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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: GenEric35 on Fri, 18 December 2009, 14:47:12

Title: Model M terminal boards
Post by: GenEric35 on Fri, 18 December 2009, 14:47:12

Hi, does anyone know if a terminal board can work with a simple cable replacement? can the cable be replaced and a PS/2 cable used instead to allow to work on pc?

Title: Model M terminal boards
Post by: ch_123 on Fri, 18 December 2009, 14:54:59

I don't mean to sound like a prick, but there's about a billion threads open on this topic where some very knowledgeable people have discussed this to death. The search button is your friend.

Title: Model M terminal boards
Post by: GenEric35 on Fri, 18 December 2009, 14:57:43

yet the ibm wiki's section on terminal variants is empty

Title: Model M terminal boards
Post by: Shawn Stanford on Fri, 18 December 2009, 15:16:27

This is probably the best of the bunch: http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=6770, and the short answer to your question is: not really. You can swap out the cables on the AS/400 type Model Ms, which are very similar to the 3179 Model Ms. However, they work with some difficulties, the biggest of which is that the keyboard never sends a key up signal to the PC if the keyboard connects via USB (PS/2 connections seem to be better behaved). The true 3179 terminal keyboards won't work with a simple cable swap and may damage your PC.

Good luck!

Title: Model M terminal boards
Post by: ch_123 on Fri, 18 December 2009, 15:29:43

Quote from: GenEric35;143556

yet the ibm wiki's section on terminal variants is empty

I was refering to Kishy and Shawn's thread. I know very little about terminal boards, and haven't had the time to read into them...

Title: Model M terminal boards
Post by: ch_123 on Fri, 18 December 2009, 16:12:26

Kishy and I had a PM conversation about these. Apparently the cable swap isn't enough - the controller works weird with PCs, so software and other such things may be required.

Title: Model M terminal boards
Post by: microsoft windows on Fri, 18 December 2009, 17:24:52

I want to get a terminal keyboard sometime. Oh, and speaking of Model M's, I should be getting an I key for mine for Christmas soon.

Title: Model M terminal boards
Post by: sethstorm on Fri, 18 December 2009, 22:39:29

Quote from: kishy;143577

(this post is only to provide you with my signature which has relevant links. good luck and if you have any questions directed at me please post them in my existing thread...it's a lot easier for me to keep track of it there)

Oh and ch, they all act funky, that's the nature of them. either key repeats or no repeat at all (including holding down keys). generally if you're plugging direct into PS/2 with a direct cable swap yes, it will work mostly normally with some weird remaps, that includes the RJ11 ones. connector is less important than the terminal type they were designed for.

Not if you use inputremapper.  While it might affect operation of exotic programmable keyboards (Cherry SPOS for example), it will give you your repeats back with minimal configuration.

Title: Model M terminal boards
Post by: sethstorm on Sat, 19 December 2009, 11:39:24

Quote from: kishy;143681

Well, the question I was more or less responding to requires that ONLY a cable swap is done, nothing more...

Did you mention that in the giant thread? If so I missed it, I'll have to experiment with that.

Yes, I did (http://geekhack.org/showpost.php?p=140141&postcount=238).  It's a bit before I talk about using the DDK to make your own keyboard drivers.

Title: Model M terminal boards
Post by: microsoft windows on Sun, 20 December 2009, 13:17:25

I haven't seen many of the emulator keyboards out there.

Oh, and what sort of adapter is that one pictured above? What keyboards work with it?

Title: Model M terminal boards
Post by: ch_123 on Sun, 20 December 2009, 14:59:09

M2s have no backplates. The membrane rests directly on the bottom of the casing.

And don't get started on the capacitors...