520STm Keyboard Issues.. It's broke!

[GrandviewCoin]

Finally got around to testing a 520 I had.. Keyboard only half worked and the LED didn't light.

 

Took it apart to find a support post pierced the pcb, and some other spot knocked a hole in it..

 

it's been recommended to repair it, but I'd rather just replace it..

 

Here's some pics, what do you all say..

 

Anybody have just a compatible keyboard for sale?

 

 

[bfollowell]

I think all regular, non-mega model STs, whether ST, STM, STF, STFM, STE, or whatever other combination there are, all use compatible and interchangeable keyboards. Can someone else pipe in and confirm this?

 

Assuming I'm correct, Best Electronics has brand new looking, new old stock keyboard assemblies, complete and ready to go. I just purchased one a couple of weeks ago to swap out the keyboard in the U.K. STE I purchased and am converting to a U.S. model.

 

[bfollowell]

I double-checked the above info, Bradley has this listed as Atari 520STFM / 1040STF / 520STE / 1040STE US Keyboard, Part #CB101501, $99.95. He doesn't specifically list the STM, but I think those machines are pretty rare. Again, hopefully, Bradley or someone else could confirm. When I first looked at them, when I was considering purchasing a U.K. machine a few months ago, they were $75.95. I bought mine less than two weeks ago and it was $89.95. Now they're $99.95. That tells me his stock must be getting pretty low and we'll probably soon see it listed as out-of-stock.

 

It seems like I also saw a keyboard circuit board listed for sale on ebay not too long ago for considerably cheaper that a whole keyboard. I'll see if I can locate it and I'll list the link.

 

[snarkdluG]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-ST-Keyboard-PCB/202814233155?hash=item2f38ab9a43:g:YrAAAOSwOxJdmlBb

 

Keyboard layout is determent by TOS version. 

Edited November 4, 2019 by snarkdluG

[bfollowell]

If that's a U.K. keyboard, it would have "extra" key position, but it wouldn't really work if you were using a U.S. version of TOS. Depending on what this goes for, this could be a much better deal than buying a whole new keyboard.

 

I could've made the keyboard on my U.K. STE work, but it would've then had mismatched keys, as well as an "extra" key, that would've then been useless. I decided I wanted my STE to look the part after converting it. This wouldn't be the case for the op since they would have all their original keys to use with the new keyboard pcb.

[Zogging Hell]

The original ST and STM don't have joystick ports on the keyboard itself as Atari had the ports in a sensible place on the early release, so if you have one of those you will need to find a specific keyboard I think, as from a physical perspective at least a 'newer' STF keyboard won't fit. STF, STFM and STEs (and even Falcons) should be fairly easy to source a replacement for as the keyboard is the same.  I don't know if the keyboard will work if you remove the joystick ports, presumably it just as some additional circuitry to complete the port circuit, but whether there are connector differences where the keyboard attaches to the motherboard I'm not sure, I seem to recall the connector was different (longer I think), but I haven't opened my early STs for nearly a decade.

 

If you glue the broken bit back in position you could repair it by scratching back to the tracks on either side of the break and using conductive paint to bridge the gap if you don't want to get soldering and using copper wire on the go.