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Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) GWIZAH Profile | Email I was reading some threads and I came up with an idea to change the keyboard on My I-o to some thing I could get use out of in a smaller space. So I took an old Brother powernote and hacked the keyboard (actually I unscrewed it) and it fits the design and is almost exactly the width of the I-opener. Problem: I have no idea where to start, I looked at some of my other keyboards and while there is a similarity between the stock I-o keyboard and this one, The big difference is the number of pins on the ribbon cable from the Keyboard. How do I go about testing the pins? should I just take an old keyboard, hack it open and test the pins on my desktop? What about the backwards connection on the I-o? would I have to reverse it after I figured out the mapping of the keys? I put up a picture of it so you guys can get an idea of what Im trying to do. http://gwizahone.tripod.com/iop.html any help is appreciated! 03-18-2001 22:01:56

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) deadbolt Profile | Email The ribbon cable comming out of your notebook keyboard has no decoding of switch positions. Every PC type keyboard has a 8042 type cpu inside the keyboard that decodes the keypresses. You need to map out the keys into columns and rows. Rip apart a newish PS/2 style keyboard. Map the the keys into row and columns then extract the CPU board and cross wire it up to your ribbon. It is unlikely you will be able to plug in the ribbon without re-arranging the lines. But this is definately a do-able hack. Like to see some pics when you are done ! wireless. I'm still waiting to see a backlit keyboard for PCs, but now I use an Airboard IR keyboard with my I/O. 03-18-2001 23:32:11

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) GWIZAH Profile | Email Hmmm, Would you mean a keyboard with a backlight built in? It just so happens that I removed the EL board from the cracked LCD of this unit and I was wondering what to do with it. Maybe with a little bit of modification? Thanks for the suggestions. 03-19-2001 06:30:38

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) deadbolt Profile | Email I am thinking of LED backlighting but now that you mention it a EL would be great. I bought one of thoses green night lights to play with and cut the unit in half to see if it would work but no go. They may have to be specially cut. Maybe someone can jump in here and fill in the gaps. You'd need some double-injected plastic keycaps that are translucent and opaque. I saw a tiny Cherry keyboard at Comdex this year so they may have something interesting for you. I have a couple tiny POS type PC keyboards but this Cherry unit is much smaller. 03-19-2001 15:06:50

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) GWIZAH Profile | Email Hmm, have you ever seen the keyboards on Taxi dispatch terminals in the cabs? They (at least some of the ones down here) have keyboards with the glyphs translucent and white so in daylight there white but at night an EL lights up and only the keys glow. Probably because drivers need good eyesight for the road as these keyboards are really dim. Maybe I can find one of those instead. 03-19-2001 18:56:37

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) deadbolt Profile | Email Have a look-see if these taxi computers are made by MDI and if they appear to be standard keycaps ? MDI is located near Vancouver so I could just pop down and pry around a bit. Check out this sweetheart http://www.field-works.com/Prod_FW2000_Specs_keyboard.asp I prefer to dump the keyboard for a touchscreen but this would rock for night bed computing. 03-20-2001 14:35:51

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) Millennium_Falcon Profile | Email From where are these available and how much? 03-20-2001 14:40:34

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) GWIZAH Profile | Email (homer impersonation) ooooooohh.....aluminum-alloy keyboard......aaaaahhhhhh......But Look at this one...http://www.ikey.com/specsheets/sl86911.pdf Nice lookin industrial keyboard, probably includes an Industrial Strength price tag free! 03-20-2001 15:02:13

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) deadbolt Profile | Email OK. But I'm drueling over this one. Lucky it's waterproof too. Price seems to be way more reasonable that the 400+US$ I've seen on most industrial backlit keyboards. I've got a request in for some info to find out if it is EL or LED. I heard EL has a lifetime of only 2 years or so and some of these boards backlights actually dim when not in use. http://www.geotechnology.co.uk/keyboard.html 03-20-2001 16:00:39

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) GWIZAH Profile | Email Yep, my suspicions are confirmed. I found the pricetags for these and they aint pretty...$395!!! I called Stealth computer and was given a quote at which I promptly hung up. Later I received email from Fieldworks telling me theirs was guess what? $395! Turns out both keyboards are one and the same. Anybody have a source for a backlit keyboard system that wont break the bank? Else, Im going back to my cheap hack! 03-21-2001 11:40:18

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) GWIZAH Profile | Email WooHoo! I just scored a Texas Industrial Peripherals backlit keyboard on Ebay for $50!! This is the same one that was quoted here at a price of $349!! Model sl-75 Ps2 connector adjustable backlite 8" by 5.25" by .75". Looks like my brother keyboards going in the garbage. (j/k) Now i have a kick-ass-industrial keyboard for my in-car MP3 setup. -wheee!- 03-23-2001 21:23:41

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) deadbolt Profile | Email Sounds like a great bargoon. 03-24-2001 16:00:22

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) r_fl_z Profile | Email GWIZAH: OK!! Give me the backlit keyboard and no body GETS HURT!! 03-24-2001 18:37:41

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) GWIZAH Profile | Email HAHA....no way man. You can take this keyboard when you PRY IT FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!! 03-24-2001 21:18:16

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) BigDog Profile | Email Speaking of keyboards, try a Compaq Concerto keyboard, the Concerto was a laptop pen based computer that was designed to be used as a tablet with out the keyboard, The keyboards were detachable. I got new one off eBay for $11.00 including shipping, you can only use it if you are using a kb splitter as the ps/2 connecter is right angle designed to plug into the Concerto main unit. The main keys are full size and fairly comfortable to type with, including a nice arrow key placement. The keyboard it'self is half as thick as the IO keyboard and weighs 3 times less. 03-25-2001 13:43:38

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) deadbolt Profile | Email I too have a Compaq keyboard from an older style laptop. Not sure of model name but it was a 286 with detachable PS2 keyboard which is very smal and sweet. Still use every day on my bedside machine. One advantage was how quiet the board was compared to all the clickey keyboards of that era. Also the lateral movement of the spring type keys made keyboards sound very rickety. I think membrane keyboards have fixed that. I am very happy with the Silitek SK7100 but wish it were RF as opposed to the IR. The Silitek has the best ergonomics of any board I have ever tried. It is quiet and ideal for armchair surfing with built in pointing stick. I bought a second one to embedd into the I/O but the IR receiver circuit board is quite large. I hope to retain the stock passive heatsink and am hoping to embedd the USB 10/100 interface so I am out of space. 03-25-2001 16:05:48

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) GWIZAH Profile | Email Ok guys if anyone wants to get their hands on a minature backlit keyboard, the TIP SL-75 go here I just posted a link to another auction for these. this time there are 4 in the dutch auction. Good Luck! 03-25-2001 16:24:02

Happy Hacking Keyboard (modified 0 times) leighklotz Profile I really like this keyboard. It's very compact. They just updated it to have arrow keys (which were moved in the previous version to a function-shift location). It comes in black and white. http://www.pfuca.com/products/hhkb/hhkblite2.html 03-26-2001 18:33:15

RE:Custom Keyboard Mod (modified 0 times) GWIZAH Profile | Email Pretty nice, I was looking for something of that size! BTW, CKbone, If youre reading this thread, Are you happy with that Dauphin keyboard on your bedside setup? I received one and for some reason it just feels really cheap. The plastic seems to lightweight and thin and the keys dont really have the right "feel" to them. Hows it working for you? 03-27-2001 08:31:58

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