Unicomp PC122 and Windows?

[zfsscrublord]

Disclaimer: Please note that English is not my first language, I hope you'll understand what I'm trying to convey nonetheless. Thank you, honestly.

Ever since a friend of mine introduced me to the wonderful world of mechanical keyboards, I immediately realized the days I'd use rubber dome and membrane keyboards were numbered. The quest of finding the one keyboard for me had begun. I tried mechanical keyboards with all sorts of switches, including - but not limited to - most of the Cherry MX flavors. I liked Cherry MX blue switches for programming and Cherry MX red switches for playing games the most. Unfortunately all keyboards with Cherry MX switches tended to malfunction at some point for whatever reason. Keys would become stuck, but not in a mechanical way or strokes of keys I used more often than others (like WASD) stopped getting registered. I've developed a disdain towards Cherry switches, but I didn't want to go back to rubber dome or membrane keyboards either, so I did some research. Apparently the IBM Model M is some kind of the holy grail when it comes to mechanical keyboards. Too bad I wasn't even around when IBM produced them themselves. I was born too late to ever experience the glory that is a brand new IBM Model M and I read that, no matter how sturdy those buckling springs are, they'll eventually begin to feel "differently" and even refurbished Model Ms aren't quite the same. But there's hope: Unicomp, who to this very day manufacture Model Ms and such. After a lot of back and forth I decided to get a PC122 (equal to a Model F?). This is hands down the most expensive keyboard I've ever purchased (remember, I'm not from the US). Words (especially those I'm aware of) cannot begin to describe how happy I am with it. However there's one problem...

I simply cannot get the keys F13-F24 to function properly.

According to the MSDN keys F1 to F24 should have the virtual key codes 0x70 to 0x87, but on my keyboard the following is true:

Code: [Select]

Key | vkCode | Key according to MSDN
----+--------+----------------------
F13 |  0xF1  | OEM specific
F14 |  0xEA  | OEM specific
F15 |  0xF9  | Erase EOF key
F16 |  0x2F  | HELP key
F17 |  0x7C  | F13 key
F18 |  0x7D  | F14 key
F19 |  0x7E  | F15 key
F20 |  0x7F  | F16 key
F21 |  0x80  | F17 key
F22 |  0x81  | F18 key
F23 |  0x82  | F19 key
F24 |  0x83  | F20 key
I've taken the keyboard apart (without using a screwdriver, hehe) and noticed there are two jumpers (one open, one jumped) on the keyboard controller:


Removing the jumper block completely or moving it to JP1 will result in the keyboard being non-functional, ie. keystrokes are no longer being registered.

So my question is how do I get the keys on the keyboard to match their actual function in Windows? Re-mapping came to my mind, but that seemed like a "hack-ish" solution, I was hoping for a proper driver or anything.

Thanks in advance!

[rowdy]

Welcome to Geekhack!

There's a couple of threads about this already:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=10165.0
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41350.0
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=47999.0
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=67947.0
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=84783.0

They tend to suggest using Soarer's converter, or something like AutoHotKey to remap the keys.

[fohat.digs]

to get a PC122 (equal to a Model F?).

Unicomp is equal to Model M

The Model F 122-key terminal keyboard is entirely different in every way, including the need for a converter. However, with Soarer's Converter, all the keys are alive from the start. Also, you get true N-key rollover, if that is important to you. But they do not come that way out of the box.

[Laurel]

Did you see this on Unicomp website?

https://support.pckeyboard.com/download_attachment.php?kb_att=55

[Tactile]

Not all of the 122 Model M keyboards are the same and most information out there deals with the terminal type of Model M.

I have a Unicomp M122 USB and it does not send the codes that a terminal model does. F13-F24 send simple shifted keycodes. F13 is Shift-F1 F14 is Shift-F2 on up to F24 which sends Shift-F12. In Windows I use AutoHotkey to remap them to whatever I want & it works great.

[zfsscrublord]

Welcome to Geekhack!

There's a couple of threads about this already:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=10165.0
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=41350.0
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=47999.0
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=67947.0
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=84783.0

They tend to suggest using Soarer's converter, or something like AutoHotKey to remap the keys.

Thanks man, much appreciated!

to get a PC122 (equal to a Model F?).

Unicomp is equal to Model M

The Model F 122-key terminal keyboard is entirely different in every way, including the need for a converter. However, with Soarer's Converter, all the keys are alive from the start. Also, you get true N-key rollover, if that is important to you. But they do not come that way out of the box.

Oh, I didn't know that. I thought PC122 = Model F, because I hadn't seen a Model M that looks like the keyboard I got, at least not on Wikipedia. It looks like this Model F on Wikipedia, so I made this false assumption. Thanks for correcting me.

Did you see this on Unicomp website?

https://support.pckeyboard.com/download_attachment.php?kb_att=55

Yes, I already saw this schematic, but it's incorrect for my keyboard. I guess it's because of what Tactile mentions in his reply.

Not all of the 122 Model M keyboards are the same and most information out there deals with the terminal type of Model M.

I have a Unicomp M122 USB and it does not send the codes that a terminal model does. F13-F24 send simple shifted keycodes. F13 is Shift-F1 F14 is Shift-F2 on up to F24 which sends Shift-F12. In Windows I use AutoHotkey to remap them to whatever I want & it works great.

If you simply want to remap them, why use AHK instead of the built-in functionality of Windows? Edit: Nevermind, the built-in functionality doesn't allow for modifier keys / key combinations to be remapped. For me F13-F24 don't just send Shift+F1-Shift+F12, so I don't need to use AHK for this.


Thanks again for all the answers guys! For now I'll simply remap the keys, but Soarer's converter looks like a decent long-term solution.