But is it possible to wire in a more standard DIN or ps/2 cable and have it work normally with a AT/286/486 or maybe just PC/XT??
Maybe!
I have a 1390572 which I modified to have an AT keyboard connector sometime in the late '90s as per
these instructions I stumbled across in the Linux kernel documentation. My keyboard is a 122-key one and
sharktastica.co.uk says its protocol is "IBM scancode set 3".
That site says yours uses the same protocol, and also that yours is an enhanced keyboard so I guess it's closer to a normal PC keyboard layout (
this picture seems to confirm that).
Those things would make me think you could achieve equal levels of success to me, but that document from the Linux kernel says:
Now you're ready to switch on the computer... Some mainboard bioses will
produce a keyboard error. You can ignore this
BTW the F1 key is the
very left of the function-key group near the tabulator key.
Here's a representation of the 122-key keyboard layout:
Code:
F13 F14 F15 F16 F17 F18 F19 F20 F21 F22 F23 F24
F1_ F2_ F3_ F4_ F5_ F6_ F7_ F8_ F9_ F10 F11 F12
Attn_ Clear ` 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 - = _<--_ I<- Dup Jmp _ _ _ __
_____ Erinp ->I Q W E R T Y U I O P c \ _Fld <-/ Ins Del 7 8 9 F-
Print Help_ Lck A S D F G H J K L ; ' { Exit Up_ 4 5 6 __
_____ Play_ Sh < Z X C V B N M , . / _Shift_ _<- Rul ->_ 1 2 3 Fl
SetUp Recrd Rst Alt ___Space___ Alt Enter Dn_ 0__ . d+
I guess that documentation is saying that the "Attn" key is what generates the same scan code as "F1" on a regular PC keyboard (sorry, I don't really remember as it's been a few decades since I used this). I'm not sure if that'd be true for your keyboard as it doesn't have that block of keys on the left, but maybe it's still the "Attn" key on your keyboard that maps to F1, or maybe it's actually F1? I guess there's a chance that you just can't send certain keys to your BIOS though.
Anyway, from my recollection, I managed to set up some keyboard mapping on whatever Linux distribution I was using at the time that let me use the keyboard, but I think it was a somewhat frustrating experience, probably because the layout of the 122-key keyboard is reasonably different from a PC keyboard. Things might be much better for you since your keyboard is more "normal".
My recollection is that I tried this keyboard somewhat recently with a passive AT to PS/2 adapter on a slightly more modern machine and it didn't work, so I guess it relies on a keyboard controller from the era of AT keyboards and large DIN plugs. But then maybe that's not true for your keyboard based on:
This for the infoWindows terminals which are quite late so perhaps PC/AT?
I suspect that the protocol is very different from PC AT and probably PC XT. However, the keyboard hackers probably have a conversion to USB available, but that's just a guess.
I haven't tried one, but:
https://www.tinkerboy.xyz/product/t...sb-converter-with-soarers-converter-firmware/ I've used one of their PS/2 to USB converters with a PS/2 Model M and it's not perfect but good enough for me to use it most of the time. Their technical support isn't good, you're basically on your own if you want to debug anything.