17bii failure

[db (martinez, ca.)]

i just put batteries in it after a few months of inactivity. i've been using the wp34s in the shop lately. it had been used in a dirty environment but the keys all feel good and the same kind of good. there are no rattles and no battery leaks.

the yellow shift key seldom works and needs to be pushed down and in to work. only the 0127&8 numbers show up when pressed the top row except for the rightmost key and the back arrow and X key and enter are dead.

was going to give it to someone, not a sale, but it's not usefull like this. i've pulled the batts and drained the system and tried it to no avail. is a good vinegar &/or alcohol bath a possibility?

Edited: 15 Jan 2013, 4:23 p.m.

[Walter B]

Sorry, are you talking about a 17bii or a 34s?

d:-?

[db (martinez, ca.)]

17bii - malfunctioning
wp34s - fine

Edited: 15 Jan 2013, 6:39 p.m.

[Jeff O.]

Did you try squeezing front-to-back in the middle above the top row of keys? I’m not actually sure of this technique, but I seem to recall reading about squeezing pioneers in various places to remedy symptoms such as yours.

[db (martinez, ca.)]

Thanks Jeff; I forgot to mention that I tried that. Since I’m unsure of exactly where; I pretty much squeezed it all over and no dice. The funny thing is that it's never one full row or column. It's hit & miss, and keys work sometimes and not others.

Maybe I have to wait for Geoff's book.

[Jeff O.]

Have you read Paul Brogger's two articles that deal with disassembly of pioneers?:

Pioneer "Observational Internals"

Increasing HP-42s Memory to 32K