paul@wa1omm.UUCP (Paul MacDonald) (01/29/91)
Is anyone in net-land using a NorthGate OmniKey Ultra keyboard with
their 2000? I noticed in their catalog that they sell an Amiga keycap
set with the keyboard. What about the cable? The 2000 cable uses a
DIN-type connector rather than the IBM's RJ connector.
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/ V /~~\ _) /~/ /_/ /~~\ , / V /~/griffin@frith.uucp (Danny Griffin) (01/30/91)
paul@wa1omm.UUCP (Paul MacDonald) writes: >Is anyone in net-land using a NorthGate OmniKey Ultra keyboard with >their 2000? I noticed in their catalog that they sell an Amiga keycap >set with the keyboard. What about the cable? The 2000 cable uses a >DIN-type connector rather than the IBM's RJ connector. >-- Yes, I have been using one for quite some time. I bought mine from Access Computer Technologies in Santa Clara, CA for $99. I had to purchase the Amiga keycaps from Northgate for $15, though. I love it. -- Dan Griffin | A "critic" is a man who creates nothing and griffin@frith.egr.msu.edu | thereby feels qualified to judge the works of | creative men. There is logic in this; he is "Crritic!" -- Estragon | unbiased -- he hates all creative people equally.
ben@epmooch.UUCP (Rev. Ben A. Mesander) (01/30/91)
>In article <paul.5154@wa1omm.UUCP> paul@wa1omm.UUCP (Paul MacDonald) writes: >Is anyone in net-land using a NorthGate OmniKey Ultra keyboard with >their 2000? I noticed in their catalog that they sell an Amiga keycap >set with the keyboard. I am using one on my 1000 with a 1000 <-> 2000 adaptor. Unfortunately, the newest Northgate KB ROM set seems to have a bug in it that prevents it from working very well. I swiped a ROM from an older Northgate. Northgate seems unaware that they are selling an Amiga compatible keyboard when I call thier tech support line. >What about the cable? The 2000 cable uses a >DIN-type connector rather than the IBM's RJ connector. I don't know what you're talking about. IBM's use DIN connectors, although there are a few oddballs, like Amstrad that use other connectors. I originally bought a keyboard from Northgate. It didn't work. I returned it, and they sent me one that worked fine with my Amiga. I then spilled coffee in it one day :-(. I tried to clean it to no avail. Then I ordered another one, and when it arrived, it didn't work. I sent it back; they sent me another, it didn't work. I took the ROM out of the one I spilled coffee in, and the keyboard from the newest one, and made a working one out of it rather than deal with thier tech support. So 3 out of the 4 keyboards they have shipped have not worked on an Amiga. 2 out of the 4 would not work on an AT clone either (those were DOA). I inspected each keyboard to see if I could figure out what was wrong with it. Folks, when pins are crammed into ribbon connectors crooked so that the adjacent pins short each other, it ain't likely to work. They apparently do not test thier keyboards before shipping them, instead relying on the customer for quality control. It's a real pity, because the keyboards are _excellent_ when they are working correctly. I have heard but have not verified that the keyboards do not work on accelerated Amigas because they do not really conform to the Amiga keyboard timing spec fully. It's a shame Northgate chose not to Do The Right Thing. -- | ben@epmooch.UUCP (Ben Mesander) | "Cash is more important than | | ben%servalan.UUCP@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu | your mother." - Al Shugart, | | !chinet!uokmax!servalan!epmooch!ben | CEO, Seagate Technologies |