deskthority

Hey everyone, I recently found, for free, a 6348-A DataGeneral mechanical keyboard. I was wondering about some of the specs. Does anyone know what kind of switches it uses? Best way to convert the DIN8 connector to PS/2 and or USB? I saw this Female DIN8 to 12V usb adapter but I'm not sure if this also carries signal, and if the pinout is the same. Would this be a passive converter as opposed to active? IE: it just connects the pins up and doesn't try to convert the signal. Bottom line: I want to use this keyboard again. Thanks.

Also, is there a sticky, and or forum post that has listed different keyboard switches and how to identify them? Plus, before anyone calls me out, I did scrape these pictures off of an ebay listing for the exact same keyboard. My camera is acting weird so I can't take photos right now. Though, the pictures are of the EXACT keyboard I have.

Fujitsu leaf spring, I think.

ClickyKlacky wrote: ↑Also, is there a sticky, and or forum post that has listed different keyboard switches and how to identify them?

wiki/Switch_recognition

Thanks! From what I have been able to gather, it might be AT or XT, and I heard that there is a converter...box..thing that one of the forum members makes and sells. I think they call it a tiny. Tiny what, I don't know. I was looking at the keyboard and it seems to have all the keys, yet it is missing the alt key. Though there is a "special" key, is that a function key? Also, what is a HOLD key? I assume that the special key can be mapped to ALT? So I can have CTRL ALT DEL? I also noticed that the caps lock and CTRL location is swapped on this. Though, I was doing some "ghost typing" with this keyboard (just pressing the keys and pretending to type), and the feel of the switches actually feel really good to me. It has a nice meaty click to them. To my ears at least.

Further digging, the keyboard uses Fujitsu leaf spring Generation 2 switches.

You should be able to wire the output pins to a teensy and go straight to USB. Also, clicky Fujitsu springs are quite rare, that's a damn nice find.

Is there a guide on how to do that? Or maybe a member that could make and sell me an adapter box?

YOu just need to find the following pins on the connector.

VCC (5v)
GND
CLK ( clock)
DTA (data)

if you open it up you may well find them marked on the PCB

you can then use this guide to make the converter , the hard part is programming it

workshop-f7/how-to-use-a-pro-micro-as-a ... t8448.html

or you can pay more to have it easy to flash with a teensey

workshop-f7/xt-at-ps2-terminal-to-usb-c ... t2510.html
https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/

I will dig in later. I'm scared of breaking something.