Refurbishing my favourite Apple device. 

WOYS Discord! Really excited to talk about Macs, upgrades, accessories and repairs with you guys. Hop in and tell me about your Mac setup… discord.gg/ZMpSk875qN

Practical, long lasting and easy to repair? Words that no one would use to describe Apple products today unfortunately

Lived through this era … it’s the biscuit collector model

I've modded 2 of these in the past with LEDs. I uses the 5 V from the USB port to power a LED on the left and the right poking out through the "motherboard housing" part. I just melted little holes in with a soldering iron to poke the heads of the LEDs through. Gives it a subtle underglow through the clear plastic.

What a shame.. they used to make beautiful AND practical products

I loved mine until I accidentally managed to pour a cup of coffee into it. The coffee (with sugar in) then managed to eat through one of the membrane traces and wiped out half the cursor keys and the num pad. I may have been able to fix the traces with conductive paint that I had for shielding an electric guitar cavity, but didn't think of that at the time.

Whenever I'm putting a keyboard like that back together I normally add a dab of silicone grease there the springs click back in. I've also found the best way to clean the keys is put them in a large protein powder shaker with warm water and a drop of detergent, find a bottle brush that fits in the hole and go to town with your best...erm... churning action. It's not perfect but will get you 90% of the way.

This keyboard is actually my daily driver on my main PC. I also use one when working on customer's computers. I keep a wireless mouse dongle inserted so I just plug in 1 cable and have my keyboard and mouse ready to go.

Thank you, for this step-by-step guide on cleaning your vintage "glossy white" wired Apple USB Keyboard. My first came with my "glossy white" 20-inch G5 iMac and, I feel right in love with this Keyboard. Currently, I have three working units: one is very junky looking used with my primary desktop a "space gray" trash can size Mac Pro, the second is fair looking used on my vintage 20-inch G5 iMac, and the third one that looks brand new which, I keep in its box. In addition, I also have this Keyboard's wireless Blue-tooth twin which, is always a lot of fun to use (smile...smile).

Using one of these daily. I was also surprised of how easily I could fully dismantle and clean it the first time I did so. I also once managed to pour half a glass of wine in it, but after a thorough clean, more or less full wet cleaning with a finishing round of IPA, it still works perfectly. I had to dismantle it even further and fully clean the membrane and contacts, but even that was fully doable, albeit time consuming and fiddly. I have spent many years in various countries and the one thing I have always brought with me is a USB keyboard with my preferred layout. This model is one the ones that have traveled with me more than most keyboards not attached to a laptop 😉 (I used to have an old Sun keyboard that went missing, I liked that one as well.)

Nice one. I have a different Mac Pro keyboard from 2008. Still going strong and I don't expect it to break anytime soon.

Such a beautiful keyboard! I absolutely adore the late 90s to early 2010s Apple design language. We have one of these keyboards in our house collecting dust. I would use it, however the keys seem to be a bit inconsistent with the amount of pressure being needed to push the key down (some are just way too hard) and when you press the edge of most keys, they either don't push down at all or require a ridiculous amount of force to do so.

We had similar keyboards when I was in high school in the graphics design room, we had both white ones like the one in the video as well as ones with black keys. I hated typing on them so much, keys randomly got stuck and didn’t register key pressed half the time.

I have two of these. Love the USB pass-through for my mouse lol.

This is very interesting! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one... I brought mine out of storage late last year and refurbished it too. I wish I had seen your video back then!

my grandpa has this keyboard at his desk, it just brings back nostalgia of being young in his home and him working in the office and hearing him clack away

I recently cleaned mine. I didnt go that deep as mine was much cleaner. I dont use it anymore but it looks pretty good.. It looks great with my G5 iMac

That screw driver looks oddly familiar ;) Love the video! Makes me want to get that keyboard 😁.

Puttin’ on the ritz.

I got one at a sunday market.. but the flex PCB was damaged by corrosion meaning many keys do not work. Would you perhaps have plans for a custom PCB?

I rook apart many of these for cleaning. Ingave the key caps a bath in demin water and a lab detergent called Mucasol. Then a bath in demin water and good time for drying. The caps look as new and you even get the nice slightly rough feeling back

I loved this keyboard. When I bought these second hand, I used to pop out the keys, put the keys in my dishwasher, a good vacuum of the kb tray and it was like brand new !

