Commodore 64 keyboard repair

I found a pretty beat-up Commodore 64C at the local flea market, and I wanted to make it at least somewhat usable on a budget. So, I decided to source spare parts as cheaply as possible. That means 3D printing and AliExpress.

3D printed parts

I had 2 broken plungers, 2 missing keys (top row and function one), spacebar bar clip, broken clips on the case, missing internal keyboard stands.

Please note that the 3d printed plungers seem to be more recessed, but that did not affect the use.

Springs from AliExpress

Personally I went for: Spring thickness: 0.4mm --- this determines how hard it is to press, 0.4mm is preatty close to the original

Length: 10mm

Outer Diameter: 10mm

Since I was on a budget, I also used two of the same springs for the spacebar. As it's heavier, it usually has a stronger spring under it (generally greater spring thickness).

End result, please note that the function key was replaced with a normal key, as I printed the wrong version of it (had cherry mount). The keyboard is fully functional again.

Resources:

https://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=86827

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005312371830.html

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1561772

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3208313

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2728272

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2025280/comments ----this is for top row! other rows have a slightly different keys

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2984324

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2762835