Mechanical Dell AT102W ps2 to USB converter issues

[Bigglesuk]

Hello,

I've been using my faithful mechanical Dell AT102W for the last 12 years without any issues. Unfortunately my new work laptop doenst support PS2 and so i've had to buy a PS2 to USB adaptor.

I picked up a cheap one from ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330722083242?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649



Now i've got 2 issues.
One is that the \| key doesnt work. It appears all other keys do. Very annoying when trying to type a URL, i've been having to bring up the on-screen keyboard.

2nd one is that after a while the adaptor seems to stop working. Unplugging and re-plugging it seems to make the keyboard respond again.

Do you have any suggestions. I presume I will need to buy a better converter, but how can I guarentee i will have the \| key back? Is it just a driver issue, I assumed the standard Windows HID drivers would cover it.

many thanks in advance.

Andrew

[Burz]

I am also having a problem: When I am typing a lot the keyboard seems to 'reset' every 5-7 minutes, and loses 2 or 3 keystrokes in the process.

My adapter is a Startech:
http://www.startech.com/Cables/USB-2.0/USB-Adapters/USB-to-PS2-Adapter-Keyboard-and-Mouse~USBPS2PC

Thought this was one of the better ones, but supposedly Dell keyboards are known to be fussy.

Any recommendations?

[TheProfosist]

Get the roswill one off newegg or the belkin one which should be available on ebay amazon there should be no problems with the chipset it uses.

[dorkvader]

I have problems with both the belkin ones I have. They will "drop out" for a second or two, then come back. It's not a big deal, but can cost you if gaming.

[fohat.digs]

I have had various "plug" issues that eventually seemed to be more about the problems of maintaining a good solid mechanical connection with the socket.

Maybe try some very careful gentle bending of the socket and/or plug, particularly an older PS2 or USB socket that has been plugged and unplugged many times.

[Soarer]

Common problems with USB converters I'm afraid. Many of them don't understand the extra key between left shift and Z. And almost all of them reset from time to time, dropping characters. Quite unusual for one to completey die periodically though.

And with the Dell, it's harder to recommend a converter, because the blue cube doesn't like them. IIRC, the 'good' Belkin does work correctly with them...

I have problems with both the belkin ones I have. They will "drop out" for a second or two, then come back. It's not a big deal, but can cost you if gaming.

There's one good version of the Belkin, and there's two or more bad versions
Sorry I can't recall the version numbers, but a search should find it. Shame the wiki's gone, it was there.


edit: F5U119vE1 is one of the bad ones. All the different version begin with F5U119, so that will help when searching. Google tells me there's an F5U119-E and a F5U119-NW as well - possibly it's the -E that's the good one, but I can't remember for sure.

[dorkvader]

edit: F5U119vE1 is one of the bad ones.

That's mine! Explains a lot. It also says "N10117" on it in bold, so people might have trouble listing the model number. Linux says: ID 0a81:0205 Chesen Electronics Corp. PS/2 Keyboard+Mouse Adapter.

I remember going through the wiki, and I didn't see anything about multiple belkin adapters in the article. Maybe I missed it. oh well. I'm planning on making a few soarers (Thanks!) in small boxes, so I'll be set.

[Soarer]

Yeah, that's what my vE1 identifies as. I seem to remember something being said about the good Belkin identifying the same as a blue cube, but then again, a lot was said about IDs that wasn't necessarily correct 

I thought the wiki was eventually updated with the different versions, but it did just refer to the base number (F5U119) for a long time.

[Burz]

Get the roswill one off newegg or the belkin one which should be available on ebay amazon there should be no problems with the chipset it uses.

There are a lot of brands selling units that look identical (on the outside) to the one Rosewill sells. I came across a description of someone have the same problem I am with one of them.

I will have to keep my eyes open for one of the 'good' Belkin adapters.

[salmo]

I have an older Belkin FSU119vE (no '1') that I use with my AT101W and it seems to work fine.  I'm not gaming with it, however.  Mostly just typing, writing scripts, and heavy command-line use. 

I haven't used the board a ton, but I did spend a few hours rolling out a bunch of new servers (virtuals) the other weekend with it.  I really only got frustrated from network latency.

[1391406]

And with the Dell, it's harder to recommend a converter, because the blue cube doesn't like them.

Odd, because I haven't had any drop-outs or other issues using my Dell AT101W in conjunction with a blue cube. I'd be curious to know if the denominating factor is related to using USB 2.0 vs. 3.0.

[kinruan]

i just bought the one from clickykeyboard which is recommend for model m. it that good? it is on shipping and i am worrying .

[Soarer]

And with the Dell, it's harder to recommend a converter, because the blue cube doesn't like them.

Odd, because I haven't had any drop-outs or other issues using my Dell AT101W in conjunction with a blue cube. I'd be curious to know if the denominating factor is related to using USB 2.0 vs. 3.0.

I forget exactly, but it's something like shift + cursor arrow releases the shift, so for example selecting text by repeatedly pressing an arrow while shift is held doesn't work. Perhaps only when num-lock is off.

[limmy]

I forget exactly, but it's something like shift + cursor arrow releases the shift, so for example selecting text by repeatedly pressing an arrow while shift is held doesn't work. Perhaps only when num-lock is off.

Blue cube does that. It is left shift + arrow combination that releases shift. Dell works fine if you press only two keys at once for instance left shift + arrow is fine, but left shift + right arrow + up arrow releases left shift. For Cherry keyboards, it releases shift key even if I play nicely.(press at most two keys at the same time) However, Cherry boards behave like Dell AT100W if connected to PS/2 hub of my 3700. It is strange.

Edit: I should add that Num lock status matters. I almost always turn off Numlock and I guess the bug happens when Numlock is off.

In that regard, cheapo $1 USB to PS/2 converter works better. It correctly handles all the modifier presses and I didn't notice problems except that I cannot use Capslock combination.(e.g. Capslock + a , a : holding down capslock and tapping a key twice releases capslock after the first tap.)

Is there anyone who could make me a Teensy converter? Was there any group buy with proper casing? I have been longing to get one, but couldn't spare time to learn all the stuff..

[limmy]

As for the Belkin converter,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Belkin-F5U119E-PS2-to-USB-Adapter-Converter-Keyboard-Mouse-Barcode-Scanner-/270962163563
this one behaves just like blue cube. It even has the same bug I mentioned above.

Oh.. I forgot to mention. Cheapo converter is terrible to use with macro keyboards such as G80-8200. It will eat up key sequences making macro keys useless.

[1391406]

And with the Dell, it's harder to recommend a converter, because the blue cube doesn't like them.

Odd, because I haven't had any drop-outs or other issues using my Dell AT101W in conjunction with a blue cube. I'd be curious to know if the denominating factor is related to using USB 2.0 vs. 3.0.

I forget exactly, but it's something like shift + cursor arrow releases the shift, so for example selecting text by repeatedly pressing an arrow while shift is held doesn't work. Perhaps only when num-lock is off.

No issues with that particular combination on this end(with num-lock either on or off).

[Soarer]

Hmm. Maybe I was getting confused with the SGI Granite then. Sorry about that. It sounds like blue cube is perfectly viable for the Dell.

(I'm pretty sure both the SGI and the Dell had some quirks I had to cope with in my converter, and because I fixed them at the same time - quite a while ago - my memory of the details has blurred!!) :oldfart: