Another Apple Keyboard II, But Different
December 06, 2011 Filed in:
Keyboards | VintageEver since I hooked up my Color Classic back in August, I’ve been having to swap keyboards back and forth between the Color Classic and my Classic. The problem is that there are 2 keys on the Classic’s keyboard that are missing the little rubber “thingy” that holds the keys up. So the keyboard acts like the “/” and “*” keys are pressed.
Needless to say, I’m tired of swapping keyboards back and forth. I would have purchased another keyboard sooner, but people on eBay seem to think that just because something has an Apple logo, they can charge an arm and a leg for it. Seriously? $30 for a 20 year old keyboard! I couldn’t bring myself to spend that kind of money. Especially when I read stories on the Mac forums of guys finding keyboards at garage sales for a dollar.
Most of the time I can get away with not having a keyboard attached on the Classic. I just need a mouse to move a file, or copy the occasional disk. But the Color Classic needs the keyboard attached to power on. I had enough.
I hopped on eBay and found another Keyboard II for $18.99. Still kind of pricey, but it came with a keyboard cable and a mouse. So I can’t complain. That’s actually a pretty good deal for all three.
The keyboard of course it yellowed. It look like it’s going to be a busy spring/summer. I have to wait until the weather gets nice again before I can start dipping parts in peroxide/oxy, and the parts needing dipping are starting to add up.
![Pasted Graphic 736](pasted-graphic-736keyboardII.jpg)
![Pasted Graphic 737](pasted-graphic-737keyboardII.jpg)
As expected. it’s pretty grungy between the keys. For now I’ll just clean it up with some alcohol.
![Pasted Graphic 738](pasted-graphic-738keyboardII.jpg)
Again, just like the Airport Base Station I scored with my Blueberry iBook, the two Keyboard II models I have display subtle design changes between years despite both being models M0487.
![Pasted Graphic 739](pasted-graphic-739keyboardII.jpg)
The one I just purchased is dated 1990 and has a sticker on the back.
![Pasted Graphic 740](pasted-graphic-740keyboardII.jpg)
The old one I have is dated 1991 and does not have a label. The product info is molded into the case.
![Pasted Graphic 741](pasted-graphic-741keyboardII.jpg)
Again, just enough of a design change to warrant keeping both. However, in this case I don’t have a choice. Both machines need a keyboard.