I recently acquired an HP 33e (serial #1835A08027) that hadn't been used in some years. The positive battery contact was broken off, but I was able to power on the machine with a bench power supply. At first, almost none of the keyboard keys worked, and the display was very dim and displayed nothing but fives. I disassembled the entire calculator, and cleaned all the ICs and the flexible circuit board with contact cleaner.
After that, the display now works properly and is bright, but some of the keys will only work if you squeeze the unit together or push down on the faceplate near the key. Any suggestions on this? I've thought of trying to bend out the legs on the ICs a little bit but am afraid that one would break off. Would throwing a piece of cardboard into the back help? Also, for the battery contact, I have suitable metal, but does anyone know where I might find a screw and nut of the right size? The only sources I've found so far have a minimum order of around 100, way more than I need.