Old membrane keyboards, such as the Lenovo Preferred Pro II, sometimes used lubricant in the stabilizers and keys. I once gave one lenovo keyboard a thorough cleaning, but it became unusable when all the old lubes went away :D It's worth at least relubricating the stabilisers, dielectric grease works fine. But for anything else, thinner lube is must.

I have used a Mitsumi membrane keyboard from mid 90s for a long time. It's a bit of a pest to reassemble since the rubber actuators are not in a sheet but installed individually, and eventually the channels that support the keys got worn down making some of the more frequently used keys especially Ctrl that i often press a little off centre unpleasant to press down, the channel was no longer keeping the keycaps straight and made too much friction. Also the membrane silver print foil layers, well the conductive layer on those had worn through, but i patched it up with automotive rear window heater repair fluid. The plastic quality on the Mitsumi was quite delightful otherwise, no yellowing at all. As such i don't think any membrane keyboard is forever. The Mitsumi's rubber at least stayed in good shape. I have checked out some Cherry membrane keyboard which spent a few years on the shelf and the ruber layer has started hardening up. I do think eventually any silicone or TPU will break down even nicer quality and will harden or tear, it shouldn't survive 40 years. In most membrane keyboards, i find that the keycaps unclip easily from the back of the spillboard, you might need the right tool though. I think the most practical life long keyboard is mechanical. I have fished a wet G80-3000 out of a dumpster that got rained into more than 20 years ago, and it had been well used previously before it got there, the case was very yellowed, and it still works fine. It did have bad contact, but a little contact spray solved that and you can just solder out and replace individual switches if need be. Additionally PBT keycaps are tough wearing and not susceptible to say cigarette burns, i used to smoke, nor are they susceptible to acetone fumes like when you do your fingernails. I currently have been using a cheap Chinese mechanical TKL for the last 8 years, with occasional care it types like new, and i can rebuild and modify it in a number of ways for years to come, and it's quite heavy and stable. I really love the NKRO feature, or rather, i don't want to be using a non-NKRO keyboard any longer if i can help it. This one only has ABS keycaps, so i might replace them but they're not too terrible yet. Yeah there's a little bit of a shine but they're double shot so it's OK, it's fine for it to look used. I have seen some "fancy" keyboards which were in use for mere few months where the keycaps became really nasty as they were black painted and lasered keycaps and the clear keycap base started peeking through the worn paint layer, i don't feel this sort of wear pattern is acceptable.

_That font is _*_godly_*

My neighbour gave me a older apple keyboard it’s the model that has the trans dark blue caps and the usb port on either side and I cleaned it all except for the bottom since I don’t have the right screw bit

i like using the keyboard that came with the first pc i ever touched, it still works to this day and feels amazing

I would love to see you update this by adding an internal USB 3.0 hub - maybe a USB-C port to replace the hardwired cable, and 1x USB-C downstream port and 1x USB-A 3.0 downstream port. That would be really useful! Only tricky part would be getting the ports from the donor hub mounted correctly, but someone with 3d printing skills could probably design some brackets.

Unfortunately it’s way too big for my. I’m still looking for a wired compact Apple keyboard. W/o the numpads you know. I found one chicklet version but those are very rare I’ve learned and somehow a entire column of keys from the 0 and - keys to the m key doesn’t work and I’ve no idea how to repair that😓

I'm quite partial to the M7803 keyboard and once cleaned one of that model which had belonged to the late author, Michael Palmer, following The 8-Bit Guy's retrobright method

My school had these keyboards and i remember them as REALLY good

Did this to the same keyboard too a while ago. Definitely an easy restore.

Yeah I would definitely find a way to backlight it. Just a nice yellow/white light would make that look really classy.

Man! Your voice is super nice and soothing

I loved that keyboard, but it didn't last. I got maybe 7 years on it, then it broke, some keys weren't working anymore and it had to be replaced. Replaced it with the then just new wireless "magic" keyboard, which now has a crooked Q key but still works to this day, battery is fine too. Waiting till it fully breaks to get the new actually magic keyboard, the one with the fingerprint scanner on it, as that would be actually magic to no longer manually enter passwords all the time.

