Somewhat related - does anyone know of replacement mouse cables in different colors? The beige cord really stands out on my grey mouse w/ grey A500 case and black/white keys. The keys feel different than original but I do like them and they go well with the case material.
Amiga aftermarket keycaps - feedback?
- Thread starter YouKnowWho
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GeordieMarv
New member
Guys forgive my ignorance. But are the replacement keycaps from A1200 net going to yellow eventually like the ones in my A4000? Or are they made of newer plastics that don't yellow? I mean, i 'm assuming that they won't yellow at all and have read most of the info on the A1200.net site but can't find any mention of it...unless i am just being as thick as mince or i legit didn't see it.
GeordieMarv
New member
Yeah i'm sure i recall someone somewhere saying the same but i'd like to know for sure before i spend nigh on £90 on replacement keycaps.
I defo can't see anything on the A1200.net site either regarding this.
Thanks for taking the time to reply though Watson, very much appreciated.
Bad news - everything will deteriorate and age. But I remember reading that today's plastics don't have the same fire retardant, which is behind this yellowing we know. Meaning they last longer and don't yellow as easily.
There are various reports on EAB among others of the new cases yellowing so I would assume the keycaps have the same potential. The A1200NET sales pitch changed from “never yellowing” or words to that effect in the kickstarter to “resist yellowing” now and there is no real evidence of that.
GeordieMarv
New member
Yeah i know it's down to the fire retardant chemical they added, and as you say you'd assume that newer plastics of today don't have this.
This is a shame and i def. also recall the sales pitch as being they "wouldn't yellow".
I guess i just need to have a think. It's a lot to spend to replace yellowed keycaps with ones that will potentially also yellow sooner or later.
Thanks for the input chaps.
I just bought a set here on Amibay for my a1200 to replace the slightly yellowed ones, which were that color when I bought the machine. I was considering retro-brighting with 12% Hydrogen Peroxide, but decided not to bother in the end. I think the enviroment in which they are kept can contribute to yellowing.
GeordieMarv
New member
I agree Watson, it certainly makes a difference on where your Amiga is and how it's kept that matters. I have covers for my monitor and keyboard for my Amiga 4000, but i don't have a cover for the actual desktop box itself.
I wish someone would make a new faceplate for the Amiga 4000 desktop as i seem to constantly be fighting a losing battle with the yellowing on that. I have used peroxide cream (for casings) and liquid (for keycaps) to retro-bright previous Amigas that i owned or have sold on to others and got some fantastic results. But the yellowing always returns after a year or so. I've read that the peroxide makes the plastic brittle, but i have not really seen any evidence of this personally. I'm not for one minute suggesting this is nonsense, merely that i have not experienced it myself.
As for the keycaps you bought on here, what's your opinion of them? Are they worth it and are they new and cheaper than on their website?
I retrobrighted, and it came back with no UV exposure. I looked into it and it turns out that this are chemicals that we remove from the surface, but with time they come from deeper in the plastic to the surface. Repeated efforts address this, but have an impact on the plastic as well. I never actually retrobrighted enough times to impact the plastic...actually, there was this A1000 mouse that I retrobrighted like 6 times to get the marbling out of it - I should see how the plastic holds up. Nothing unusual that I noticed, and it is a piece that is touched and pressed.
It's going to be tough keeping these Amigas looking 90s fresh.
@GeordieMarv, there was an effort on here for new faces: https://www.amibay.com/threads/grou...l-for-a4000d-case.118586/page-11#post-2479795
I think it was done a few times and maybe will be done again. Anyone have a filthy very yellowed A4000 face that they no longer need? I think I'm going to paint one black, CDTV keyboard, black mouse, black VGA monitor and call it a day. Hey...were those limited SCALA 4000s faces formed out of black plastic? Take about forward thinking!
I don't have them in hand yet.
I bought them from a member who had purchased them. I think I paid close to what a1200.net sell them at, but I don't mind, they are new and unused and it was just more convenient becuase a1200.net don't currently accept paypal.
If you are concerned with using chemicals to restore your plastics, I recommend you construct a UV light box. I have personally used one of these in the past with great success on yellowed consoles such as a SNES, Gameboy and of course an Amiga.
Easy to construct and use ...
Easy to construct and use ...
GeordieMarv
New member
YouKnowWho wow those aluminium faceplates look cool.
I just came across it myself recently and was quite impressed. It's beyond amazing how creative Amiga fans get.
