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Date:      Sun, 20 Apr 1997 12:24:55 -0600 (MDT)
From:      Wes Peters <softweyr@xmission.com>
To:        grog@lemis.de (Greg Lehey)
Cc:        questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: weird cable
Message-ID:  <199704201824.MAA07857@obie.softweyr.ml.org>
In-Reply-To: <199704150201.LAA00629@papillon.lemis.de>
References:  <199704141141.VAA27032@genesis.atrad.adelaide.edu.au> <199704150201.LAA00629@papillon.lemis.de>

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grog@lemis.de writes:
 > Michael Smith writes:
 > > Christoph Haas stands accused of saying:
 > >> On Mon, 14 Apr 1997, Michael Smith wrote:
 > >>
 > >>> If you want to _interface_ it, then you are going to have to write your
 > >>> own keyboard interface driver, and you will need a logic/RS-232 level
 > >>> inverter.
 > >>
 > >> So a SUN uses a simple RS232 interface to attach its keyboard ?
 > >
 > > Yup, like many sensible workstation vendors, a real, async serial
 > > protocol.  None of this clocked bidirectional two-wire sync crap 8)
 > 
 > Wouldn't this make it more appropriate to connect to a serial port,
 > then?  That way you'd save on the logic glue.

Not quite.  I think it's more like a multi-drop RS422 serial bus,
since the mouse, keyboard, and other devices are all plugged into
it, with the mouse always being last since it has only *one* port.
The specs for the "Sun Desktop Bus" are essentially the same as
the "Apple Desktop Bus", I've heard the two are even somewhat
compatible.  I've never tried it myself; my Sun type 5 keyboard
would certainly make my old Mac LC-II at work more livable.  ;^)

I believe Sun publishes specifications for the SDB, have you tried
contacting them or poking around www.sun.com for more information?

-- 
          "Where am I, and what am I doing in this handbasket?"

Wes Peters                                                       Softweyr LLC
http://www.xmission.com/~softweyr                       softweyr@xmission.com






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