From owner-freebsd-hardware Tue Sep 30 17:15:55 1997 Return-Path: Received: (from root@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) id RAA02554 for hardware-outgoing; Tue, 30 Sep 1997 17:15:55 -0700 (PDT) Received: from word.smith.net.au (ppp20.portal.net.au [202.12.71.120]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id RAA02545 for ; Tue, 30 Sep 1997 17:15:49 -0700 (PDT) Received: from word.smith.net.au (localhost.smith.net.au [127.0.0.1]) by word.smith.net.au (8.8.7/8.8.5) with ESMTP id JAA02478; Wed, 1 Oct 1997 09:41:17 +0930 (CST) Message-Id: <199710010011.JAA02478@word.smith.net.au> X-Mailer: exmh version 2.0zeta 7/24/97 To: William Bulley cc: freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: old versus new IBM PC keyboards In-reply-to: Your message of "Tue, 30 Sep 1997 16:58:50 -0400." <199709302058.QAA15156@ohm.merit.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Wed, 01 Oct 1997 09:41:13 +0930 From: Mike Smith Sender: owner-freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.ORG X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk > 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. Oh dear. > 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). That's where they should be used. > 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? The communications protocol used by original PC keyboard is sufficiently incompatible with that used by the PC/AT keyboard that you have no significant hope of using the former with a modern system. > Any ideas at all, besides: 1) toss the keyboard, 2) write your own > BIOS keyboard support? Thanks. Go looking for any of the AT-compatible clones built using the same mechanism. You should also investigate a secondhand PC/AT keyboard, or a genuine PS/2 keyboard, both of which are similiarly constructed and compatible with modern hardware. mike