Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!Classic_-_Concepts
From: Classic_-_Concepts@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: QUERY:  Ami Keyboard key electronics
Message-ID: <26182@cup.portal.com>
Date: 21 Jan 90 23:02:21 GMT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 37


  In my OLD RKMs, in the keyboard device section, it shows, quite surprisingl
that the left shift key is actually two keys positions 60 and 30 in the
matrix.  The RETURN is also shown as two keys (44 and 2B).  Can someone
enlighten me:      
    1.  I pried the keycaps off and discovered one pole for the shift key,
        and 1 pole and one pole or post (I don't know the technical terms
        for the parts) for the return key.  Are the electronics in there
        for the extra keys (under the black plate between the circuit
        board and the keycaps)?  I thought I would ask before taking apart
        my keyboard.
    2.  If the electronics are indeed in there, are they software addressable
        as shown in the diagram?
    3.  If the electronics somehow were nixed or never existed, why was this
        decided?
    4.  Do other Ami keyboards exist which take advantage of these two extra
        keys?
  The reason for my curiosity is that the English alphabet has fewer letters
than many other languages, making it difficult and kludgy to map foreign
alphabets to the existing keyboards.  As a result, you have to either steal
numbers or symbols from the character set, or put the additional letters in
bizarre positions.  If it were possible to engineer a keyboard to include
the extra letters (or if such a creature exists), it would greatly enhance
the Amiga's attractiveness in foreign markets--and there are lots opening
up in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.  I read about a planned computer
conference in Moscow and a grand plan to place thousands of computers in
Russian in the early 1990s.  I'd like to see Commodore get their foot in the
door with the Amiga, which is MUCH easier to map to foreign fonts than the
blue PeeCees.                                           \_
           Julie Petersen (LadyHawke@cup.portal.com)     )\_            _/
                   portal!cup.portal.com!LadyHawke       `/)\_     __  // 
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