Date: Tue, 30 Sep 1997 16:58:50 -0400 (EDT) From: William Bulley <web@merit.edu> To: freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: old versus new IBM PC keyboards Message-ID: <199709302058.QAA15156@ohm.merit.edu>
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Please bear with me on this one: :-) I have several perfectly functional original IBM PC keyboards which are pre-AT (even pre-XT for that matter) which I would dearly like to use with some modern PC clone motherboards. I have had people tell me to buy a new keyboard. I have read in the various PC hardware FAQs that the interface is different. I really hate to buy new (el cheapo) keyboards when I know these older stalwarts work just fine (with their older style computers). Has anyone ever faced this issue? It seems like a terrible waste to throw away perfectly useable hardware. Besides, I really, really like the touch and feel of these older keyboards. There were built extremely well. :-) Since they (directly) plug into the large five pin DIN connectors which come standard on many (all?) PC clone motherboards, it is very tempting to try one of these with one of those motherboards. But I know it is doomed to failure... :-( Does any BIOS vendor support this old style keyboard or is it baked into firmware (or gate array logic) on the various support chip sets? Any ideas at all, besides: 1) toss the keyboard, 2) write your own BIOS keyboard support? Thanks. Regards, web... -- William Bulley, N8NXN Senior Systems Research Programmer Merit Network, Inc. Email: web@merit.edu 4251 Plymouth Road, Suite C Phone: (313) 764-9993 Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105-2785 Fax: (313) 647-3185 [ What's all this fuss over the end of the century and mission critial ] [ programs failing due to dates? If people simply started using Roman ] [ Numerials, the problem goes away! MCM = 1900 MIM = 1999 MM = 2000 ]
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