VT131 needs keyboard help - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

28 Jan 2002

On Jan 28, 12:26, Christopher Smith wrote:
...
  Another weekend project of mine has been working on a
VT131
 terminal.  The terminal seems to work fine when receiving data.

 The terminal always powers up with a "4" in the corner
 (keyboard error?).  Typing characters on the keyboard will give
 no response from either the terminal, or the system to which
 it's connected.  The lights flash (all at once), and the speaker
 beeps when power is applied to the terminal.  No lights are ever
 activated afterwards, though.

 Having taken apart the keyboard, it does have an empty socket for
 a DIP.  Anyone know what this is? 
I gave away my VT131 a few weeks ago so I don't know :-(

...
  Is it possible that this is a "lookalike"
keyboard?  Did DEC make
 different models for different VT100 terminals -- were they
 compatible?  If this is an authentic DEC keyboard, will it be
 marked as such somewhere?  If so, how?

 The key layout _looks_ like VT100, but... 
The keyboard is the same as that for a VT100.  There are more setup
options, but the only significant difference is that the sticker on the
underside has more places to record them :-)   My VT131 actually had a
VT101 keyboard.

...
  The reason I'm asking about the brand is that
there was another
 terminal at the junk yard, completely trashed, which looked like
 a VT100, but had a completely different branding.  I forget the
 brand right off, but I'm afraid I may have picked up the keyboard
 for the dead terminal, and that it may not be compatible at all. 
Maybe a Plessey terminal?  I had two which looked just like a VT100 from
the outside, but had different (Plessey-made) logic inside, and
incompatible keyboards.

...
  Failing a way to positively identify the keyboard, are
there any
 common modes of failure along these lines?

 Also, I'm guessing at this point that the terminal is in good shape.
 Does anyone know where to get a keyboard? 
I vaguely remember something like a flashing "4" in the top corner of my
VT131 if the keyboard wasn't connected.  Maybe not exactly that, but
something of the sort.

-- 
Pete						Peter Turnbull
						Network Manager
						University of York