IBM 7690 Clinical Workstation keyboard internals and USB conversion

[Maledicted]

Due to their scarcity, I don't think this has been documented anywhere, so I figured I should post it for posterity (even if that's only as part of a backup eventually).

I finally cleaned up my IBM 7690 Clinical Workstation keyboard and put the effort into tracing the pinout of the cable. It does seem to be using the PS/2 protocol, as has always been assumed. The only pins needed from the 8 pin connector are pins 1-4. I wired them up to a pro micro running TMK and everything is working as expected.

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It felt like a crime to modify the internals at all, so the approach I took is entirely reversible, using an adapter I made out of some bits of pin header and plugged into the factory cable.

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Here are pictures of the internals, for posterity.

The keyboard module seems to be identical to the IBM 5140. Disregard the jumpers I needed to solder in to fix damage to the ribbon cable.

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[guidemetothelight]

The keyboard module seems to be identical to the IBM 5140.

So it uses Alps SKCM Browns ? Never heard of the 7690, really cool !

[Maledicted]

Thank you very much.

Something like 150 of complete 7690 systems were every assembled, with parts for a few thousand more. They never saw commercial production and sale.

It uses SKCM brown for most keys and SKCL compact green for any of the smaller ones like the arrow keys, the f row and fn.

[John Doe]

first time know IBM has such a model, alps switch with metal shell, impressive

[guidemetothelight]

Something like 150 of complete 7690 systems were every assembled, with parts for a few thousand more. They never saw commercial production and sale.

It uses SKCM brown for most keys and SKCL compact green for any of the smaller ones like the arrow keys, the f row and fn.

Sheeesh, and I thought 5140´s are rare... thats a completely different breed of rare
I love browns , so this board would be reeeeally cool but way to rare to harvest / reuse for something else.
Still on the hunt for a german ISO 5140, as I already own(ed) a BAE 5140.
But interesting that it uses the same keyboard module as the 5140.