I Restored This Yellowed Keyboard for My Home Office - Retro Tech Restoration

Since everyone, including me, are working at home offices now I decided to restore this yellowed retro KeyTronic keyboard. It’s quite yellow and dirty, one of the keys even got stuck when I tested if the keys move properly. I will also connect it to modern laptop with only USB connectors. The original color of the keyboard is beige so it will have slight yellowness to it anyways but you will see the difference in the end. This model is an ergonomic keyboard. You can tell it by the curved base for the keys.
The keyboard has no screws. It is held together only by plastic tabs that I needed to pry open. It’s important to be careful with those as they might break easily. Once everything was pulled apart, I could see there was no damage on the inside. Only decades worth of dirt and grime. To remove the keys I made a handy little tool from a paper clip. They sell “real” tool for this, but I don’t thin those are any better.
Once the keys were out I washed all the dirt of the parts and I put them in the “solarium” with hydrogen peroxide. More about this process called retrobrighting here: • How to remove yellowin...
To connect the keyboard to USB port I used two cables female PS/2 to USB cable especially meant for connecting keyboard and mouse to USB port. And Male PS/2 to Male PS/2 cable. One end of the second cable was changed to 5 pin DIN female plug to connect which fit the keyboard. The wiring standards for these types of plugs for keyboard can be found from google. I soldered each wire to the correct positions and with these 2 cables I could now connect the keyboard to my laptop. I could have connected the 5 pin DIN plug straight to the USB cable but now I can use that same adapter still as PS/2 adapter.
A free way to support my channel is access amazon/ebay to do your regular shopping through these links. I will get a small fee from each product bought on amazon after clicking these links, whether it was the linked product or a different one.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Patreon: / oddtinkering
T-Shirts: teespring.com/stores/odd-tink...
Instagram: / odd.tinkering
Tools used in this video :
Hydrogen peroxide: amzn.to/2K5OmTS
UV LED strip: amzn.to/2IqLmOA
PS/2 to USB adapter: amzn.to/3c5S6PG
5 pin DIN to PS/2 (the adapter I made): amzn.to/2KSitfO
Power source: amzn.to/35zDBzT
Other tools:
ROTARY TOOL: amzn.to/2WF75I6
PRESS FOR ROTARY TOOL: amzn.to/2Uiv1Eu
2-AXIS TABLE FOR THE PRESS amzn.to/2WPkttl
POLISHING KIT: amzn.to/31w983l
CORDLESS DRILL: amzn.to/2Wois77
CHUCK NORRIS’ TOOTHBRUSH: amzn.to/2YfXUj2
MY FILMING GEAR:
MAIN CAMERA: amzn.to/2JvtKox
MAIN TRIPOD: amzn.to/2OlpYgn
MICROPHONE: amzn.to/2I80iDz
VIDEO LIGHTS: amzn.to/2FpJDaB
MAIN LENS: amzn.to/2Fm8yMk
CINEMATIC LENS: amzn.to/2TmNdHH
WIDE ANGLE LENS: amzn.to/2U7iJha
GOPRO: amzn.to/2U3eqU3
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SUBSCRIBE ▶▶▶ kzhead.info/tools/f_s.html...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Restoration playlist▶ kzhead.info?list...
---------------------------------------------------------------------