I’m still regularly using an IBM model M keyboard that originally came with an IBM PS/2. On the underside is a label showing the date it was produced in late 1987. Built to last, in Scotland.

Thank you for that tip! Just bought one online

I have one of these, sadly some of the keys don't work :(

I’m still using the flat cable one, I think the next model over, it’s ages old and works perfectly fine

I‘m currently using this keyboard for my pc because my mechanical keyboard broke after 10 years. It’s not as good as a mechanical keyboard but it does what it’s supposed to do, I only have to clean it

Love your enthusiasm for this keyboard (in spite of it's limitations). You should check out an IBM Model M (it's gonna be more than a few quid though) if you can find one at a non-extortion price.

HAVE ONE SOMEWHERE? MAYBE NEXT YEAR. GREAT ONE OF A KIND VIDEO^^

I somewhat recently cleaned one I used with a server. It was way more dirty than this one, needed a lot of scrubbing. Used it for a while for my work setup. Funnily enough a Windows laptop. I stoppen using the keyboard when I got a Macbook, opting for a Logitech keyboard that was wireless. But it is a decent membrane keyboard. Very sturdy

I can attest these things strength and durability. We got these in my second grade year and when I went back to visit in 2018 nearly ten years later they still had these. Also, many computer classes we had people would fight to use these keyboard because they were just that good.

I've got both the wired and the wireless version on this keyboard and love typing on it. If only it could be somehow converted to a mechanical keyboard with backlight... if there was a conversion kit available that would retain the aesthetics, I would be buying that for sure.

subbed when i heard your English accent, for some reason nearly all of the tech people I follow are Americans! So often they recommend apps/products that either don't work the same or just don't have the same use cases over the pond. So its great to see variety with a brit!

Yeah, it's does look easier to disassemble than a lot of modern keyboard. But it's still a membrane keyboard, and you pulling out the keys by hand instead of pushing it from below with a pinch will degrade at least the horizontal stabilization due to the clips becoming loose or snapping altogether at some point. Also the rubber domes degrade after time depending on your usage. For example gamers can wear out wasd in 3-5 years. For keyboard to actually serve for ages it needs to be a mechanical one with some sturdy plastic keycaps (pbt doubleshot for example).

I found a 20-year-old PS/2 keyboard from AOpen in a dumpster last year. It has a massive coffee stain on it, but after re-aligning one pin on its connector and cleaning it up, it works perfectly. It's currently one of my best keyboards, in fact. I have two keyboards that are a decade and a half newer than it and they're already falling apart from age. They just don't make things like they used to, I guess.

I used to have this keyboard when I was younger, that lasted through many gaming sessions and ragings. :)

I restored an old 1989 ibm model m keyboard. Very satisfying to type on

I love the look of these boards

have this one! even though its membrane ,it minecraft's just fine.

The strain relief....

That was probably the best keyboard I ever had. Sadly, knocking a full glass of wine into the keyboard ruins them completely. One of the things I always liked about the Mac design philosophy that Jobs always demanded was minimizing cabling, and the Mac Cube was amazing in it's era. You had the Cube itself which had a power cable, and then phone or Ethernet connections, and a place to plug that amazing sound system into. Then their was one cable to the monitor for everything. The keyboard had one cable to the monitor, and the mouse into the keyboard.

Oh i love those keyboards!!! They're so nice!

Cool video and mindset - thanks mate

Apple used to make some actually good products. I've taken apart and modded several ipods and its incredible how well they are made

I recently got one of these for free, I fully took it apart and even cleaned the little membranes, it’s my only keyboard so I use it regularly. Also, I think the keyboard is actually kind of clacky, it’s just enough to sound good, but not too loud to be annoying.

That was the most positive and wholesome message of the day for me. Thank you!

I loved that Keyboard.. I put mine in the dishwasher a few times to clean.. I just had to spray some WD40 in-between the layers after each wash but I had it for years.

