Re: PC Keyboard on Apple II?

[sbehrens@contech.demon.co.uk (Soenke Behrens)]

dempson@atlantis.actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) wrote:

>In article <4a3k1n$5sk@st-james.comp.vuw.ac.nz>,
>Rob Thomson  <Rob.Thomson@vuw.ac.nz> wrote:
>> Hi,
>> Is there any way of connecting a IBM Keyboard up to an Apple II? I
>> saw something for the Commadore 64 using a PIA chip.
>
>Most programs bypass the operating system and read keys directly from
>the keyboard controller's I/O registers.  There is no way you could
>"plug into" this using an IBM keyboard, without a lot of very messy
>hardware modifications.
>
>For programs that read the keyboard via the I/O hooks, or IIgs
>programs that use the Event Manager, it may be possible to write a
>special driver to feed keystrokes to the program.

I was thinking about this, actually ... I love the MS Natural Keyboard
(ok, so you can spank me now for saying the MS word :), and I'd love
it even more on my GS. There is a company that makes an
ADB/PC-keyboard converter for the Mac. What I _don't_ know is whether
that converter needs special drivers, or whether all the logic is
already in it. Anyone tried this yet?

Even if their box needed drivers, you could do your own that
interfaces to ADB and _behaves_ like an Apple keyboard. Doable. Just
needs a 80C51 or so, and some support circuitry, I would think.

Soenke
--
I don't know what it is he's doing, it must be art