Add Win-Key to Cherry G80-1501 HAD

[Rob]

Hey guys,

I just got my hands on one of that card-reading keyboards with german layout and nkro, the only thing I am currently missing is the windows key, which is the reason why I'm looking for a way to add those keys by myself.

I mean, there is space for them, unfortunately there are not just empty holes on the pcb that would make it an easy thing.

Placing the switch should also work out somehow, but my main question is about the wiring:
The way I understand keyboards work ist that the keys are connected through a matrix, so shouldn't there be a way to add those keys function-wise?

I may be wrong, but is there anyone who could give me detailed information on the inner workings of cherry keyboards and tell me if my plan is doable or not?

Thanks in advance,

Rob

[CeeSA]

I think there is now way, the controller will "learn" the keycode for winkeys.
So you need a hardware mod and after that, you need Autohotkey or something else to remap keys to 'win'.

- mod the housing
- drill the holes for the switches in the pcb
- rewire lanes if you cut them
- pick two keys that are useless for you (for example: 1, 2 of the tenkey)
- rewire 1 to win left and 2 to win right
- use autohotkey to remap the key 1,2 to RWIN and LWIN

many things to to and hardware modding alone will not do.

[Findecanor]

Another option would be to wire the windows keys to a separate controller. Both Windows, Linux and MacOS (I think..) treat multiple connected USB keyboards as a single one. I have never tested PS/2-USB combos though.

By the way, how does the Cherry G80-1501 look naked? If removing the card reader would give you enough room, perhaps you could also add switches above the numeric keypad. I think also that there could a good chance that there is also enough room inside the G80-1501's case for a USB converter/hub.

[TDub]

Yet another option is to replace the existing controller with a teensy and add the windows key as a seperate row/column. Wiring the windows key would be fairly easy, but you would have to program and wire the teensy. You can probably adapt some teensy code from the forums with the layout you want.


The advantage is you don't need autohotkey, so your windows key will work on any pc and you don't need 2 connections. Also since you don't have to wire the winkey into an existing row/column, you wouldn't need a diodes for the winkey.

Disadvantage is that you need to desolder the old controller, wire the teensy and you need to know at least some C programming. Also since the teensy is USB, the keyboard would only be 6kro (unless someone found a way around this with the teensy).

[Rob]

Wow, so it's more complicated than I thought it would be...I guess I'll get another G80 from the cheap-ass store in Berlin and leave that project on the waiting list for now, maybe I'll pick it up again at some later point in time.

Instead I just called some guy who'll get me a vacuum pump and I'll experiment a bit with molding keycaps

[bester42]

Sorry to say, but none of the suggestions will work.

The Cherry G80-1501 HAD is a keybord with Class2 Cardreader, which switches to a secure mode for PIN.
Everything else is a normal standard, so modding has no sense if you loose the cardreaderfunction.

So changing the controler is not a solution, as you need the original controler for typing the PIN on the numpad.

I have a problem with this also, but the other way around. I have a G81 with Cardreader Class 2, but the normal switches wear out. You will get such a keyboard for about 10€ at ebay. It has windowskeys. So you can use the controler from the G81 for the G81 - but of course you may have to rewire the total keymatrix.
I myself will take the G81 controler, hausing and Cardreader and put a very old G80-3000 (MX White) Keybord in it. It will be completly rewired, of course, and I have to add windows keys. Maybe I will use a G80-11900 instead (other Keyboard-Layout with Trackpad) and put Controler and Cardreader on it. I have not decided the final solution (maybe buing another Class2 Cardreaderboard and do both).

Cardreader-Keybords are very usefull in Germany for onlinebanking. With a Class2-Reader the computer itself never gets the PIN... Also Medical Doctors have a use for it, because the german helth-insurance-cards.
This is the reason the G80-1501 is called a medical keyboard.


The quick-and-dirty solution to tho use Winkeys in a G80-1501 HAD:
A second "keyboard" with only 3 keys. An out-of-order-cheap 1€ keyboard with windows keys (best of all: a out of order G81, you can use the keycaps...). Take the second controler and only handwire the Windows keys to it. Connect the second controller independend to the computer. So the computer senses two keyboards, which is no problem. All normal keystrokes the Computer gets from the G80-Keyboard - and the Cardreader will work also. Only windows-key will come from the second "keyboard".
You even may use a worn-out multimediakeyboard for this and ad multimediakeys (for example: the only useful button I ever used: Suspend-Button)

[Daniel]

Or you could just remap for example Caps-Lock to emit the keycode for the Windows-Key. You wouldn't even have to open the case for this.

[bester42]

Keymap remapping of course is the simplest solution, as there are many normaly unused keys on a standard layout, depending on your habbits. I for example never use ScrUp and down (maybe with numpad but not the extra keys) but of course I wouldnt do the modification anyway as I never use the Windows keys also (exect maybe if a future german neo-layout use it as modifiers, which is not the case with neo2 today).