[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] Swapping Caps Lock and Ctrl

melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) (09/19/90)

Is there a way to make the caps lock key become the control key on an
IBM PC?

-Mike

toma@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy) (09/19/90)

In article <Fg-k5c52@cs.psu.edu> melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes:
>
>Is there a way to make the caps lock key become the control key on an
>IBM PC?
>
>-Mike

Assuming you mean an IBM PC/AT or PS/2, the following will do:

begin 666 kbdr.com
MZ0@`3P(`````"@"\FO_'!@4!F/^]_O^)+@<!_.AB`+@`3,TA`````(#\3W4O
M/#IU&P8NC@9^`";V!A<$`74"L!TNHGT`!_DN_RZ``#RZ=0PNH'T`!(#Y+O\N
M@`#Y+O\N@`!>6%I;'H[;M"7-(1__YK0US2&)V(S#P[H,`+@`,<TAZ'T`-$-!
M4%-,3T-+("T^($-44DPL("!224=(5%-(2494("L@0T%04TQ/0TL@+3X@0T%0
M4TQ/0TOH5P#H0@`+0GD@5&]M($%L;7GH10#'!GX```"X%0#HEO^C)`&)'B8!
MNB0!4KJ``%*Z/@!2Z%$`C,A0NH0`4KH5`%+H9/_I>/];B@<PY$-34`'#6%I3
MB=/I(0"X#0#H"0"X"@#I`P`!``"B(0*T0+D!`+HA`HL>'P+-(<.)P8G:BQX?
4`K1`S2'#6UE?7N,&C-B.P/.D_^.B
`
end

(It loads smaller than it looks, as it packs itself into its
PSP).

Tom Almy
toma@tekgvs.labs.tek.com
Standard Disclaimers Apply

chaz@chinet.chi.il.us (Charlie Kestner) (09/20/90)

In article <Fg-k5c52@cs.psu.edu> melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes:
>
>Is there a way to make the caps lock key become the control key on an
>IBM PC?
>

  You can search around the various DOS boards, and look for KFIX101.
  It swaps the CAPS LOCK and CTRL keys around.
  While you're hunting, you may also wish to snarf up SWAPKEY (swaps
the TILDE-BACK QUOTE key with the ESC key on 101-key keyboards), CAPSLOCK
(which prevents tHIS kIND oF tHING hAPPENING).
  Naturally, all these are TSRs, albeit small ones.

dls@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (David L Stevens) (09/20/90)

	On the keyboard I have, I'm pretty sure you can't do it from software
because the logic was in the keyboard. I opened it up, made 6 cuts on the
keyboard PC board and added 6 jumpers-- works wonderfully, although it
probably voids the warranty. :-)
	The keys are different sizes, though, so they're still labelled
wrong, but I never read them anyway.
-- 
					+-DLS  (dls@mentor.cc.purdue.edu)

poffen@sj.ate.slb.com (Russell Poffenberger) (09/22/90)

In article <14182@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> dls@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (David L Stevens) writes:
>
>	On the keyboard I have, I'm pretty sure you can't do it from software
>because the logic was in the keyboard. I opened it up, made 6 cuts on the
>keyboard PC board and added 6 jumpers-- works wonderfully, although it
>probably voids the warranty. :-)
>	The keys are different sizes, though, so they're still labelled
>wrong, but I never read them anyway.


This is entirely incorrect. The keyboard for an IBM PC/AT compatible only sends
scan codes to the CPU. What that means is that when you press a key it sends a
code saying key xx went down (where xx is some number). When you release it,
it sends a code saying key xx went up. Software then maps the scan code with
the actual key meaning (ie ctrl, caps lock, etc). Even on an AT with LED's for
the lock keys, the computer instructs the keyboard about which LED's to turn
on and off.

In short, there ARE software solutions available to swap keys.

Sounds like someone hacked up their keyboard for nothing.

Russ Poffenberger               DOMAIN: poffen@sj.ate.slb.com
Schlumberger Technologies       UUCP:   {uunet,decwrl,amdahl}!sjsca4!poffen
1601 Technology Drive		CIS:	72401,276
San Jose, Ca. 95110             (408)437-5254

dls@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (David L Stevens) (09/22/90)

In article <1990Sep21.195630.17715@sj.ate.slb.com>, poffen@sj.ate.slb.com (Russell Poffenberger) writes:
>  [my stuff deleted]

> This is entirely incorrect.

	Well, I wouldn't go that far. It is good to know that there is a
software solution, and I did say "pretty sure" which isn't "positive." But
the rest of your opinions are nonsense in that "entirely" in your mind applies
to everything beyond my belief that the keys couldn't be remapped.

> In short, there ARE software solutions available to swap keys.

	Wonderful. As I pointed out, there's a simple hardware solution too.
It has the advantage that it always does what I want, no matter who's software
I'm running. And it took me half an hour to do it. Big deal. All I was pointing
out is that it's easy to modify the hardware, if that's the way you want to go.

> Sounds like someone hacked up their keyboard for nothing.

	Well, you're entitled to your opinion, but I don't call it "hacked"
or "nothing." I have exactly what I want, permanently, with no worries about
it being remapped (ie, unmapped) the wrong way by bad software. I'd probably
spend more time than that just acquiring key remap software and then, of course,
it could be undone by any other programs that might diddle with it.
	Even knowing about the software solution, I still prefer the way
I did it-- hardware is permanent, and that's how I want it. :-)
-- 
					+-DLS  (dls@mentor.cc.purdue.edu)