Keyboard Rehab

I was lucky enough to get 2 Wyse mechanical keyboards from a friend who knows I go for that kind of thing. One just needed a good cleaning, and an adapter for the DIN5 connector plug to PS2. I use this on my bench, and really like the feel. The other is all cleaned up & ready to go, but it has an RJ11 connector (like for a phone). I have found a couple of RJ11 to USB adapters online, but I think they are for phone equipment. Will these work for a keyboard? The description doesn't really say much on this point. Has any one ever tried to convert one of these? Any help/advice would be appreciated.

Hal Robinson

The RJ connector is prob'ly for a Wyse terminal (and some of their computers). There are adapters for those terminals to use a standard PS/2 keyboard, so I'm sure there must be some that go the other way (although I don't recall ever seeing one). Keep searching,

--T

Ditto on T's comment. On the bottom of the keyboard you might find some info on what system it came from to give us a better idea on if it'd be convertible and if so what keyboard scancodes it might send.

Several early computers used an rj11 cable for keyboards and quite a few terminals did so according it may or may not be usable.

If this is one of the standard keyboards for something like a WY-120 terminal (or family), the pin assignments go like this:

1 - Gnd
3 - +5v
2 - CMD/ (active low) from terminal PCB
4 - Data (to terminal PCB)

Logic levels are TTL and appear to be scan codes, not ASCII.

Hope this helps.

Thanks & Further Keyboard Info

Thanks & Further Keyboard Info

Thank you for all your replies about the Wyse keyboard. I do remember now being told that this may have been used on a terminal. On the bottom it lists a serial number:

K/B, WY60 ASCII #840338-01
There is also a part number: 840338-01 (same as last part of serial number).

Molded into the plastic on the inside of the bottom cover is a number: 44-006-02 REVc and the year 1983.

There is also a tiny sticker (from the Chinese manufacturer?) listing a part number: 710094-01 94HB

I should have provided this info in my first post, any further help would be appreciated. And thanks once again for the replies so far.

Hal Robinson

If it's a Wyse WY60 terminal keyboard this from wyse.com:

Just a little more help

Just a little more help

Thank you very much. With this info I think I will try USB hookup myself. I had this in my files:

See attached .jpeg of the connectors I have on hand.
Red: + 5V / Voltage + / VCC
White: D - / Data - / USB -
Green: D + / Data + / USB +
Black: GND / Voltage - / Ground
Black: S-GND / Over Current / Shielding


So if I toss out the S-GND & try to connect:

1. Data YELLOW
2. +5v GREEN - (to Red +5 VCC)
3. Clock RED
4. Grd BLACK - (to ground)

This would leave me with "Data" & "Clock" Any idea which might be data+ & could the other be data-? As long as I get the power hooked up correctly (not feeding power to data) do you think I could get away with trial & error on the +/- data connections? Thank you for all this help. I hope to save this keyboard yet.

Hal Robinson

The clock is a TTL signal from the terminal to the keyboard; the data is a TTL signal from the keyboard to the terminal. Pulse the clock signal, get a data bit.

In the WY120, these are connected to 2 pins of an 8032 MPU, but you could probably get away using a couple of pins of a PC parallel port.

Should be pretty simple to figure out.