hoserama99

I haven't seen a post about this yet, but this year's GameOn Expo is coming in August to Phoenix. I'm not affiliated in any way other than as a satisfied attendee. Prices go up on July 1. More info is here: https://gameonexpoaz.com/

I don't have a spare pokey but I'm reasonably sure it's OK as the keys work when the B-key keyboard is installed. I suppose I could try reseating the Pokey too, but I'm not sure if it's socketed (I haven't looked in detail). I did look on the membrane at the traces in the connector and didn't see anything obviously broken. The difficulty here is that the connector seals them all up in a thick transparent plastic so they're pretty hard to get at without really invasive surgery, I think? I'm hoping for some tips to actually remove (and eventually reglue) the membrane cover but I gather that most people just replace it rather than bother with all that.

I'm reasonably sure it's the membrane as all keys work when the B-key keyboard is installed. For that reason, I haven't done any further diagnostics on the motherboard. I used alcohol to clean the membrane connector but you're right: I should clean the motherboard connector too just to be safe.

Thanks for that info. $40 is a bit steep considering that's what I paid for the unit itself. I'll have to think on that. I'm starting to warm up to the notion that maybe I won't ever actually need to press the ctrl, shift or break keys although I honestly don't know if I could actually live without them given I know so little about 8-bit Atari computers. I love the look of that membrane so much that I'm wondering how much I'll sacrifice.

Hi all, I recently laid hands on an Atari 400 with a b-key keyboard mod installed, but I really want that original Atari 400 membrane experience. I even went so far as to buy a used "as-is" membrane on eBay but it came with 3 non-working keys, so that was frustrating. Would anyone be interested in trading their membrane for my b-key? The details: all keys work, although some require a firmer press than others to register, and it's a bit squeaky. I suspect this is just how it is, but I know virtually nothing about them. Also, more importantly, the "break" key cap is missing although it works as expected if you press it. The -/up-arrow key cap has been replaced with a duplicate "ctrl" key cap, but functions as expected. I don't have any box or original documentation for the b-key: just the board and cable itself, as pulled out of my Atari 400.

Hi all, I recently got my first Atari 8-bit computer, a 400 with what I now understand is a "B-key" mod. That's all fine, but I really wanted the membrane experience just because it's weird and cool, so I bought one off eBay that was "as-is". As you can maybe guess from the subject, it's a little wonky: the ctrl, shift and break keys do not seem to register. Looking at the keyboard matrix for the 400, it looks like these keys are all common to pin 9. Easy fix! Except it's not: this weird and cool keyboard is sealed up tight, and I can't see an easy way to get at the traces. I suspect I'm out of luck, but I'm open to suggestions on how I might get in there to make a repair, as I'm not really in the mood to buy yet another membrane keyboard since the B-key I have does work, even if it's not as interesting. I did try to look at the Best Electronics and myatari websites but I think it might be easier to just unglue the membrane keyboard than try to navigate those sites: Best doesn't list any Atari 400 keyboards that I can see, and the B&C/myatari site just says everything is "offline" since mid-2018.