Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Subject: Re: GS Weakness is the keyboard???? From: dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 21:34:38 +1300 Message-ID: <1dilu37.125nk3rritpbiN@dempson.actrix.gen.nz> References: <19981111130341.00271.00000135@ng-fb1.aol.com> <72cqsg$hhf@cwis-20.wayne.edu> <72dsin$bsg$2@lynx.unm.edu> <19981115180320.28766.00001149@ng11.aol.com> Organization: Empsoft X-Newsreader: MacSOUP 2.3 NNTP-Posting-Host: 202.49.157.176 X-Trace: 16 Nov 1998 21:33:02 -1300, 202.49.157.176 Lines: 37 Path: news1.icaen!news.uiowa.edu!NewsNG.Chicago.Qual.Net!nyd.news.ans.net!newsfeeds.ans.net!news.idt.net!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!news-stock.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!news.iprolink.co.nz!news.actrix.gen.nz!dempson Xref: news1.icaen comp.sys.apple2:141857 SirThomas wrote: > Speaking of "upgraded" GS keyboards, has anyone gotten the Apple Adjustable > Keyboard to work with the GS? I haven't heard of anyone achieving this. The reason it doesn't work is that it almost certainly uses a "device handler" code number that is not supported by the IIgs keyboard microcontroller. Each ADB device has an 8-bit device handler code that specifies how the device is to behave. It can be set to different values under software control to adjust major behavioural options. For example, the Apple Extended Keyboard has two different handler codes: the normal one, and a special one which enables independent detection of the left and right modifier keys. Most keyboards support the device handler code of the Apple Standard or Extended keyboard as a fallback option, but the adjustable keyboard probably does not. It may also have other architectural differences such as the organisation of the registers which hold the modifier key states. The only way this keyboard could work on the IIgs would be if someone wrote a special driver for it. This driver would disable normal keyboard support and poll the adjustable keyboard directly, feeding keypresses back into the ADB microcontroller as they are detected. This is exactly how the Easy Access INIT works on a ROM 01 IIgs, and it causes a lot of compatibility problems, e.g. software that waits for a keypress with interrupts locked out will cause the computer to hang. -- David Empson dempson@actrix.gen.nz Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand