Author Topic: 122-Key keyboard  (Read 27194 times)

Neil Waldhauer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1024
  • Karma: +24/-0
    • View Profile
    • Blonde Guy
122-Key keyboard
« on: September 26, 2018, 12:45:08 am »
I've got a Affirmative Unicomp 1225T 5250 Model M 122-Key PS2 Buckling Spring Keyboard (See attachment for picture)

I had to hook it to the computer using a Belkin USB adapter. It seems to work. Is there anything I need to do to have the system recognize all 122 keys? I have ArcaOS 5.0.3 running, and the last version of Personal Communications.

I'm trying to support Access to an AS400.

Expert consulting for ArcaOS, OS/2 and eComStation
http://www.blondeguy.com

ivan

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1558
  • Karma: +17/-0
    • View Profile
Re: 122-Key keyboard
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2018, 02:23:09 am »
Hi Neil,

If you have to use a USB adapter  then as far as I know there is no way that you can use the extra keys.  I have 4 USB keyboards with extra keys that work as standard keyboards without problems but the extra keys are dead.

On the other hand if you can use it as a PS/2 keyboard plugged into a PS/2 socket then you can use the WIN95KEY software - it even allows assigning functions to special keys.  I have a Logitech multimedia PS/2 keyboard plugged nto a PS/2 socket with all the keys operational and assigned to such programs as PMMail Firefox PMseek and so on.

I just tried that keyboard with a USB adapter (don't know the brand but it looks like the one you show) and the extra keys are not available.  I seem to remember Lars daying something about the USB keyboard driver not having the extra keys function in it.

xynixme

  • Guest
Re: 122-Key keyboard
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2018, 03:56:10 pm »
The code below doesn't support all keys, but it should print something if e.g. F12 is pressed and successfully processed by a keyboard driver, without an app having to be aware of F12 or F20. F12 should produce something; F20 may not:

Code: [Select]
/* Untested.CMD*/
CALL RxFuncAdd 'SysGetKey','RexxUtil','SysGetKey'
SAY 'Press 10 (recognized) keys now:'
SAY
DO i=1 TO 10
   key=SysGetKey()
   CALL CharOut '','Key' Format (i,2,0)||':'
   DO j=1 TO Length(key)
      CALL CharOut '',' '||C2X(SubStr(key,j,1))
   END j
   SAY
END i
EXIT

Neil Waldhauer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1024
  • Karma: +24/-0
    • View Profile
    • Blonde Guy
Re: 122-Key keyboard
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2018, 05:49:03 pm »
Sure enough, keys F13 to F24 do not work with the above REXX program (tweaked a bit) on my system with the PS/2 to USB adapter.
Many of the left group of keys do not function, either.

The keys do work on the old system, which uses the PS/2 connector. The PS/2 to USB adapter does work for supported operating systems.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2018, 05:59:16 pm by Neil Waldhauer »
Expert consulting for ArcaOS, OS/2 and eComStation
http://www.blondeguy.com

RickCHodgin

  • Guest
Re: 122-Key keyboard
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2018, 07:08:53 pm »
Sure enough, keys F13 to F24 do not work with the above REXX program (tweaked a bit) on my system with the PS/2 to USB adapter.
Many of the left group of keys do not function, either.

The keys do work on the old system, which uses the PS/2 connector. The PS/2 to USB adapter does work for supported operating systems.

My original Exodus kernel (from the early 2000s) had a mode I used to bootup and return the physical keypress values from the hardware device itself, so I could see which key values each key physically mapped to on a PS/2 keyboard.

If you're interested in that, I could try and build a copy that would boot and display that information about each key.  It would require a floppy disk to boot.  You could at least use the actual key values returned at the hardware level to create a custom keyboard driver or mapping if the existing keyboard drivers support a vkey mapping.

ivan

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1558
  • Karma: +17/-0
    • View Profile
Re: 122-Key keyboard
« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2018, 08:04:28 pm »
Until such time as those looking and updating the USB stack manage to update the usbkbd.sys to enable non standard keycodes extra keys on usb keyboards will never work, in fact you will never see the keycodes.

There is a linux program that was developed to get that information to allow the extra keys and functions (lights on the keys) to be used with the Corsair K95 gaming keyboard on linux.  I have a copy of it and the other tools if anyone is interested. 

Andreas Schnellbacher

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 827
  • Karma: +14/-0
    • View Profile
Re: 122-Key keyboard
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2018, 02:55:25 pm »
Win95Key contains tools\showkey.exe. It outputs for each key press and release a line in its window. I suppose that it reports evrything that the system functions see.

Neil, in your case, I suppose, you won't see output lines for your additional USB keys.

BTW: There exists also testkeys.e for EPM. In NEPMD, you can just type 'testkeys' to switch it on. The output goes then to the message line and for NEPMD also to a PMPrintf window, if opened. End that mode with 2x Esc.

Neil Waldhauer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1024
  • Karma: +24/-0
    • View Profile
    • Blonde Guy
Re: 122-Key keyboard and USBKBD.SYS
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2018, 03:37:02 pm »
I think Ivan has the right answer, regarding usbkbd.sys. Hopefully his conclusion regarding a fix is wrong, as I note that new versions of usbkbd.sys are being released. This would apply to both 5350 and 3270 keyboards that are commonly used in legacy OS/2 installations, so it can be considered to be of strategic for continued use of OS/2.

Isn't the DEVINFO statement in config.sys supposed to select the keyboard table? But testing, I see that the USB adapter plugged into the old machine still does not transmit all the keystrokes, so I imagine usbkbd.sys is the driver that needs to be fixed.

In case DEVINFO is relevant, the one that works is DEVINFO=KBD,US103,C:\OS2\KEYBOARD.DCP
US103.KBL is in c:\language\keyboards with the other KBL files.
« Last Edit: September 27, 2018, 03:51:47 pm by Neil Waldhauer »
Expert consulting for ArcaOS, OS/2 and eComStation
http://www.blondeguy.com

RickCHodgin

  • Guest
Re: 122-Key keyboard and USBKBD.SYS
« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2018, 03:58:15 pm »
In case DEVINFO is relevant, the one that works is DEVINFO=KBD,US103,C:\OS2\KEYBOARD.DCP
US103.KBL is in c:\language\keyboards with the other KBL files.

What's the tool used to edit a .KBL file?

UPDATE:  I found this Hobbes mirror, and the file kbdredef.zip which is used for editing OS/2 Warp 3 .KBD files.  Would like to edit .KBL files for Warp 4.
« Last Edit: September 27, 2018, 07:37:54 pm by Rick C. Hodgin »

Neil Waldhauer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1024
  • Karma: +24/-0
    • View Profile
    • Blonde Guy
Re: 122-Key keyboard
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2018, 02:32:16 am »
I've entered bug 2171 in the Arca Noae bug tracker. If there is a chance to fix USBKBD.SYS, they would know.

https://mantis.arcanoae.com/view.php?id=2171
Expert consulting for ArcaOS, OS/2 and eComStation
http://www.blondeguy.com

Silvan Scherrer

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 200
  • Karma: +1/-0
    • View Profile
Re: 122-Key keyboard
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2018, 11:24:17 am »
I've got a Affirmative Unicomp 1225T 5250 Model M 122-Key PS2 Buckling Spring Keyboard (See attachment for picture)

I had to hook it to the computer using a Belkin USB adapter. It seems to work. Is there anything I need to do to have the system recognize all 122 keys? I have ArcaOS 5.0.3 running, and the last version of Personal Communications.

I'm trying to support Access to an AS400.
Neil still using that old piece of shit? Is that a very old AS400 customer? Or does he have a later >=V7R1 release? If so i strongly suggest to use IBM i Access Client Solution (ACS in short). It's written in Java and works like a charm. I use it daily, as thats my main development job

regards
Silvan
kind regards
Silvan
CTO bww bitwise works GmbH

Please help us with donations, so we can further work on OS/2 based projects. Our Shop is at https://www.bitwiseworks.com/shop/index.php

Sergey Posokhov

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 169
  • Karma: +8/-6
    • View Profile
    • OS/2 API Research
Re: 122-Key keyboard
« Reply #11 on: September 28, 2018, 03:26:50 pm »
Unicomp, a company in Kentucky, still produces them.

Neil Waldhauer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1024
  • Karma: +24/-0
    • View Profile
    • Blonde Guy
Re: 122-Key keyboard
« Reply #12 on: October 03, 2018, 04:42:33 pm »
I have added an internal extension cable (part number 43N9149) to the Lenovo M93p computer. With this part, the keyboard works fine.

While the USBKBD.SYS driver can be modified to accept F13-F24 keys, supporting all such keyboards would not be easy.

I tried to get IBM i Access Client Solution, but it is restricted to subscribers. I'm working on getting it. I assume it will work well with our OpenJava port.
Expert consulting for ArcaOS, OS/2 and eComStation
http://www.blondeguy.com

ivan

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1558
  • Karma: +17/-0
    • View Profile
Re: 122-Key keyboard
« Reply #13 on: October 03, 2018, 09:31:29 pm »
Is that a PS/2 to USB converter or is it the part that plugs onto the PS/2 header and hence you are using the keyboard as a PS/2 keyboard?

Neil Waldhauer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1024
  • Karma: +24/-0
    • View Profile
    • Blonde Guy
Re: 122-Key keyboard
« Reply #14 on: October 04, 2018, 04:24:48 am »
Ivan: that's a real pair PS/2 ports, no USB is involved. It's not in any local catalog that I can find, but it seems widely available in China.
Expert consulting for ArcaOS, OS/2 and eComStation
http://www.blondeguy.com