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[ The PC Guide | Troubleshooting and Repair Guide | The Troubleshooting Expert | Troubleshooting Specific Components | Troubleshooting Keyboards ]

I have a keyboard that I want to connect to my PC but the connector is the wrong size

Explanation: You are trying to connect a keyboard to your PC but find that either the keyboard's connector is much too large or too small for the keyboard socket on the motherboard.

Diagnosis: Keyboard connectors come in two different styles. The older one is the large 5-pin DIN connector, and the newer one is the smaller 6-pin mini-DIN connector (also called "PS/2-style" for the IBM system that introduced it). The two types are electrically compatible and you can attach an adapter to allow the use of one style on a PC that requires the other. (Note that this is not always true for PS/2 style mice that use an identical 6-pin connector).

Recommendation:

  • Obtain an adapter to change the connector to the correct type required for your PC. You should not require any other changes and the adapters are readily available in most computer stores.
  • Obtain a different keyboard that has the correct connector type for the PC you are using.

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