Odyssey 2 Keyboard Issue

[gbag]

I have an o2 where all the keyboard letter buttons work..but only numbers 8 and 9 register…I can’t select games 1-7 on kc munchkin since those buttons don’t register…any advice?  Does that seem like a slightly damaged ribbon?  Is that fixable?  Thanks Gentleman and Ladies for your time.

[BigO]

It seems plausible that it could be a ribbon cable connection.

 

Per the schematic, it looks the keyboard is implemented as a 6x8 matrix. If it could be confirmed that an 8th key didn't work that would make for a more solid guess. I didn't find the layout of the key matrix with a quick search, but that could be used to confirm that one row or column connection has failed if all of the affected keys are served by one line.

[Pickaxe Brad!]

From this and your other post, it sounds like the 8th key could be the zero.

 

Do you have a multimeter? Did you do a continuity test?

[gbag]

I have a multimeter…I am still figuring out how to remove and reseat the ribbon cable…do I need to remove the rf sheildingn to accomplish this?

[gbag]

I am thinking I take the multimeter and touch both ends of the ribbon cable to see if there is continuity from beginning to end....will this work just touching the cable?  If I can find a discontinuity....is there a way to attach a jumper to that ribbon cable...is there a way to attach something else in place of the ribbon cable in order to use the keyboard?

 

CHeers,

G

12 hours ago, Pickaxe Brad! said:

From this and your other post, it sounds like the 8th key could be the zero.

 

Do you have a multimeter? Did you do a continuity test?

 

[metarog]

You should be able to test continuity with a multimeter. You can peel the keyboard membrane apart too and test the contact areas on the keys themselves but with stuff this old it is risky. 
I’ve heard there is conductive ink you can use to fill in any breaks but I’ve never used it myself.

 

[Pickaxe Brad!]

I had to fix a similar issue with an Odyssey2 controller a couple weeks ago.  The conductive paint didn't work at all for me.  I bought a roll of copper foil (with conductive adhesive) to patch the breaks and its been working great.

[Pickaxe Brad!]

The roll was $8 on Amazon and I used two inches of it, so I estimate I could fix about 10,000 controllers with it.

[drchuckradio]

I'm having this exact same issue with my keyboard. On Friday, the keyboard was working. Over the weekend, I recapped the console, but I didn't see an easy way to disconnect the ribbon from the board. I ended up leaving it connected, and while I was recapping I noticed that one of the lines in the cable had a break in it (no doubt from what I was doing), like there are two halves to the ribbon but got separated. If I had the right tool I probably could fix it, like copper foil. Is this item what I should get? I might have to trim it as the break is really, really, narrow (sorry I don't have a pic, my O2 is closed up right now, but I can take one if anyone is interested).

[drchuckradio]

To follow up to my previous post, here's a pic of the ribbon. As you can see, it's just the one trace that's broken. How easy/difficult would it be to fix?

[metarog]

I think that is the item but I’ve never used it myself. That ribbon should pull right out of the board btw. I just did a recap and it went back in no problem.

 

If there is enough slack you could try trimming it back before the break too if the foil doesn’t work. 

[drchuckradio]

The fix was actually pretty simple. The one trace was broken, all the others were intact. With copper foil and some spare wire, I was able to reconnect it. Now all the keys on by keyboard work like gangbusters. 👍

[metarog]

Nice job. Good to know just in case too.👍