These are my all time favorite apple keyboard. Really solid feel and takes up minimal desk space

Mine got dripped on by an aircon unit at work and corroded the traces down the left side. Sad times all round. Until a contractor bought the bluetooth version in a shockingly poor state. Which I then bought off him and swapped the keys/backboard over (because they used the same keys but not the same traces for... reasons).

Get some plastic polish on the clear housing. It will come up like brand new! Did it on one I recently found as well as bleached the keycaps!

I still use mine! I have been using it for more than 20 years! Now with my M1 Macbook Pro

My fave too. I've got some dead keys. Thanks for the inspiration! Cheers!

Mine is getting a little yellow over the years. I believe tossing the key caps in Oxy-Clean will do the job.

Yup! That's my favorite Apple keyboard as well! As others have said, I really loved the late 90's - early 2010s design language from Apple. I would love it if they brought it back -- or at least offered it as an alternative to the flat slab keyboard they offer now (albeit with mechanical keyswitches.)

Did the same thing on the exact same keyboard - but popped my keys in the dishwasher! Worked a treat :D

Is that lovely timepiece an old Vacheron?

i got one of these at a thrift store for 2 dollars a couple years ago and it works great

hey man i love the videos! im subscribing before u get big!

I don't have this keyboard but I have the G4 variant but the plastic is cracked. I also have the early Intel iMac variant too. Shame they don't output enough power to reliably allow for USB drives to be plugged in but the ports are handy for the likes of mice. Would be cool if you could retrofit it with USB 3 and or C ports and enough power to manage that

i love this channel, high quality informative videos!

currently searching for this thing's predecessor, the G3 Tangerine keyboard. i adore them.

Bought one recentlyish never really licked the typing feel

I’ve seen someone put an led strip in side the transparent plastic area

Yeah, old Macs were so easy to open up & repair, my father's 2013 MacBook Air is quite easy to open

This keyboard is 20 years old? It looks like it comes from the future, it is just so clean

I bought one of these for cheap last year, because...I like a real beefy keyboards and it reminds me of my first 486DX50 PC .Nostalgia and effectiveness !

Ty! This was interesting!

Someone should make an all-black mod for this.

You could probably improve the keyboard if you lubricated the stabilizers and keys with soem keyboard lube

its just a regular rubber dome keyboard that fills with dust and turns yellow quickly. some of apples older keyboards are even easier to take apart and service as well.

Did you ever had a problem when pressing on the edge of a key, its really hard to press in? If yes, how did you solve it? If no, how do you think i can solve it? It happens on mostly all keys

i'm shocked how easy is to take this thing apart and that it's not filled with glue and anti repair tactics like every other Apple crap

Actually a very beautiful keyboard!

I have a couple of these around. One of them works, and one doesn't. The non-functioning one will probably make a good project at some point to see if I can figure out what's wrong with it. Ive always liked this keyboard and never found it to be particularly uncomfortable to use. It is a bit loud, but otherwise it's fine.

Will it work on a modern Mac I wonder?

the keycaps looks lit

I still daily drive a 2009 3rd Gen iPod Touch as an mp3, audiobook, and podcast player. Battery lasts for hours. The only reason I don't use the other apps is because I can't.

Then why does it need refurbishing?

That LED on the caps key is neater than any keyboard today. This is the reason people loved Apple, and some still do, not realising this is not what Apple does today. 😢

You said it works with all your devices, does it include non apple ones?

i have two of these keyboards as my daily drivers at both home and at work. they are the best keyboards iv ever used

I love this keyboard -- I've gone through about five of them due to "sticky key syndrome". Does the refurbishment you show here cure that?

Isn't any old USB keyboard as usable as this one is?

It's impressive how white the keys still are

4/2/24 One of the best keyboard Apple Made I still use 2 of them like the 2 usb ports on back, the newer ones with wifi and run on batteries 3 of them have died on me over the years.

good outro, good man

Although I still like the look of it, I have to be honest: It's the worst keyboard I ever typed on. We had them at university more than 15 years ago - quite new ones - and I always loathed having to work with them. The most mushy, imprecise feel but at the same time rather hard to press keys. They replaced this keyboard with the A1243 model and went the opposite way (for me at least) - it's sooo good!! I still use it to this day (actually typing on it right now) on both Windows and Mac machines and couldn't be happier.