\nI am an avid reader of Deskthority Mechanical Keyboards website<\/a> and whilst browsing the marketplace noticed a member selling two keyboards, both brand new and clones of DEC keyboards. One using plate-mounted vintage cherry black modules, one using Hi-Tek ‘space invader’ key switches<\/a>.<\/p>\n
All Good Things…<\/strong><\/p>\n The seller hurt his ankle just before posting so I waited about a month for the keyboards to arrive. When they eventually came one looked like a DEC-compatible keyboard (with modem-style connector) and the other clearly wasn’t DEC protocol – it was a tectronix terminal keyboard<\/a>. One to look at another day.<\/p>\n Burning<\/strong> Having opened up the keyboard I noticed my mistake. It was a wyse-compatible<\/a> keyboard. The controller chip was really smelly and a diode had obviously been fried! So that’s a brand new keyboard from 1991 toasted. In about 10 minutes. Must be some kind of record even for me.<\/p>\n Phoenix from the flames<\/strong><\/p>\n Not one to give up I found I had two options: find a replacement controller chip, replace torched components and then use Soarer’s Wyse keyboard converter running on Arduino Teensy<\/a> to connect it to USB or completely replace the keyboard controller chip<\/a> with a Arduino – a more involved solution.<\/p>\n The jungle drums went out for a replacement controller chip and after a week or so a very nice man from Belgium sent me one free of charge. I un-soldered the old one and replaced it, together with a couple of diodes. One flashed Arduino pro micro later and I had the keyboard responding! It could have been a quick hack from there but I really like the idea of using the existing keyboard cable, so I did some demon soldering, shink wrapping and the like to end up with the original cable ending in a USB plug.<\/p>\n Arduino Pro Micro running Soarer’s Wyse to USB converter<\/p><\/div>\n Transtec Wyse protocol keyboard with plate mounted vintage cherry mx black keyswitches – now USB compatible<\/p><\/div>\n Just typed this article on it and it is a sweet, sweet keyboard. Definitely in the top two I own – and that is saying a lot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Epilogue<\/strong><\/p>\n A note about Soarer’s converter software – it is fully programmable. He also does a PS\/2 -> USB converter<\/a> that is a million times better than off-the-shelf ones and, again, is fully programmable. This version of the software also supports XT -> USB and IBM terminal keyboard protocols.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Some of you who know me well enough by now will almost expect a keyboard related post at some point in the ebb and flow of my Retrochallenge entries. This competition will be no exception! Like all good entries it involves quite a journey! I am an avid reader of Deskthority Mechanical Keyboards website and …<\/p>\n
\nI plugged the DEC compatible keyboard into my linux laptop that uses the lkkbd.c module<\/a> to talk to DEC old-style interface keyboards via a RS\/232 converter. It didn’t work but sometimes you need to reboot the laptop. I did this, still to no avail. However, when I unplugged the keyboard I noticed the cable was warm – that’s not a good sign! Then I noticed the unmistakable smell of burnt silicon.<\/p>\n![\"Arduino](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wickensonline.co.uk\/rc2012sc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/20140724_215149_resized.jpg?resize=300%2C168\")
<\/a>![\"transtec](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wickensonline.co.uk\/rc2012sc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/20140724_215341_resized.jpg?resize=300%2C168\")
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