Restoration of my Model F107 with xwhatsit and ANSI mod

[darkcruix]

I received the engineering masterpiece of all keyboards a week ago from fanpeople over at gh. Nearly 5 kilos of pure pleasure. It was in a half-restored state and needed some work. Here’s how it arrived, after it traveled around the world from Australia to Germany:

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Step 1: Lining up the PCB, Keycaps and new foam, while the barrel plate was drying (I removed the slightly to thick purple paint and replaced it with a thin layer of standard black)

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Step 2: Fitted the barrels in the fresh painted barrel plate with the foam matt in between – see front and back:

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Step 3: Adding the springs and flippers according my ANSI conversion plan (red spots will not get a flipper added):

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Step 4: It is always a fine line of force and gentle push to get the PCB, backplate, foam and barrel plate together – hence the hammer:

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Step 5: Test of the keys. In the past I had it at times, where a flipper got stuck in a barrel and I had to get the pieces apart multiple times. This time – all went very well. This all, while I had to wait for my case to dry, which was painted in RAL-7030.

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Step 6: Test of the assembled F107

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Step 7: Raising bar of the F107 – something I haven’t seen very often so far. It is raising the keyboard to my optimal height:

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[deskman]

Awesome project. Thanks for the detailed photo story also.

Organized and neat European workspace!

[Sangdrax]

Looks great. Love the case color and ANSI mod. Always a joy to see these old tanks restored.

[darkcruix]

Looks great. Love the case color and ANSI mod. Always a joy to see these old tanks restored.

I like RAL-7030 "stone gray" as case color.
Model Fs are so easy to modify and they are built to be highly modular. Just fantastic to breath new life into a 33 year old keyboard that is a joy to use.

[Chyros]

Gorgeous. Really like the blue caps on the left as well; they fit IBM industrials like a glove IMO. These things are SUCH nice boards .

[darkcruix]

Thanks mate. And they are awesome boards (and I bet you recognize that I have taken over some of your ideas here). I tried to print the mopar blue as close as possible Those clear keycaps are brilliant to adjust the board to the changing needs.

Btw. I had to flash the firmware with a different de-bounce filter [f-o-r-s-a-l-e-f58/xwhatsit-s-grand-unif ... ce#p209360] as I had a ton of ghosting when the board was warming up (and I have checked the right voltage and grounding).

[depletedvespene]

Quick question: HOW do you check grounding? (PM me if you prefer so).

[darkcruix]

Quick question: HOW do you check grounding? (PM me if you prefer so).

I might should have said it differently I checked if the controller GND has electrically contact to the case.

[darkcruix]

Quick update:
I had to replace the firmware of the keyboard with one that has a more aggressive de-bounce filter implemented, as I had a ton of ghosting going on. With the new firmware it just works perfectly.
f-o-r-s-a-l-e-f58/xwhatsit-s-grand-unif ... 20debounce

Latest configuration of the F107:

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[andrewjoy]

Man that is so awesome!

I do need to get mine sorted but i have been struggling to get the old paint off, my paint stripper will get the top layer off that gives it the texture but not the bottom layer, not sure why, think i may have to heat gun it off.

I am guessing that RAL7030 paint ?

[darkcruix]

RAL7030 - excactly

To remove the previous paint, I have used the attached pickling agent. I still feel it is crazy what they sell there. I sprayed it on it and after 15 minutes the paint fell off like a layer of plastic. And I mean - except a few spots, everything. It didn't corrode anything else. Find below where I bought it:
https://www.adler-lacke.com/en/

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The spray paint is RAL7030 from the company here:
https://www.tristarcolor.com/

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[FXT]

Looks great! Grey is the best color for the F107 IMO, but I'm a bit biased.

[andrewjoy]

Thanks for the link. I am just going to order that paint stripper. I think i have enough 7030 left from my Z-KB2 mod.

I could prob find a paint stripper that would work in the UK but honestly its not worth the messing arround , get something i know works