Fixing my Old Cherry Keyboard

This is my old Cherry keyboard. I had used it at Tandem Computers in the 1980s. The manufacturer Cherry (from Auerbach in the Upper Palatinate) is famous for good and robust computer keyboards. They still are, see here.
   Here’s the rear side, including the switch setting at the left. Klick to enlarge.

Today I run this keyboard on Windows 7. The original round DIN type plug fits directly into the computer’s back. It needs an adapter to connect it to USB, but that’s standard.
   To clean it I put it into the dishwasher, then let it dry a day or so. (Do not do this to modern slim keyboards. There the keys work through a plastic foil. Water inbetween these foils won’t dry that easily. So you might have to wait half a year or forever to get the keys to work again.)
   Then I noticed that the A didn’t work well any more.
   So I pulled the A. To pull a key cap you do not need a special tool. Just hang some thin wire, a piece of fishing rod, a thread or anything thin and flexible over the key and under it. Then pull out the keycap vertically, as you would a kid’s milk molar.

That’s what I found: a lot of (dishwashed) hair around. No wonder the A didn’t click. I removed the hair, clipped on the keycap again, and bingo.
   My Cherry keyboard works like new, clicks like fourty years ago – and has no € sign and no Windows key! This product placement is gone, in need I use Ctrl+Esc instead, or software via “Start” from the task line at the far left of the screen.

No visible € sign on the E key, but naturally functioning.

PS. washing: My friend Raymond photographs the keyboard, pulls all keys, puts them into a laundry satchel, and washes them with his cotton t-shirts in the washing machine.  

Permalink to here:  
http://blogabissl.blogspot.com/2017/05/fixing-my-old-cherry-keyboard.html

And here is a video how those switches work (no paid ad!):

Sorry, the video VCYhkdU00Ew is not on Youtube any more.
   So here’s a six minute replacement:

By the way: I use my own, special character layout, see http://blogabissl.blogspot.de/2013/09/tastaturtreiber-andern-ab-windows-vista.html (German)

Cherry offers a program to change keys and functions, 
Cherrykeys: https://www.cherry-world.com/keys, 
German:  Cherrykeys:  https://www.cherry.de/keys