I must get asked this 10-15 times a month now that these printers are getting old enough that their keypads are wearing out. The problem with the keypads is that Makerbot used a really cheap method of manufacturing that coats/paints on the black conductive spot on the back of the keypad buttons, and they wear out from use pretty quickly. So i wanted to show how i fix these all the time.
First off its easy, you can go on eBay or Amazon and buy keypad repair kits, or what i do is just buy little bags of 4mm Conductive Rubber Pads from China on eBay, then i take a flush cutter and snip off the black dots on the back of the keypad, a toothpick to dab a little silicone caulk on each spot and stick on the new pads, just that easy and it works every time. You can get 50-100 of these pads for $4-6.
Original Keypad…
Pads cut off…
Replacement conductive pads…
New pads glued on…
Thats all there is to it, let it cure a hour or two, re-assemble the keypad and install it back on the printer, i usually give it overnight to fully cure before really using the keypad but then its back to perfect working order. These replacements last a lot longer then the originals. I have one thats been repaired for two years now and still going strong without issue. I have fixed remote controls like this for even longer.
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