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replacingthekeyboardmembraneinasinclairzxspectrum
| Field | 1980s Home Computer Maintenance |
| Went Obsolete | 1992 |
| Made Obsolete By | Generic PC keyboards available at retail for £10 |
| Knowledge Assumed | A careful pair of hands so as to avoid tearing the membrane, careful selection of the right glue to fix the keyboard template securely |
| When useful | When restoring vintage home computers |
To replace the keyboard membrane of a Sinclair ZX Spectrum, one would acquire a new membrane for about £10-15, unscrew the machine, carefully lift the top half of the case and detach the ribbon cables from the motherboard. Some models required one to bend metal retainer strips that secured the keyboard template to the plastic case upper before then using a knife to separate the adhesive-backed template from the plastic upper. Once the template and rubber keyboard mat had been removed, the membrane could be replaced and the upper could be re-assembled. Double-sided sticky tape wasn't strong enough to make a good repair, but a rubber cement such as Bostik worked pretty well.
