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From: vthrc@brolga.cc.uq.oz.au (Danny Thomas)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: putting ADB keyboard on plus? and also YAWAA
Message-ID: <1991Mar7.211547.19407@brolga.cc.uq.oz.au>
Date: 7 Mar 91 21:15:47 GMT
Sender: news@brolga.cc.uq.oz.au
Organization: VTHRC, University of Queensland
Lines: 33
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Hi netland,
                we've got quite a few plus's here and at least one user 
doesn't like the keyboard and would much prefer an SE style. We could look 
at third-party products, but they are a little expensive in Australia so 
I'm wondering whether anyone has designed a converter to hook up an ADB 
keyboard into a plus. It doesn't have to handle the mouse if that make 
things any easier - Ian's complaint is against the keyboard (I hate both 
it and mouse).
    I would have thought it fairly easy to program one of the single-chip 
(CMOS?) micros (+ROM) to at least handle the keyboard. Maybe it's harder 
than I imagine, but it would be great if somebody's done it and could 
supply circuit, PCB artwork file (although we could lash one up on 
perf-board) and source-code for us to burn external ROM.

PS what makes this attractive is that apparently the LC comes bundled with 
a keyboard here, and we should be able to pick up a few of those keyboards 
cheaply from people who want an extended keyboard but will be keeping the 
supplied mouse.

PPS YAWAA (yet another whinge at Apple) why did it take them so long to 
design keyboards so ADB connectors weren't sticking out like Prince 
Charle's ears. Also why is the mouse cable so l.o.n.g it drapes over half 
your desk, develops little bends in it and generally looks daggy??
I replaced mine with a 25cm (oops 10 inch for all those non-metric 
countries, places like Yemen and what was the other one, aah the US) 
length of 4wire telephone cable. In case I wanted to restore things I kept 
my original cable, since Apple won't supply a replacement mouse cable. 
Does anyone supply a replacment mouse cable with moulded ADB plug that I 
wouldn't have qualms about shortening? 

Danny Thomas
Vision, Touch and Hearing Research Centre
University of Queensland Australia 4072.