dlarson@blake.acs.washington.edu (Dale Larson) (10/24/89)
10,000 appologies for not promptly summarizing my experiences with the 2000-keyboard-attached-to-a-500 hack I did this summer. I spent way too much time on what should have been very simple (BEWARE PROGRAMMERS BEARING SCREWDRIVERS AND SOLDERING IRONS!), and though I got it to work, it had it's problems. Because of those problems, I never really got around to summarizing the responses I got or my own experiences. For those who are still wanting to know, here it is (what I haven't already lost, that is): -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins) Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA In article <3210@blake.acs.washington.edu> dlarson@blake.acs.washington.edu (Dale Larson) writes: > /* I thought that all the line eaters were dead. */ > > For reasons to numerous to numerate, I am putting junk into a 500 that > necessitates removal of the keyboard, but have a 2000 keyboard that I > want to connect... > > Could someone PLEASE tell me what each pin on the 500 motherboard keyboard > connector is? Could someone (possibly the same someone mentioned > above) tell me which of these need to be connected to which pins on > the female din connector??? Come on, we did put this infomation in the A500 user's manual just so I wouldn't have to be looking it up. It goes clock/data/reset/+5/key/ground/ power/floppy... Pin numbering in the DIN connecter is questionable, but that goes spare/data/clock/power/ground. If you get data and clock wrong, you'll get a stream of quote characters. If you get power and ground wrong, you'll get a stream of acrid smoke. Note that the 3-finger reset won't work between the A2000 keyboard and the A500, since the A500 assumes a direct reset signal from the keyboard, while the A2000 does some clever manipulation of the clock/data lines... -- George Robbins - now working for, uucp: {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr but no way officially representing arpa: cbmvax!grr@uunet.uu.net Commodore, Engineering Department fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= dlarson@blake.acs.washington.edu (Dale Larson) (me) The Evergreen State College, WA In article <7648@cbmvax.UUCP> grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins) writes: >Come on, we did put this infomation in the A500 user's manual just so I >wouldn't have to be looking it up. My most sincere appologies - I looked very carefully at the 2000 manual for info on how the keyboard is hooked up, but found none. I should not have assumed that the 500 manual had no such information. Thank you very much for the reply, especially in the face of my failing to adequately RTFMs. >It goes clock/data/reset/+5/key/ground/ >power/floppy... Pin numbering in the DIN connecter is questionable, but >that goes spare/data/clock/power/ground. > >If you get data and clock wrong, you'll get a stream of quote characters. >If you get power and ground wrong, you'll get a stream of acrid smoke. Well, I didn't get any acrid smoke, but I also didn't get to type with the 2000 keyboard. After several days of using a 500 without it's cover and intermintently firing up the soldering iron, I think I've given up on the whole deal. For anyone else who might be trying, here is what I have found DOESN'T work: 500 keyboard connector (viewed from front of machine) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ---------------------- 3 1 4 5 /* What I THINK Mr. Robbins said */ 3 1 4 5 /* A goof based on what I thought Mr. Robbins said */ 1 2 3 4 5 /* a bad guess */ Female 5-pin din connector (as numbered on RatShack cat no 274-005b) Besides the fact that my class work (programming) is suffering way too much from these lame attempts at hardware hacking, I guess that if I want an external keyboard and/or room to put junk inside the machine then I should buy a 2500 in order to help pay for Messrs. Haynie and Robbins, et al to work on the neat new machines :-) The main problem is that 1000+500 (my two Amigas) only == 1500. -- dTb dTb I know enough about epistemology to know that I don't know anything about programming OR epistemology! Digital Teddy Bear dlarson@blake.acs.washington.edu =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I got another letter which was helpful, but I lost it :-( All I remember is that it came from someone at AT&T Bell Labs, and I think it had correct something which was wrong in Mr. Robbin's posting (and vice-versa). Ha! Found it (the posting)! But only in hardcopy. Here is a hand-typed partial quote: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=- cjh@man.att.com (Carl J Hoffmann) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboritories A/B2000 Keyboard Connector 2 5 4 3 1 6 PIN NAME DESCRIPTION --- ---- ----------- 1 KCLK Keyboard Clock 2 KDAT Keyboard data 3 NC Not Connected 4 GND ground 5 +5v +5volts power 6 SHIELD shield [a500 keyboard connector description omitted] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I did finally figure out what I needed to do to get the 2000 keyboard working with the 500. Once I did it, however, that 500 had the flakies, so I put the old keyboard back, and the flakies went away. I don't see how the 2000 keyboard could have been responsible, and I can think of several ways in which I could have been :-) When I say flakies, I mean just that - random Guru's and lock-ups that didn't have enough of a pattern for me to figure (actually, I didn't experience the flakies, a secretary at work did, but I trusted her enough to put back the old keyboard). At any rate, the cable I came up with looked like this: a500 a2000 connector ---- --------------- (#'d left to right from front) (#'dper above diagram) 1 3 2 2 3 4 4 5 6 5 1 ground 6 All the wierdness came from the numbering on the smiley face connector. The numbering used in the above table and in Carl Hoffman's message match RadioShack CatNo 274-005b. I don't know if other connectors are numbered the same. I do not recommend replacing your A500 keyboard with an A2000 keyboard. I do recommend replacing (or suplementing) your A500 with an A2000. If you do decide to use the information above in an attempt to modify your A500, I disclaim all responsibility for your attempt. C/A should make you sign a waiver indicating that you know the A500 isn't a serious machine before they let you buy one :-) -- A lack of prior planning on the part of any programmer always constitutes an emergency. Digital Teddy Bear dlarson@blake.acs.washington.edu