geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: orthew on Thu, 20 February 2020, 06:23:29
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i decided to go and purchase my first ibm model m terminal keyboard from ebay along with a ready-made soarer's converter from orihalcon.
both turned up at my house, i plugged the ibm's rj45 into the converter, then the converter into the computer and... nothing.
the keyboard or converter doesn't work.
some things i have tried:
- 3 different computers, same result (all running windows 10).
- tried using it at bios to rule out the o/s, no luck there either.
- voltage detector pen seems to show that the keyboard is at the very least receiving power.
- tried front and back usb ports.
- scinfo.exe seems to detect the converter fine.
- hid_listen seems to pick up the converter but typing on the keyboard does nothing.
does anyone have any suggestions on how to go about this or if anyone has experienced this in the past and found out what was at fault?
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The controller could be dead. What is the model number of the keyboard? Do you have a photo?
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The controller could be dead. What is the model number of the keyboard? Do you have a photo?
sorry, see attached.
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First contact orihalcon, either on Ebay or here, telling him what converter (he makes several) you purchased and the numbers on your keyboard, to make sure the converter & keyboard are a match.
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First contact orihalcon, either on Ebay or here, telling him what converter (he makes several) you purchased and the numbers on your keyboard, to make sure the converter & keyboard are a match.
ok, i have contacted him on ebay with the relevant info.
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First contact orihalcon, either on Ebay or here, telling him what converter (he makes several) you purchased and the numbers on your keyboard, to make sure the converter & keyboard are a match.
Do some terminal Model M's have different wiring, or are incompatible with Soarer's firmware? I thought basically anything Model M was compatible.
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update:
orihalcon hasn't got back to me yet but i contacted the seller of the keyboard and he has kindly offered to send over a replacement controller and a correctly sized nut driver to me for free (i have a 7/32" nut driver but it isn't thin-walled :()
this should ultimately rule out whether it has been a keyboard or converter fault entirely.
the seller has also noted that it may be simply be that he forgot to re-attach one of the cables during final assembly as the keyboard has been partially bolt-modded. my gut instinct also feels it's a keyboard fault too and not the converter.
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update:
orihalcon hasn't got back to me yet but i contacted the seller of the keyboard and he has kindly offered to send over a replacement controller and a correctly sized nut driver to me for free (i have a 7/32" nut driver but it isn't thin-walled :()
this should ultimately rule out whether it has been a keyboard or converter fault entirely.
the seller has also noted that it may be simply be that he forgot to re-attach one of the cables during final assembly as the keyboard has been partially bolt-modded. my gut instinct also feels it's a keyboard fault too and not the converter.
Cool. You wouldn't think a seller that generous/amenable would have sold you a bad board, especially knowing he's just going to get a bad review for screwing you anyway once you find out it has some sort of membrane damage. I'm almost certain you'll get it sorted with a look inside and/or the replacement controller.
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ah, after receiving the nut driver and replacement controller today, i discovered that the rj45 cable wasn't connected to the main pcb!
after re-attaching both, the keyboard now works as intended, infact, i am using it right now.
orihalcon did get back to me with some helpful info regarding the converter, but i have since replied back saying its all been resolved now and there was never an issue with the converter itself.
now i'm off to see if the seller would like his spare controller and nut driver back...
thanks everyone for the help.