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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: didjamatic on Mon, 17 May 2010, 08:14:43

Title: XT to AT adapter.
Post by: didjamatic on Mon, 17 May 2010, 08:14:43
There are many older keyboards that had an XT/AT switch on the back of them.  (some say PC/AT)  Has anyone looked into using internals from one of these boards to make an XT to AT converter?  The hardware and logic are obviously there if the board can work on both systems.

(http://www.bay-mall.net/stores/keyboards/xt-switch.jpg)
Title: XT to AT adapter.
Post by: ironman31 on Tue, 22 March 2011, 21:40:04
clickykeyboards has a page on this (http://www.hagstromelectronics.com/products/ke18.html). Not sure how long they've had it there, but it's a relatively inexpensive/easy route for those that do not want to create a controller from scratch.
Here (http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/11298/subcatid/0/id/500722) is clickykeyboards' page.
Title: XT to AT adapter.
Post by: JBert on Wed, 23 March 2011, 15:46:14
Quote from: ironman31;316459
clickykeyboards has a page on this (http://www.hagstromelectronics.com/products/ke18.html). Not sure how long they've had it there, but it's a relatively inexpensive/easy route for those that do not want to create a controller from scratch.
Here (http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/11298/subcatid/0/id/500722) is clickykeyboards' page.
Looks interesting: "stock" hardware with an XT-AT convertor firmware...
Title: XT to AT adapter.
Post by: sixty on Wed, 23 March 2011, 15:52:55
9x9 matrix? Lame.

Ontopic: The XT/AT switch is very common on old Cherry keyboards. It indeed does not translate signals on the fly but just switches to XT in the firmware. The only way to make use of this would be to rewire your XT board to the same matrix that the board with the XT/AT switch uses. So in the end, nothing gained, much time wasted.
Title: XT to AT adapter.
Post by: ch_123 on Wed, 23 March 2011, 16:59:40
Some keyboards had both an AT and XT controller, and IIRC, may have had separate row and column wiring.

Older Model Ms such as the '0120/'0131 and possibly some older '1401s will work with late revision XTs as well as AT (or XT-286) or PS/2 computers. They will not work with older XTs or PCs.