Atari 130XE keyboard rebuild: vintage keycaps on modern switches
There's been a number of previous projects to put a modern keyboard on Atari 8-bit computers. However, ScreamingAtTheRadio has done it while preserving the original keycaps.
This required the 3D-printing of modified stems for Kailh Box Pink switches that take the Atari XE key footprint instead of the Cherry MX cross.
Cheap resin printers can print at an amazing 50 micron resolution, which is enough to print very small parts with very fine details. Switch stems are such parts, and must be printed very precisely to reproduce the touch and feel from the original. It took a lot of tinkering to get there, and trying a lot of different resins (in the end, Elegoo black and translucent red were the most reliable), but the keyboard feels absolutely great – ScreamingAtTheRadio.
This beefy keyboard was part of the Videoton VT-340 display terminal, manufactured from 1972. Check out this picture-heavy disassembly post full of surprises.