Sun keyboard/mouse to PC?

[pjungwirth]

Does anyone know if it's possible to use a Sun keyboard on a PC? What if it's running Linux? How about a Sun mouse? I just got a free Sun keyboard and mouse from work, and it would be really cool to have three buttons. (This from a Mac guy!) The Sun stuff uses mini DIN-8 serial connectors. The mouse only has three pins, instead of the usual 8, and the keyboard's central pin is slightly off-center. This may be a proprietary modification of mini DIN-8; I don't know. My motherboard has got a couple serial connectors (DB-9), PS/2 ports, and USB ports. I expect I'd need an adaptor and some drivers. Anyone have any experience with this? I'm most interested in Linux, but I could connect them to a PC, too.

Thanks,

Paul
~{:-)

[Ghost_Hacker]

Here's some information I found at Google. To look for yourself follow this link. GOOGLE (http://groups.google.com/groups?group=comp)
Good Luck http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

FIRST
"If I know correctly, then the sun keyboard uses
rs232 communication. There is two dual Z8530 serial driver
chip in the sun. One of them is the serial line driver,
the other drives the keyboard and the mouse.
I think, it's impossible to connect the sun keyboard
to the pc's keyboard adapter, but I think, it's possible
to connect to an rs232 port. But be very carefull,
the rs232 uses voltages less than -3 V and it may damage
your equipment. Use some good oscilloscope or whatever to
check the sun keyboard cable."


SECOND

"You can buy the specs for Sun type 5 keyboards at http://www.sparc.org/ under "SPARCshop":

--
Type 5 Keyboard Interface [Accompanies License $99.00]
Defines the interface for Sun Microsystems' Type 5 keyboard mouse. This
document includes detailed information on the electrical, mechanical and
data communications interfaces of the keyboard mouse. Note: Developing a
product based on this interface requires the purchase of a royalty-free
license (see licenses).
--
Type 5 Keyboard Interface License [$99.00]

Grants owner the right to design, make, have made, use and sell
products which use the Type 5 Keyboard and Mouse Interface.
--

If you want to experiment, please note that Sun keyboards use 5V signal
levels for the keyboard/mouse serial interface. You may be able to find out
more information on the keycodes from Linux and Net/OpenBSD source code.
The pinout of the mini DIN keyboard plug should be in the Sun Hardware FAQ
(find it on www.sunhelp.com (http://www.sunhelp.com) or sun3arc.krupp.org - the new home of doener,
Heiko Krupp's great Sun3 web site).

For Linux, I recommend linux/drivers/sbus/char/sunkbd.c and sunkeymap.c

Btw., I'm trying to build the opposite - a microcontroller device that
permits the use of PS/2 keyboards and mice on Sparcs and Sun 3 systems
(if you like older Suns like me you probably have lots of machines and not
enough keyboards ...).
This will probably be based on an Atmel AT90S2313 microcontroller - these
are small, available at relatively low prices, in-system flash programmable
and RISC CPU's :-). If I get it running, I plan to release the controller
source code under GPL.

I know that I can buy an adapter from SunExpress that does exactly the same
but this isn't fun ;-) (and it's expensive - the Atmel controllers cost $6 in
single-piece quantities and need only minimal external circuitry)."

------------------
Comment heard from a Klingon programmer.

"Our users will know fear and cower before our software! Ship it! Ship it and let them flee like the dogs they are!"



[This message has been edited by Ghost_Hacker (edited 08-10-2001).]

[pjungwirth]

Okay, now I've got a *project*! :-) Yours wasn't exactly the answer I'd expected, GH, but maybe it's better.

The keyboard/mouse are brand-new, but they actually came with a Sparc 1+, my first very own pizza box. It's got HD, memory, and video card. No monitor, but I can track down one of those faily easily. The problem is that it lacks an EEPROM. That may be a little harder to find. There's a local computer swap meet a week from tomorrow, though, where I might be able to locate such a thing. The Sun-keyboard-on-a-PC idea is my backup plan.

Either way--running a Sparc or building an adaptor/device driver--would be great fun.

Paul
~{:-)

[mjc]

Seesh, and all I was going to say was maybe but it won't be easy to do......all I can Ghost, is wow.


------------------
mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

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