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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: legodt on Sun, 15 September 2013, 14:33:36

Title: RJ11 to USB for vintage apple keyboards?
Post by: legodt on Sun, 15 September 2013, 14:33:36

I am currently looking to acquire a Macintosh Plus keyboard w/numpad to use on my modern computer. Will any generic rj11 to usb converter work or am I out of luck if I wish to use this keyboard on my modern tech.

Title: Re: RJ11 to USB for vintage apple keyboards?
Post by: dorkvader on Sun, 15 September 2013, 15:53:30

I believe the apple M0110 and M0110A talk an odd protocol, but it has been converted (as well as ADB) by hasu's tmk_firmware
Firmware:
https://github.com/tmk/tmk_keyboard/tree/master/converter

Topic:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41989.0

I think the macintosh plus keyboard with numberpad is the M0110A.

In short: a generic RJ11 to USB will not work, but TMK_firmware should. Of course you can also rewire it, like this person has done:
http://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/the-apple-m0110-today-t1067.html

Hope that helps!

Title: Re: RJ11 to USB for vintage apple keyboards?
Post by: YakMN on Sun, 15 September 2013, 18:51:46

Yeah, you need to make a little adapter. With a teensy. Hasu has the firmware for you. I haven't plugged in a M0110A, but my M0110 works just fine.

Be careful with that phone plug though, the wires are reversed, so if you use a regular telephone headset wire, you have to wire the adapter differently or you'll probably fry the keyboard. I think of the wires that reverses is the 5V.

Title: Re: RJ11 to USB for vintage apple keyboards?
Post by: legodt on Sun, 15 September 2013, 18:56:35

I have little electronics experience. At 40 bucks for the board (they are also throwing in a Mac Plus with it), is this worth the endevour?

Title: Re: RJ11 to USB for vintage apple keyboards?
Post by: YakMN on Sun, 15 September 2013, 20:56:37

$40 is a great price for a (working) mac plus and keyboard. Mac Pluses are actually my favorite old mac. just enough ram (4 MB!), super fast startup (using System 6), and some decent applications. I used one for writing for a while, then remembered that writing is HARD. But that wasnt' the mac's fault.

$40 for the keyboard alone... not sure what a plus keyboard goes for these days. If you were local, I'd give you one of mine, a guy gave me a horde of them a few years back.

I'm personally not crazy about the switches in the mac plus, I prefer the 128k/512 M0110 switches, but then that keyboard is pretty 'stiff'. (and I think most people who have used both prefer the Mac Plus keyboard).

Anyway, it's a fun little project.