Re: PS/2 Keyboard to USB?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ed Ferris
  • Start date Start date
E

Ed Ferris

If I may resurrect this old thread:
I have one of those Dell laptops with only USB ports, not a PS2.
After wearing out a USB keyboard I bought ($30) I bought an adapter at
Radio Shack ($15), the cable kind with a bulge in the middle, and tried to
connect my old PS/1 keyboard (NCR make) through it. WinXP said it was
connected, and it shows up in Device Manager as working just fine, but all
the keyboard does is flash its three LED's. No input from the keys.
Now the old keyboard is doubtless as dumb as they ever were, but why does
XP say it's working when it isn't?
Would a $6 keyboard from Wal-Mart work through the adapter?
I can't stand all those Multimedia keys, and I do production typing
(transcribing books) so I can't use the laptop keyboard.
Thanks in advance,
Ed Ferris
 
Ed Ferris wrote:
> If I may resurrect this old thread:
> I have one of those Dell laptops with only USB ports, not a PS2.
> After wearing out a USB keyboard I bought ($30) I bought an adapter at
> Radio Shack ($15), the cable kind with a bulge in the middle, and tried to
> connect my old PS/1 keyboard (NCR make) through it. WinXP said it was
> connected, and it shows up in Device Manager as working just fine, but all
> the keyboard does is flash its three LED's. No input from the keys.
> Now the old keyboard is doubtless as dumb as they ever were, but why does
> XP say it's working when it isn't?
> Would a $6 keyboard from Wal-Mart work through the adapter?
> I can't stand all those Multimedia keys, and I do production typing
> (transcribing books) so I can't use the laptop keyboard.
> Thanks in advance,
> Ed Ferris

No. Buy a regular USB keyboard. I got a very nice standard Logitech USB
keyboard from NewEgg for $14 USD.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
 
Well, the $6 keyboard is now $10 at Wal-Mart, but it does work with the USB
to PS2 adapter. The USB keyboards they had were $20 and Multimedia or
Internet. The $14 Logitech USB standard is available online but not in the
store I went to.
The $10 version has a deep touch, which is good for my ham-fisted keying,
has a few keys in unexpected places, and has a Wake Up key that doesn't
work, a Sleep key that puts my Dell laptop in Stand By mode, and a Power
key that shuts it down but doesn't restart it. Why can't people make a
standard 101-key board? At least this one has printed keytops, not decals
that wear off like the Dynex USB one had.
 
Back
Top