AT&T Unix PC: 2017

Sunday, March 26, 2017

AT&T UNIX PC Keyboard Signal Decoding

Here is the proprietary (and rather rare) UNIX PC keyboard:

The keyboard is manufactured by CORTRON.

Part No. 25-500257

Cust No. D-02-00092-00

Since the keyboards themselves can be SO expensive:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321811279287

Using this method:

Let's decode all keys on the proprietary UNIX PC Keyboard.

VERY good info on comp.sys.3b1 on hacking the keyboard hardware.

And Chris Smith has found the pinout from the Reference Manual.

Plug Configuration:

5 6 7 8
: : : :
1 2 3 4

KBDTXD --JK-7
GROUND --JK-1,2,3
+5V --JK-4,8
KBDRST --JK-5
KBDRD --JK-6
Chassis Ground to JK-shield

with "JK" being the jack on the system board into which the keyboard
plugs.

I inquired over at Deskthority.net

DoN Nichols shares golden information on comp.sys.3b1 about how to reverse engineer these keyboard signals:

And today, Cpro provided this golden URL: https://peterbjornx.nl/vtkbd/

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Now, notice that this Tektronix keyboard seems to have the same proprietary plug end as the Unix PC's keyboard. It doesn't have the right-angle end where the cable comes out of the connector housing, but the physical connector is the same. Is this a coincidence?