Keyboard interface board thing

[Ikduncan]

Anyone know what the little interface board between my 600xl keyboard ribbon and the header on the motherboard is called? And whats it for? Just added a working 800xl keyboard to my 600xl without the board and no keys work. I had issues with ribbon cable on old keyboard and the interface board so had to butcher the board and cable to try to fix it. Now it looks like i need a new board to go with this 800xl keyboard?

 

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

Why the same post 3 times?

[Ikduncan]

Browser issues

[mimo]

No idea what it is called, but I don't think it is required. I took mine out and use any xl keyboard with no problem.

[skr]

If I remember tf_hh correctly, Atari could not fit all resistors onto the motherboard of the Atari 600 XL, so they created that small one at the keyboard connector. I don't know, what the resistors are for, but I think some of them have a mission.

[Ikduncan]

Definately does something because if i plug my 800xl keyboard in i get no power led and only the function keys do anything...

[flashjazzcat]

The adapter board also offsets the ribbon cable connector by 1cm or so which suits the positioning of the ribbon cable on certain keyboards, IIRC.

[guus.assmann]

The adapter board also offsets the ribbon cable connector by 1cm or so which suits the positioning of the ribbon cable on certain keyboards, IIRC.

And apart from this. the resistors limit the current trough the keys and more importently, trought the miltiplexer.

This way, there's no damage to these circuits and Pokey, when multiple keys are pressed.

A book on top of an Atari doesn't kill it. A C64 can "dy" when multiple keys are pressed. But the shape makes it ideal for supprting a book for ease of reading.

[skr]

A book on top of an Atari doesn't kill it. A C64 can "dy" when multiple keys are pressed. But the shape makes it ideal for supprting a book for ease of reading.

 

I got so many C64s the last days that now I really have to withstand the urge to test this...

 

(just kidding, I would never kill one of my 8 bit machines. A8 is my heart, but I like all the others too and would never harm them)