Re: Keyboard

[eeastmanNOSPAM@appple2.com]

This is a project probably worth trying.  A standard PC keyboard would
work fine if you placed a decoder chip in the Apple2 of your choice.  The
trouble is that you would probably need a custom decoder chip.
The PC keyboard encodes the keys and sends serial data to the PC.  The
keyboard decoder chip then decodes the serial signal into a key code.
The first bye being 00 if it is an extendeed key, the second byte being
the ascii code for the key.  The IIe (I believe) reads the keyswitches
directly and decodes them with circuits on the main board.  (I need a IIe
keyboard circuit schematic to be sure.)  So all one really needs is a PC
keyboard, Connector and decoder signal the Apple's decoding circuits.
Such a device should work on a IIe or IIgs Rom1 with the keyboard
connector, I'm not familliar enough with a II+ to know if it would work
on that model.

Anyone got such a circuit schematic for a IIe?

Parts list:
PC Keyboard
PC Connector for the back of the Apple
PC Keyboard decoder chip
tristate latches to apply the decoded info to the keyuboard connector
a couple of transistors for the reset and apple keys

Any thoughts?

Thankx,
Ed

Wayne Stewart wrote:

> I�m tempted by a II+ tower as I have an external keyboard  and it
> would eliminate all those wires coming out the back. However I�d
> like to do a IIe tower. Major problem would be the keyboard. I could
> of course just cut the top off the keyboard area of a platinum IIe
> and screw that onto a case or possibly fit the keyboard into one of
> the larger non-extended Mac keyboard cases, though I�d likely have
> to cut the keyboard in half and do some wiring since the Mac numeric
> keypad is spaced further apart.
>
> Not knowing zip about PCs I was hoping someone might know of some
> type of PC keyboard that might be rewired to work with a IIE.
> Keyboard ideas?