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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: eekhelpspike on Wed, 23 August 2017, 10:41:05

Title: PI Engineering PS/2 Host Emulator
Post by: eekhelpspike on Wed, 23 August 2017, 10:41:05

Hello,
I have one of these devices (DEV-211-HTPS2).  Does anyone have any experience with making it work as a standard PS/2 to USB adapter?  My father just gave me a couple of M13's and what looks to be an engineering model of the Model M, so I wanted to test them out but don't have a normal ps/2 to usb handy.

Title: Re: PI Engineering PS/2 Host Emulator
Post by: Tactile on Wed, 23 August 2017, 11:05:29

My advice would be to skip it and purchase a PS/2 to USB converter. This device could work for that, I'm sure, but your main interest right now is checking those keyboards and it would be too much trouble, I think, to make this host emulator work for you.

Just buy a converter, try out the keyboards, and later on you can play with this host emulator and programming. That thing (http://xkeys.com/ymouse/HostEmulator.php) sounds pretty cool, and you gotta like a company whose slogan is "The No Slogan Company".

Title: Re: PI Engineering PS/2 Host Emulator
Post by: eekhelpspike on Wed, 23 August 2017, 11:34:08

Thanks.  You are totally right-- I wasted too much time on it already.  I found a regular adapter around here and one of the M13's is working just fine (I don't have a AT to ps/2 adapter handy for the SDL to AT cable I have for the engineering model just yet).  I was interested in the emulator because I had hoped that they had some way of key-remapping to get me a win key.  I'll just explore something else for that.

That said, if anyone has a use for the aforementioned emulator device, please let me know and I'll send it to you for the cost of shipping.

Title: Re: PI Engineering PS/2 Host Emulator
Post by: Tactile on Wed, 23 August 2017, 12:31:46

Quote from: eekhelpspike on Wed, 23 August 2017, 11:34:08

...I had hoped that they had some way of key-remapping to get me a win key.  I'll just explore something else for that.

Combine one of these (https://www.pjrc.com/store/teensy.html) with this stuff (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=17458.0) and you have a PS/2 to USB converter with full programmability  so you can add a Windows key, change keymaps (Dvorak, etc.), program additional layers - all kinds of stuff. This gadget can be assembled in a small project box so you can just plug the keyboard in - no modifaction of the keyboard is necessary.

If you search here or Google the entire internet for "Soarer's converter" you'll find lots of info.