Author Topic: Omnikey Ultra USB (Read 5230 times)

alternety · « **on:** Sun, 22 November 2009, 19:37:14 »

I have an Omnikey Ultra from Northgate. I am the original owner but have no idea where the manual is. It has three cable connections on the back (with the dip switches and a push button). I have seen references to this keyboard being USB compatible. I would like to stop using the IBM keyboard interface connector because the weight of the cable and adapter to PS/2 makes the connection a bit intermittant.

Can someone tell me what the extra two connectors on the back are for and how to use the keyboard on a USB port?

microsoft windows · « **Reply #1 on:** Sun, 22 November 2009, 19:40:37 »

Does the AT cable plug into an SDL port in the keyboard?

alternety · « **Reply #2 on:** Sun, 22 November 2009, 19:55:00 »

Sorry, I do not know what SDL means. It is a small round connector with a key post in the pin area. It is the middle connector on the keyboard.

ricercar · « **Reply #3 on:** Mon, 23 November 2009, 15:00:17 »

Northgate never released any USB keyboards. Even cvtinc.com--the company that bought Northgate--has no USB keyboards.

I'm skeptical your Omnikey has a USB port.

alternety · « **Reply #4 on:** Mon, 23 November 2009, 15:54:14 »

OK. Than makes sense. The keyboards were probably around before USB was popular/in existence.

Do you know what the other two sockets on the back of the board are for?

ricercar · « **Reply #5 on:** Mon, 23 November 2009, 18:06:10 »

Quote

Do you know what the other two sockets on the back of the board are for?

Can you get us a picture? My Northgate has only one port on the back, for a PS/2 socket.

bitflipper · « **Reply #6 on:** Mon, 23 November 2009, 18:20:04 »

Mine has one port on the back as well. And the trap door on the top which flips up to expose the dip switches. I believe there's a different revision of the Ultra which has the dip switches on the front and no trap door.

ricercar · « **Reply #7 on:** Mon, 23 November 2009, 21:07:59 »

Quote from: alternety;135413

Omnikey Ultra from Northgate ... extra two connectors on the back are for and how to use the keyboard on a USB port?

OK, my Northgate/Ultra manual has a figure displaying three PS/2 style ports plus DIP switches on the back of the OmniKey/Ultra. The figure says the middle of the three is "KEYBOARD CONNECTOR SOCKET" without any text labels for the outer two.

The caption says "Figure 1. Rear view of the OmniKey/Ultra. Plug the cable into the second connector from the left.

The controller schematic shows only one PS/2 port. The two other ports are wired in parallel, and seem to share wiring with the red momentary switch. They are both labelled the same, with type too small for these 5-decade eyes, even wth a magnifying glass:

4PIN HINOIN
4PIN HINDIN
4PIN MINOIN
4PIN MINDIN
4PIN WINOIN
4PIN WINDIN

I just can't make it out. Note that the PS/2 port is labelled 6PIN HINOIN (whatever).

Quote from: alternety;135413

I would like to stop using the IBM keyboard interface connector because the weight of the cable and adapter to PS/2 makes the connection a bit intermittant.

The Northgate cable has a PS/2 on one end and an AT/XT (the big one) on the other end? Would it solve the problem to buy a PS/2 KVM cable with a male PS/2 on both ends, so you need only one adapter, a PS/2 to USB? This worked for my OmniKey/102.

InSanCen · « **Reply #8 on:** Tue, 24 November 2009, 07:18:52 »

Quote from: ricercar;135754

They are both labelled the same, with type too small for these 5-decade eyes, even wth a magnifying glass:

4PIN HINOIN
4PIN HINDIN
4PIN MINOIN
4PIN MINDIN
4PIN WINOIN
4PIN WINDIN

I just can't make it out. Note that the PS/2 port is labelled 6PIN HINOIN (whatever).

I have money on that being 4 PIN MINIDIN. PS/2 as you have said, is 6 pin MiniDIN. Should look pretty much the same as an S-Video port.

sandy55 · « **Reply #9 on:** Tue, 24 November 2009, 08:54:14 »

Those ports are wriitten as 4PIN MINDIN, and actually are ADB ports.
One of my mates told me, believe or not, that Northgate once sold OmniMac around 1990. He assumed Northgate were just lazy and reused surplus OmniMac parts for AT models.
As risercar wrote, there's no mention about dip switch setting for Mac system in the manual. Funny enough, those 2 additional ports drawn in the cable connection section of a manual are PS/2 with 6pins though schematic shows 4 pin connectors.

Here's a pic of those ports for those who can't believe.
http://sandy55.fc2web.com/keyboard/temp/omni-ultra06.jpg
will be deleted tommow 'cause it's not mine.

ricercar · « **Reply #10 on:** Tue, 24 November 2009, 16:47:10 »

I remember Northgate ads in MacUser magazine. That makes sense.

What confuses me about this conclusion is the lack of an ADB controller in the Northgate Ultra schematic. I wonder if Northgate reverse-engineered the protocol and refused to license ADB from Apple.

chimera15 · « **Reply #11 on:** Tue, 24 November 2009, 17:48:45 »

Wow, northgates were at least intended to be adb compatible?? Amazing. lol

microsoft windows · « **Reply #12 on:** Tue, 24 November 2009, 18:57:41 »

I want to get a Northgate someday. I'll have to look for cheap ones on ebay when they turn up every once in a while. Now, do Northgates have double-shot keys?

sixty · « **Reply #13 on:** Tue, 24 November 2009, 19:43:22 »

Quote from: microsoft windows;136065

I want to get a Northgate someday. I'll have to look for cheap ones on ebay when they turn up every once in a while. Now, do Northgates have double-shot keys?

You have a Focus. They are most likely from the very same factory. I think Sandy might have some more info on that.

bitflipper · « **Reply #14 on:** Tue, 24 November 2009, 20:39:01 »

Quote from: microsoft windows;136065

I want to get a Northgate someday. I'll have to look for cheap ones on ebay when they turn up every once in a while. Now, do Northgates have double-shot keys?

Yes, they have double-shot keys. Here is one relatively cheap.

News:

Author Topic: Omnikey Ultra USB (Read 5230 times)