deskthority

Has anyone else encountered beamspring switches that tend to stick? If the key is not pressed for a short time it will depress without a click. If I press hard it will click and then will be fine for a few minutes if it is repeatedly pressed. When left unpressed for a few minutes it returns to sticking.

I have taken them apart and cleaned to no avail. I don't see any damage in the switch or anything around the switch, i.e. foam or plate, that would be interfering with the action either. Do I need to pull apart and do a deep clean of the components in an ultrasonic cleaner? Appreciate any thoughts you guys might have on what is causing this.

Thanks!

There may be residue on either the fly plate or the circuit board. This could be sticky or just moisture.

I had suspected that as well. Cleaned both with no luck.

I recommend taking out the module, removing the flipper and inspecting it. I have found that the distance apart of the ears of the metal part for the beam flipper should be the IBM-specified 1/2" or 12.7mm and no larger. I recommend slightly tightening it if there are issues. It is possible that your thin metal part for the beam barrel is failing or broken.

I put together a video on how to inspect the new beam spring modules for common issues and it may help you with your beam module (not sure if it is an original or a new one but it should apply to either). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqZCgUF ... =emb_title

This is a long shot, but if this is an IBM board, make sure the metal tab is fully inserted into the white stem, and make sure the O-ring hasn't slipped off the stem. An oversized or poorly seated O-ring might prevent the key from being fully depressed under normal pressure.