🚀 go-pugleaf

10,000 appologies for not promptly summarizing my experiences with the
2000-keyboard-attached-to-a-500 hack I did this summer.  I spent way too  
much time on what should have been very simple (BEWARE PROGRAMMERS BEARING 
SCREWDRIVERS AND SOLDERING IRONS!), and though I got it to work, it had it's 
problems.  Because of those problems, I never really got around to summarizing
the responses I got or my own experiences.

For those who are still wanting to know, here it is (what I haven't already
lost, that is):

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA

In article <3210@blake.acs.washington.edu> dlarson@blake.acs.washington.edu (Dale Larson) writes:
> /*  I thought that all the line eaters were dead.  */
> 
> For reasons to numerous to numerate, I am putting junk into a 500 that 
> necessitates removal of the keyboard, but have a 2000 keyboard that I
> want to connect...
> 
> Could someone PLEASE tell me what each pin on the 500 motherboard keyboard
> connector is?  Could someone (possibly the same someone mentioned
> above) tell me which of these need to be connected to which pins on
> the female din connector??? 

Come on, we did put this infomation in the A500 user's manual just so I
wouldn't have to be looking it up.  It goes clock/data/reset/+5/key/ground/
power/floppy...  Pin numbering in the DIN connecter is questionable, but
that goes spare/data/clock/power/ground.

If you get data and clock wrong, you'll get a stream of quote characters.
If you get power and ground wrong, you'll get a stream of acrid smoke.

Note that the 3-finger reset won't work between the A2000 keyboard and
the A500, since the A500 assumes a direct reset signal from the keyboard,
while the A2000 does some clever manipulation of the clock/data lines...

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr@uunet.uu.net
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
dlarson@blake.acs.washington.edu (Dale Larson)  (me)
The Evergreen State College,  WA

In article <7648@cbmvax.UUCP> grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins) writes:
>Come on, we did put this infomation in the A500 user's manual just so I
>wouldn't have to be looking it up.  

My most sincere appologies - I looked very carefully at the 2000 manual for
info on how the keyboard is hooked up, but found none.  I should not have
assumed that the 500 manual had no such information.  

Thank you very much for the reply, especially in the face of my failing
to adequately RTFMs.

>It goes clock/data/reset/+5/key/ground/
>power/floppy...  Pin numbering in the DIN connecter is questionable, but
>that goes spare/data/clock/power/ground.
>
>If you get data and clock wrong, you'll get a stream of quote characters.
>If you get power and ground wrong, you'll get a stream of acrid smoke.

Well, I didn't get any acrid smoke, but I also didn't get to type with the 
2000 keyboard.  After several days of using a 500 without it's cover and
intermintently firing up the soldering iron, I think I've given up on the
whole deal.  

For anyone else who might be trying, here is what I have found DOESN'T work:

500 keyboard connector (viewed from front of machine)
1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8
----------------------
3  1     4     5          /* What I THINK Mr. Robbins said */
3  1     4  5             /* A goof based on what I thought Mr. Robbins said */
1  2  3  4  5             /* a bad guess */
Female 5-pin din connector (as numbered on RatShack cat no 274-005b)


Besides the fact that my class work (programming) is suffering way too
much from these lame attempts at hardware hacking, I guess that if
I want an external keyboard and/or room to put junk inside the machine
then I should buy a 2500 in order to help pay for Messrs. Haynie
and Robbins, et al to work on the neat new machines :-)

The main problem is that 1000+500 (my two Amigas) only == 1500.

-- 
 dTb                                                                       dTb
      I know enough about epistemology to know that I don't know anything  
                      about programming OR epistemology!
           Digital Teddy Bear      dlarson@blake.acs.washington.edu


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I got another letter which was helpful, but I lost it :-(  All I remember
is that it came from someone at AT&T Bell Labs, and I think it had correct 
something which was wrong in Mr. Robbin's posting (and vice-versa).
Ha! Found it (the posting)!  But only in hardcopy.  Here is a hand-typed
partial quote:

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-
cjh@man.att.com (Carl J Hoffmann)
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboritories

A/B2000 Keyboard Connector

      2
   5     4
 3         1

      6

PIN NAME   DESCRIPTION
--- ----   -----------
1   KCLK   Keyboard Clock
2   KDAT   Keyboard data
3   NC     Not Connected
4   GND    ground
5   +5v    +5volts power
6   SHIELD shield

[a500 keyboard connector description omitted]

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I did finally figure out what I needed to do to get the 2000 keyboard 
working with the 500.  Once I did it, however, that 500 had the flakies,
so I put the old keyboard back, and the flakies went away.  I don't see
how the 2000 keyboard could have been responsible, and I can think of
several ways in which I could have been  :-)

When I say flakies, I mean just that - random Guru's and lock-ups that didn't
have enough of a pattern for me to figure (actually, I didn't experience
the flakies, a secretary at work did, but I trusted her enough to put
back the old keyboard).

At any rate, the cable I came up with looked like this:

           a500                   a2000 connector 
           ----                   ---------------
(#'d left to right from front)   (#'dper above diagram)
            1                         3
            2                         2
            3
            4                         4
            5   
            6                         5
                                      1
            ground                    6


All the wierdness came from the numbering on the smiley face connector.
The numbering used in the above table and in Carl Hoffman's message match
RadioShack CatNo 274-005b.  I don't know if other connectors are numbered
the same.

I do not recommend replacing your A500 keyboard with an A2000 keyboard.
I do recommend replacing (or suplementing) your A500 with an A2000.  If
you do decide to use the information above in an attempt to modify your 
A500, I disclaim all responsibility for your attempt.

C/A should make you sign a waiver indicating that you know the A500 
isn't a serious machine before they let you buy one :-)

-- 
	    A lack of prior planning on the part of any programmer 
		       always constitutes an emergency.
	
           Digital Teddy Bear      dlarson@blake.acs.washington.edu