Re: Possible to adapt a //e keyboard to PC?

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Scott Alfter writes ...
>
 ....

> >     This could be first time I've heard that idea suggested. (Usually,
> > users are looking for ways to connect PC keyboards to Apple II's.)
> 
> Speaking of which, do you know of anything that would adapt a PS/2 keyboard
> to a II+?  Searching Google for parallel ASCII keyboards (what the II+ uses)
> didn't turn up much, and the keyboard in mine is flaky.
> 
>   _/_   Scott Alfter (address in header doesn't receive mail)
>  / v \  send mail to $firstname@$lastname.us
> (IIGS(  http://alfter.us/         Top-posting!
>  \_^_/  rm -rf /bin/laden         >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?
> 
 ....


     That keyboard has probably sent thousands of II's and II+'s to the
dumpster.

     We replaced ours about 15 years ago-- lucked out and got a nice reed
switch keyboard from an old clone PC, one of those compact kind with a small
KB. It fit with very little cutting needed.

     Since the decoder board was shot, we made a new one built around the SMC
KR2376ST. Rewiring the keyswitch matrix was pretty easy. Reed switches last
forever; so, it's still working great. Looks like it will out-last our IIgs KB.


     If the problem with your II+ keyboard is messed up keyswitches, your
easiest fix may be to hunt down a small, good quality keyboard form some
surplus place and rewire the keyswitches to fit the II+ decoder.

     To swap in an entire PC keyboard, you'd probably use something like an
8251 to get the outputs in parallel form. A small board with the IC could
connect from the KB to the 16-pin Apple KB socket on the motherboard.

     For getting a Reset from the KB (and the Open-Apple and Closed-Apple
keys), you could add a small PROM to decode the parallel output plus a CMOS
switch IC. Or you could cut some traces on the KB and wire directly to keys on
the PC keyboard.


Rubywand