Re: Keyboard conversion project? IIGS portable ideas

["Glenn Jones" <rg.jones@rogers.com>]

"Bryan Villados" <news002@macgeek.org> wrote in message
news:8avfa.15848$9G.4443585@twister.socal.rr.com...
> Hey, guys...
>
> I've recently recovered a trashed Toshiba laptop, and eventually sold
> everything but the keyboard. The keyboard is quite flat, and it feels
great
> when you type on it. The keyboard is barely under 1/2-inch thick.
>
> I also have a functional Apple IIGS keyboard (well, actually, I have
> several, which is why I'm willing to sacrafice a good one for this
project).
> I took the PCB out of the case, and pulled off all the keys, so all
there's
> left are the key switches and the PCB, which includes the ADB controller
> that runs the keyboard.
>
> I was wondering if anyone ever isolated which part of the PCB is dedicated
> to the ADB circuitry? What I was thinking was cut the PCB so all that's
left
> is the ADB controller, then adapt it to the Toshiba laptop keyboard. On
the
> Toshiba keyboard, just strip it of all of its logical components and just
> have the key switches left, then put the ADB controller and Toshiba
keyboard
> together. This may be something worth working on for someone who's
thinking
> of making an Apple IIGS portable.
>
> I took photos of both the bottom and top of the Toshiba keyboard.
>
> http://www.macgeek.org/temp/toshkeyboard_front.jpg
>
> http://www.macgeek.org/temp/toshkeyboard_back.jpg
>
> --- Bryan
>
>

Brian, I have been giving this some thought lately as well. I was also
wondering if some of the earlier Apple Laptops were actually ADB based
inside?

I had one of my apple IIGS keyboards apart the other day as I spilled an
entire cup of some nice creamy hot chocolate in it. While it was apart I was
looking to see if the numeric keypad could be safely hacked off.  I am not
sure if I would want to try that.

I was also wondering if some of the earlier Laptop displays maybe more
suitable for IIGS RGB to whatever conversion. Havn't really check that yet.

I have been thinking/dreaming as well of a horizontal style expansion board
that would lie parallel with the motherboard and it would plug into slots 1,
4 and 7. This would extend toward the front of the computer and be supported
at the front by three legs. It would have a version of rich's compact flash
card wired to the slot 7 area, some display conversion circuitry in the slot
three area and ethernet in the slot one area. The LCD would be on top of
that and the keyboard could go in front. I need to make some drawings ... I
think...

One other thing that could be useful from old laptops would be the power
supply.

Glenn