Update to Old School Keyboard

Yes your replies were correct, the connection is a round one with 5 pins, so
I am assuming this is called a serial port. If this is correct, let me know.
And also if anyone has any idea where I could get a different keyboard, or
an adaptor that would change this port to a ps2, I would be most
appreciative. Thanks in advance, everyone here is always so helpful.

Look in a computer store--the adapter is a common one (I have a couple of
them)

--
Regards

Ron Badour, MS MVP Windows 98
Tips: http://home.satx.rr.com/badour
Knowledge Base Info:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo

"learning 101" wrote in message
...
Yes your replies were correct, the connection is a round one with 5 pins,
so
I am assuming this is called a serial port. If this is correct, let me
know.
And also if anyone has any idea where I could get a different keyboard, or
an adaptor that would change this port to a ps2, I would be most
appreciative. Thanks in advance, everyone here is always so helpful.

In ,
learning 101 had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

Yes your replies were correct, the connection is a round one with 5
pins, so I am assuming this is called a serial port. If this is
correct, let me know. And also if anyone has any idea where I could
get a different keyboard, or an adaptor that would change this port
to a ps2, I would be most appreciative. Thanks in advance, everyone
here is always so helpful.

g I figured it was a serial port. Getting the adapter these days might be
a bit of a problem in a local computer shop. Options should also include
shopping online for one which is probably your best bet. However, rooting
through a closet at an old geek's house will likely turn up a few of the
older keyboards. They normally are rather tough keyboards usually and able
to withstand beatings, beer spillage, moving from apartment to apartment,
and CompuServ. They weigh slightly more than your average laptop today and,
in those days, cost nearly as much as one. Okay, so that last one's a slight
exageration but I do recall once spending about $400 USD on a whopping 4 MB
of RAM (EDO by the way.)

Anyhow, to make a long story short you might not be able to find the adaptor
and need to look online or simply in a junk shop somewhere. I have a few
around that I keep handy for such emergencies. I even have a few mice around
that are serial port as well. No self-respecting geek would bring these out
in public at anything other than a birthday party for toddlers (they're
really quite tough and a bit of ingenuity might get the older keyboard to
work) or to recall the good old days when they're certain no friends will be
dropping by so it's likely that you will have to approach the old wisened
geek with offerings of beer, food, or software before they'll admit to
having one and allowing you to have it. Even then you may be required to
place it into a non-see-through bag before leaving their parent's basement
so be prepared by bringing a bag, your offering(s) of choice, and a
willingness to hear about MS-DOS or perhaps Microsoft Bob. When the
conversation leads towards Windows 3.11 it's a good time to leave because by
then the beer should have taken hold and they will not mind because they
were probably running out of 3.11 things to talk about.

Finally, if you do try the junk shop approach you must be careful to not
display any urges or use correct terminology. Many junk shop owners are
wisened geeks though they're still in the closet. The only appropriate
method would be to ask for "the funny looking old keyboards with the giant
plug on the end that doesn't seem to fit into anything known since
neanderthal days." This will let them know exactly what you want if they're
a geek or it will inspire them to show you their collection of hardware that
they've never managed to sell for a long time. Either way you should get out
of there at a reasonable price. Anything more than a single U.S. dollar
would be expensive so feel free to haggle. If it's a closet geek there's a
slight possibility (junk shop owners aren't typically very rich) that this
keyboard might still be seemingly of value to them. In that case revert to
geek-speak and hold fast to the single dollar ideal. Eventually they'll see
the light

Galen
--

"And that recommendation, with the exaggerated estimate of my ability
with which he prefaced it, was, if you will believe me, Watson, the
very first thing which ever made me feel that a profession might be
made out of what had up to that time been the merest hobby."

Sherlock Holmes