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From: rwa@auvax.UUCP (Ross Alexander)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: External Keyboard
Message-ID: <383@auvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 3-Nov-87 05:37:13 EST
Article-I.D.: auvax.383
Posted: Tue Nov  3 05:37:13 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 7-Nov-87 02:12:30 EST
References: <1979@homxc.UUCP>
Organization: Athabasca U., Alberta, Canada
Lines: 31
Summary: well, there's a hack (literally ;-)

In article <1979@homxc.UUCP>, jdn@homxc.UUCP (J.NAGY) writes:
> I am interested in attaching an external keyboard
> to a 1040ST.  Is this possible?  Has anyone done it before?

I haven't actually done this, but I've sure thought about it:

take a hacksaw [an aside: is any saw owned by a hacker a hack's saw? oh well]
and cut the front of the ST off just at the prominent crease behind the
function keys.  Just the plastic, mind you, not the cicuit board!  What
you'd have left is (1) a really grotty looking but still operable ST, and
(2) a detached keyboard, looking not bad except for a ragged backside.

Why This Would Work:  there's only 4 wires connecting the keyboard to the
ST chassis.  Curly cords are not hard to come by (an old Kaypro cord would
be ideal, telephone handset cords won't carry the current).  You can always
hide the butchered chassis under your desk or something.

Why I haven't Done It:  it's not my ST; it belongs to the U., who are well
known for getting rude about employees chopping up the capital equipment.

Ross Alexander,
Athabasca University.
...!ihnp4!alberta!auvax!rwa

PS: has anyone done any further work on UW for the ST? the multi-windowing
terminal emulation package is very nice, but my copy buss-errors about
50% of the time when a window is closed.  Then I have to go kill the
server process running on the host {sun,vax} from some other terminal. Phooey.
But the thing sure has potential!

rwa