Re: Keyboard

[Mike Pfaiffer <pfaiffer@mbnet.mb.ca>]

Wayne Stewart wrote:
> 
> So I ended up with another tower PC today. My first plan was to pull
> the memory chips and anything else useful and chuck the rest like I
> usually do. Now I?m thinking it?s maybe time to towerize an Apple II.
> 
> 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?

	I'm going to chime in with my $0.02 here. As you and others suggested a
GS or Mac keyboard would be easiest if you could figure out the various
pinouts on the keyboard and the keyboard plug on the motherboard.

	According to a book I have the ADB is a circular 4 connector with the
following functions...

	1) Data line - Bidirectional
	2) Reserved
	3) +5v
	4) GND

	My hardware reference for the ][+ gives the following pins for the
keyboard...

	1) +5v
	2) Strobe (for keypress at least 10 microseconds long either polarity)
	3) Not Reset. Pull low when reset is pressed.
	4, 9, 16) No connection
	5 - 7, 10 - 13) Data. 7 bit ASCII
	8) GND
	15) -12v. Keyboard should draw less than 50 milliamps.
	14) missing from the manual

	Looks as though a circuit may be needed to adapt a GS/Mac keyboard for
a //e. Would it be easier to adapt a PC keyboard? This might be an
interesting project. A universal keyboard adaptor. As long as you know
what each bit of hardware expects it should not be difficult to build
the parts you need.

				Later
				Mike




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