Terminal Keyboard Aquisition

[Melvang]

So I picked up this Link terminal keyboard today from an e-recycler for $3.  I can hear it already "it was 3 bucks, whats wrong with it?"  Honestly I can't tell yet because it is all WYSE on the inside.  Keycaps are doubleshot black on two tone beige, case is WYSE with a date of 1983 and the PCB is WYSE with a date of 1985.  Here is the thing it is just plain stupid clean.  Like NIB clean.  So, I can't imagine that it's dead.  I would love to get this thing working over USB partly because I like the layout on it and it doesn't appear to have ever been used.  The "E" still has texture on it and no shine anywhere. 

Does anyone know if Soarers converter works with an RJ10 plug on one of these terminal boards?  If so how difficult would it be to mod the converter into a PCI card to plug into a set of motherboard headers for the USB instead of communicating directly over the PCI slot?

[dorkvader]

soarer's converter does not yet work with WYSE (as of last month). however....


http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=52597.0

as always soarer is awesome!

also youve reminded me to upload those WY30 PCB pictures to him

Does anyone know if Soarers converter works with an RJ10 plug on one of these terminal boards?  If so how difficult would it be to mod the converter into a PCI card to plug into a set of motherboard headers for the USB instead of communicating directly over the PCI slot?

Not sure what you're talking about here.

[Melvang]

If so how difficult would it be to mod the converter into a PCI card to plug into a set of motherboard headers for the USB instead of communicating directly over the PCI slot?

Not sure what you're talking about here.

basically what I was wanting to do would be to mount the Teensy and such into a PCB and attach it to a PCI slot cover but with no traces running to the PCI slot on the motherboard and then just run a cable from that card to the motherboard USB header pins so I can just plug the keyboard into the back of the computer with no adapters inline on the outside of the computer case.

[dorkvader]

Oh yeah that's totally possible!
Suggestion 1: file a hole in a blank PCI cover (or get one with a 4p4c cutout), then attach 4p4c connector to it. Wire a teensy internally to it and plug it into the USB header on your MB. (basically what you said).


HaaTa's take involves a proper PCI USB hub.

<HaaTa> dorkvader: so basically what I understand, is that he wants to attach the wyse to a pci card and use it as a USB keyboard
<HaaTa> soo
<HaaTa> he needs a PCI usb hub
<HaaTa> desolder the USB ports
<HaaTa> put a 4p4c connector on somehow
<HaaTa> solder it to the teensy, then attach it to where the USB was before
<HaaTa> or
<HaaTa> you could just get a random 4p4c card
<HaaTa> desolder the 4p4c
<HaaTa> solder in place the teensy
<HaaTa> then have a cable that connects to USB somewhere
<HaaTa> or to one of the USB headers on the motherboard
<HaaTa> or
<HaaTa> design a dummy pci card
<HaaTa> with a 4p4c connector connected somehow to the Teensy
<HaaTa> and have a cable to USB somehow
<HaaTa> lots of options
<HaaTa> feel free to copy/paste my descriptions into the post

This guy clearly knows his PCI.

[jdcarpe]

I wonder if you could use an old PCI modem card for the 4p4c jack. Wire it to the Teensy, then run a USB cable from the Teensy to an internal USB header on your mobo.

[Melvang]

I was just thinking the third option.  Buy a crap dial up modem for the solder on jack and the back plate, have a PCB cut to same dimensions but with traces from the 4P4C jack to the teensy then just run from the USB out on the teensy to the USB headers on my mobo.

Only problem is I have no idea how to use KiCad nor dimensions for a 4P4C jack.

Edit:  Biggest reason I want to do it this way is so I can just plug the factory cable on the keyboard directly into the back of the motherboard.

[jdcarpe]

If you're designing a new PCB, might as well make it a true PCI USB hub, with an ATmega32u4 on board as converter and 4p4c on the back. Also a 5-pin DIN jack.

[kolonelkadat]

do you really need the pcb? If it were me, Id just deadbug the connector and the teensy. epoxy/hotsnot the connector to the slot cover. clip the end of a usb cable and attach a female header. connect teensy to usb and usb header to motherboard.
something like this
http://i.imgur.com/DGngUvi.jpg

make sure you consult your motherboard manual to ensure you use the correct pinout for the usb header

[Melvang]

I think what I might end up doing is using the teensy on a small PCB with a 4P4C connector, and a 5 pin DIN in case I come across something else I want to use.  I don't really want to use it with PCI bus in case I go to a smaller form factor case and have all my PCI slots used and still have USB headers then I can still use the board since it doesn't need to physically connect to the motherboard.  Also with this if I go to a stupid small form factor I could just mod the thing into the back side of the case somewhere.

[Findecanor]

Keycaps are doubleshot black ...

Look more closely.

Are your keycaps the same as caps from SP, or the thicker variety?

[Melvang]

Keycaps are doubleshot black ...

Look more closely.

Are your keycaps the same as caps from SP, or the thicker variety?

I will get some pics posted tonight.  But they are thin like SP and not thick like GMK.  If they are not black than it is a very very dark blue.  But the wife says they are black and she is the photographer.

[dorkvader]

thick WYSE keycaps have the same shape as SP, they aren't as thick as GMK though. There's also some variation in stem stabilization.

Yeah, WYSE is darkblue on beige. I think link used the same on theirs. It's a sweet colourway, though I want to see more nuclear data (darkgreen)

[Melvang]

I have had 3 sets of WYSE dark blue/purple on gray caps.  These are def not that.  They are darker to the point of black.  They are also thin more like SP caps.

[dorkvader]

I have had 3 sets of WYSE dark blue/purple on gray caps.  These are def not that.  They are darker to the point of black.  They are also thin more like SP caps.

ok I thought link used a darker colour, but it always looked black in the pictures!

Now I have to pick up a link terminal KB sometime.

[rowdy]

I have a link terminal and keyboard (with MX blacks).  The legends look pretty black to me.

Thread from the past: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=34416.0