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| Keyboard stabilizers |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-05-23 09:03:30
I’m at a loss at how to safely remove the keys with stabilizers. I don’t think you’re supposed to pull the metal from the thin black clips. I’ve broken them before. But there doesn’t seem to be a way to get the clip out. |
Posted by: Juror22 on 2026-05-23 11:05:15
I have a collection of very thin, flat, spring steel items that I've used for these. I think over the years I've only broken two and that was going back in, not coming out. I have a lock pick, X-acto blades, a couple of machining rulers. They allow you to get in really close and put a measured amount of pressure in the right spot to pop them out.
I haven't had to do this lately, but I was also thinking the next time I do, I would like to see if some amount of heat (like a hairdryer - not enough to melt the items, just enough to improve flexibility) might make it go easier with less stress on the parts. |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-05-23 11:20:19
I did feel like putting them back in was harder. I was able to remove all surrounding keys and squeeze through with ipa and a swab well enough for now.
Would love to hear what you come up with but I personally don’t want to risk it right now. I only have one of these particular keyboards. |
Posted by: Callan on 2026-05-23 15:50:33
I normally just pry them straight up (slowly) by applying pressure on both sides of the key. Once seperated, the key will want to move towards the stabilizer base. At that point you seperate the key from the stabilizer. Your working on a iigs keyboard, yes? I've cleaned / removed keys on a number of these with this same method.
Here is a pic of my keyboard so you can see what the stabalizer looks like under the button. |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-05-23 15:52:14
Oh, I see. You don't need to remove the stabilizer from the base? Just pry the key off the cap and slide the ends out of the brown attachments. I'll give that a go. |
Posted by: Byrd on 2026-05-23 16:05:03
You can use/make a key remover pulling directly up but on the keys with stabilisers don't pull as hard, lift up then check the wire has been fully unclipped. Keyboard is the worst to get back on as reassembly; do it first and note the orientation of the key! |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-05-29 06:34:06
I've been able to pull them off without issue on the AEK… so maybe it's not as bad as I thought. |
Posted by: atakioki on 2026-05-29 11:55:29
Have never broken a stabilizer clip in a normal keyboard, taken apart hundreds.
I have broken the clips on the back of powerbook/aluminum keyboard keys, those are super fragile.
To minimize stress on the clips, you want to pull the key up a small amount, then pull the stab out of the key. The technique for pulling a small distance without over-pulling is to lean forward over the object, hold your tool and hand tightly against your chest, then pull by straightening your back or giving your arm a very small amount of slack and pulling your arm back into your chest. |
Posted by: iantm on 2026-05-29 12:31:25
I have broken the clips on the back of powerbook/aluminum keyboard keys, those are super fragile. That is what I'm remembering — the flat aluminum USB keyboards!
I was successful on the AEK carefully pulling and attempting to get the notch out of the mechanism without releasing the stabilizer. But as others have noted, those little clips aren't nearly as breakable as I thought they'd be. |
Posted by: shadedream on 2026-06-01 17:38:18
I usually just pull the cap off like any other. If the wire pops out of the clip, it's fairly easy to put back in again. The little plastic pieces can be snapped out but the old ones get brittle and can break if you do that. Matias used to sell stabilizer kits that could replace those parts. Best to put the key caps back on the stabilized keys first so you can slide the bar into the foot before you mount it on the switch. |
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