Re: Moveable Keyboard On An ][+

[et472@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Michael Black)]

Mitchell Spector (mitch2gs@hotmail.com) writes:
> "Robert C." <robc638killspam@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> 
>>I was thinking on making my ][+'s keyboard removeable. I know using an IBM 
>>keyboard is out of the question as it uses a very odd encoding technique. 
>>What kind of encoding does a Mac keyboard use? How difficult would it be to 
>>decode the serial line into a parallel signal in order to plug it into the 
>>connector at the motherboard?
> 
>     One of my Apple II Plus clones, a "Fugi Elite-5", has such a feature.
> The motherboard has the familiar DIP-16 connector for the keyboard, 
> but there's a tiny circuit convertor plugged into it, with DIN-5 connector
> that mounts to the backport. From what I recall, the convertor was very
> simple, maybe one or two chips. 
> 
>     This clone doesn't have a built-in keyboard, instead it came with a
> detatchable IBM PC-like keyboard that plugs in through the convertor.
> I vaguely remember trying the keyboard on an actual PC and it not 
> being recognized (and probably visa-versa with a PC keyboard). I'm
> sure the keyboard and convertor would work equally as well plugged
> into my real Apple II or II Plus but I never tried it.
> 
> Mitchell Spector

That sounds like what I was describing, I have no idea what name
it had on the one I had.  Someone gave it to me, and he got it from
a junk store.

When he gave it to me, he handed me a ROM that was supposed to be
the original from the keyboard, with the implication if I put it
back in, the keyboard would work with an IBM.

As I said, by changing the ROM (and since it was a ROM that dates
the keyboard, since more recent keyboards would have the cpu and ROM
in one package), they make the keyboard work the way they need it,
meaning that the only thing needed at the Apple end is that simple
serial to parallel interface.  Otherwise, one has to either modify
the software in the Apple II (which may not be realistic), or
have a microcontoller between the two to convert the scan codes
of the IBM to ASCII.

  Michael