About This Video
Follow along as I revisit and repair the keyboard on my Commodore PET 2001-N computer after earlier repair work from 2020 began showing signs of failure. Several keys on the original CBM keyboard had once again become intermittent or completely unresponsive, requiring another teardown, inspection, troubleshooting session, and restoration attempt on this classic Commodore PET system.
In this video, I carefully disassemble the Commodore PET keyboard assembly, remove the PCB, inspect the conductive carbon pads, and repair worn keyboard components using CaiKot 44 conductive silver paint.
The repair process includes:
- Keyboard disassembly
- Desoldering the caps lock wires
- Removing the keyboard PCB
- Inspecting conductive carbon pads
- Applying CaiKot 44 conductive silver paint
- Reinstalling the PCB
- Resoldering electrical connections
- Keyboard reassembly
- Functional testing
The video includes close-up views of the Commodore PET 2001 keyboard internals, troubleshooting techniques, conductive carbon pad wear, keyboard restoration methods, and testing procedures used to verify the repair.
Advice and inspiration from fellow retro computing enthusiasts including Adrian's Digital Basement and Mr. Lurch are also discussed during the repair process.
To fully stress-test the repaired keyboard, I type in and run a 530-line Commodore BASIC program on the PET 2001 system to confirm proper operation across all keys after restoration work is completed.
Repairing an original Commodore PET keyboard remains one of the more rewarding challenges in vintage computer restoration, especially when preserving classic 1970s and 1980s computer hardware for continued use.
For more Commodore PET content, visit my Commodore PET System Guide.