Hi Ivan! : )
Nono, I'd like to connect PS/2 devices to a 486 (utilizing PCI) as well as later machines, that still have PCI.
486er usually have no PS/2 port, and also machines of today only have one (at best) PS/2 port, rather none. - The idea is to expand their input capabilities with a PCI card that comes with a keyboard controller and the usual two PS/2 ports for keyboard and mouse, as PS/2 input devices are still easy to order and cheap. The DIN keyboards and serial mice starting to get rare and expensive (due to retro mania ebay sellers), and also looking quite used after all these years. In comparisation.. getting a brand new PS/2 device is much more satisfying to use, even on old hardware. Atleast for me. ;>
So.. I either look for a PCI card to connect PS/2 devices for OS/2 and DOS, OR an adapter to connect PS/2 mice on serial ports.
For keyboards, I do have a PS/2 --> DIN adapter.
But as IBM made fun of the adapteritis in the old IBM advertise, 20 years ago... "With the IBM Business Adapter you can get each device running on our hardware.." ; )
A clean and nice PCI card would be better than 2 more adapters at the back of the machine, imo.
There is a company in the US, selling such PS/2 to serial adapters [
Vetra]. But that thing has two disadvantages: 1) expensive to buy (price of such a thing) and to order (import costs to DE), and 2) another adapter flying around at the back of the machine..
Shortly I saw this card on Amazon: [
click], which COULD be the solution, BUT as I heard and read about it... it comes with USB emulation, which is why you need a driver to operate the card... meaning it won't work with DOS and OS/2. Too bad :/
Could be so cewl.. a PCI card with two PS/2 ports, just right for keyboard and mouse, plug onto the mainboard, turn on and type/point with the PS/2 devices.
Also I have seen a similar PCI card on Amazon, that ONLY has the PS/2 ports... but this one ALSO comes with USB emulation, which is why it also won't work like plug n Play in old machines with the "wrong" operating systems. This one also had the info in the description "won't work with DOS".