did you try out this PC with a KNOWN working keyboard?
I've had a few experiences with keyboards which would work with some systems
and not others. I've got one, for example, which works fine, except . . .
it is not recognized on power-up. I don't know why this is, but since it's
the only problem I've encountered with it, it's on the server, which doesn't
go through power cycles that often.
Dick
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark <mark_k(a)iname.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Friday, April 30, 1999 11:35 AM
Subject: Re: Leaky nicad battery
Hi,
A few days ago I posted about an old PC board which had a leaky battery. I
followed Allison's advice and neutralised the stuff with lemon juice. The
fizzing/bubbling that happened when I did this suggests that cleaning with
alcohol alone (say) is not really adequate.
Anyway, after cleaning it up I checked all affected PCB traces with a
multimeter. It turns out that none of them were corroded all the way
through,
so repairs weren't necessary.
Cleaning the board didn't solve the problem that this PC has. On power on,
it
says (something like) 2A Keyboard failure. I can boot
the machine and get
into
the setup menu by pressing Alt-Esc. However, the cursor
keys and space bar
do
not work. At the DOS prompt, typing letter keys causes
them to print twice
(ddiirr, and so on). This is using a known good keyboard to test with.
Does anyone have an idea as to what the problem might be? If it's in some
custom-programmed keyboard controller or other custom chip, obviously the
prospect of repair is slim. But the majority of chips on the PCB look
fairly
standard (PC is made in 1989 or 1990).
-- Mark