLASSIC B - PS/2 connected, medium duty flat coiled cord. (I use the US keyboard layout with it, no problems). IBM on top with blue background, made by Lexmark for IBM on label - part number 82G2383 - Model M - made 1994 in USA - PS/2 connected, medium duty flat coiled cord. IBM on top with beige background, large IBM on label underneath - part number 1391401 - Model M - no date, made in USA, copyright mark IBM Corp 1984 - AT connected, heavy duty round coiled cord, removable connector at keyboard end. This can be completely disassembled. I have another like this last one, label was ripped off, my Nephew spilled pop all over it and then cleaned it but not inside - the pop fried the keyboard chip. Some have two ports on the keyboard so that you can use a removable keyboard cord on the right or left. None have anyway of wrapping the cord underneath them.

"The modern keyboard uses just 3 sheets of mylar." It's not particularly a recent idea. All these Model M's use those. They were often hundreds of dollars new. The difference is many more recent mboards use semiconductive dots under each key that eventually wear away or degrade and become unreliable - even cleaning the sheets and the dots does not help.

It all boils down to the "throw away" society I reckon. As an aside, I recently replaced my keyboard with one from Logitech. Very reliable (so far) and a nice feel, but already the letter E has vanished off the top of the key and the D has started wearing away. Kinda pays to touch type LOL. DerekW

oops - 1st two examples IBM logo top left, IBM in blue dots on a med gray background 3rd and 4th examples IBM logo top left, IBM in black dots on a beige background

You can get a reliable keyboard if you want to spend more than $1. - AND hello to Coos Bay Lumber - I lived up there for about a year in a little place called Sumner - went to Marshfield High School. Search Engines Are Your Friends ☺ Morpheus: There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path. "The Matrix"