Alto II keyset connector plug identification

[Curious Marc]

We had the same problem. It’s a DE-19 connector, fits in the same envelope has a DB-9, but 3 rows instead of 2. You can see in this video right around here: https://youtu.be/GMp5EAq-Elo?t=541  . ITT-canon used to make these. You can look them up on eBay, which is where we found ours. Make sure you don’t get a two row DB-19, which is a completely different animal.
Marc

> On Aug 18, 2020, at 8:15 PM, Steve Malikoff via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
> 
> Would anyone be able to identify the 19 pin connector used on the Alto II keyset?
> Shown in the second photo on https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/X124.82C
> 
> The Xerox engineering doc (209962B_Alto_II_Assembly_Keyset.pdf) has it as P/N DE51218-1 if I interpret it correctly.
> 
> I've looked for a while and the closest I can find appears to be Mouser p/n 2DEF19P
> The cost of 136 USD (each!) is more than I (and perhaps everyone else) would really like to pay, and that's only for
> the male end.
> 
> Ideally I would like a datasheet on this original connector if possible, to know the pin-pin spacing and the pressed metal
> surround dimensions.
> 
> I've just ordered small trial quantities of screws, microswitches, e-clips, nutserts, rods and so on for my keyset
> lookalikes/workalikes. Also about to start the key mapping to F5-F9 using a popular small SOC board, which is small enough
> to be inside a custom printed shell that the keyset plugs into.
> That is, the 3-row 19-pin female connector side which goes through to USB.
> 
> I was thinking there's no reason it shouldn't be able to work using the original connector with a real keyset-less Alto,
> should any such animal be lurking out there. Hence looking at the feasibility of placing in a 19 pin male-female
> connector arrangement rather than the fallback of straight-through to USB.
> 
> The whole thing is still at prototype stage so even if it doesn't work out, well I will at least have a bunch of additions
> to my nuts/bolts/fasteners/switches stash.
> 
> Thanks for any help,
> 
> Steve.
>