So I bought this SMK-22 numpad at a thrift store for $2 the other day. It's a no-name Mac keypad, with ADB.
But hey, clicky white Alps. Disassembly proved that they were complicateds. The keys are pad printed.
The thing's got diodes too. It probably has NKRO as a result.
Controller:
Sadly, the thing's ADB, and I never use my G3 desktop anyways. So my plan is to basically convert it to USB, by using a USB controller from a rubber dome board. I could use a numpad for my laptop.
I bought this cheap-o rubber dome keyboard at Micro Center for $4 around 2 years ago for my laptop.
http://www.amazon.com/Inland-70008-Pro-USB-Keyboard/dp/B001NACBSAI've since ruined the above keyboard with failed paint jobs and what not, and I lost a bunch of its domes after repeated take-aparts. It was junky anyways, but the controller still works.
My basic plan is to slice all the traces on the SMK-22 and then wire over the matrices for the USB controller onto the switches, and then use the USB controlller to make it work with a normal PC. I'd lose NKRO sadly because I'll be using a blocking controller, but hey, beats paying good money for an ADB-> USB adapter. The "clear" key will be remapped to "delete", and I'll ignore the brackets and other functions. It'll function mostly like a standard numpad.
Objectives:
1. Convert the thing to USB, where it'll serve as a normal numpad. No 000 functions, no funny brackets, no copy, no undo. Those would
2. Reversibility. I want it possible to convert it back to ADB. Therefore no chopping off controllers or what not. Also, in the future, I might use a Teensy or something to regain some of the functions like the cut and copy functions on some of the keys.
3. Cheapness. This will not be an expensive mod. At the moment, I'll be using only parts and tools I have on hand.
Progress will be in the discussions.