Talk:IBM PC keyboard

message: Does anybody have any photos of ancient PC/XT keyboards that came out before the PC/AT keyboards? If they do, I want to see some.  I am curious about the past. --SuperDude 05:33, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Er, were you thinking of something like this ? --Wernher 21:31, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  PC/XT keyboard 

message: More info about the sequence of development, especially dates, would be informative. -- Beland 02:11, 21 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  History 

message: If you are using multiple keys at once (for games primarily) then certain combinations of keys don't work - is there any logic behind which can work together and which can't, and is it something worth adding to the article? I assume there is a resource somewhere that would explain the reasons/details of this, but couldn't find it with several attempts in google --86.144.20.95 (talk) 14:30, 7 February 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Rollover_(key)--189.122.163.26 (talk) 23:04, 29 July 2010 (UTC)

text: The reason for this is that the keyboard was designed for text input (typing text that is) and not much else -- entering multiple keys at the same time was not considered something that had to be supported and thus the protocol (essentially) allowed keyboards to wire the keys in a way that made it impossible to input certain combinations at the same time. The combinations are different from keyboard to keyboard meaning it cannot be relied on. Some keyboards will fail if too many keys are pressed at the same time regardless of which they are (most?) some will fail to register key inputs when certain combinations are pressed (such as CTRL, D and H at the same time, for instance -- not a reference to an actual example). High-end keyboards will usually detect key inputs with more keys than low-end keyboards or with fewer failing combinations, but again, this cannot be relied upon. I definitely think it's worth including (along with any real information about the actual design of the device). 80.167.145.223 (talk) 01:06, 3 August 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Key lockouts 

message: Is there direct evidence that the Caps Lock key derived from the shift lock on mechanical typewriters?  It seems more closely connected to the TTY Lock key that was present on some terminals.  The TTY Lock key (which I just learned about today) had the effect of forcing the letters into uppercase.  Like Caps Lock, it did not "shift" non-letter keys.  Unlike Caps Lock, it suppressed "\ } ; '" (characters not present on the uppercase-only Teletype_Model_33).  It also could not be defeated by the Shift key, like Caps Lock.
It seems entirely plausible that the developers of the IBM PC keyboard were used to TTY lock on their Terminals, and so included it on the keyboard.  They made it more "PC"-suitable by changing its label to "Caps Lock" and tweaking its functionality, though it could still fulfill a TTY Lock purpose.
Info on TTY lock:
* https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=1649480
* ftp://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/tektronix/402x/070-1617-00_4023_Computer_Display_Terminal_Service_Manual_May81.pdf
* https://usermanual.wiki/Document/TektronixComputerProducts1974Catalog.1264587417/help
* http://www.keyboardco.com/blog/index.php/2012/12/an-introduction-to-cherry-mx-mechanical-switches/ Mentioned in passing: "Cherry MX Lock switches are ... typically used for Caps Lock and TTY lock in keyboards before the 1980s."  This suggests that the Caps Lock key replaced the TTY Lock in the 1980s.
-- User:Albertanyone  —Preceding undated comment added 21:39, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Standard key meanings: Caps Lock 

message: OK, the table that shows the different generations of keyboard and their connectors mentions the how the data frame for each one is constructed - 1 start bit, 8 data bits, 1 parity, 1 stop, and all that - but not how fast the signalling clock runs. How many bits and/or frames (and thus how many discrete key on/off commands...) could be sent per second with each of these? 87.113.138.192 (talk) 13:50, 18 May 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: Good question. The signaling rate is specified by the CLK signal and could, theoretically, be anything. It would need to be at least about 1,000 bps, but a quick scan shows speeds ranging from 2Kbps to 10Kbps. 72.183.119.185 (talk) 14:43, 18 May 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Signalling rate? 

message: What's up with this keyboard layout? It looks like the Win key and Alt are swapped! http://www.pckeyboard.com/page/UltraClassic/UB40P46
Should the Wiki should mention something about this possibility, or is it too obscure?
Doubledork (talk) 16:31, 18 March 2015 (UTC)
replies: text: Isn't the Alt key supposed to be next to the space bar, like that?  Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 21:50, 18 March 2015 (UTC)

text: There have always been manufacturers that didn't really get it right, or tried a variant that didn't catch on. We saw them back then with keyboards, mice, etc., and still see them now in things. I've been around PCs since the 80s but just as an end user, and Unicomp doesn't ring a bell with me, but that's not saying a lot. Unless you have a reason to think this was a special / official keyboard one way or another, I personally would assume it was just some unremarkable variant. But you can put it on the main page if you want, shrug. Thanks for thinking of the page! -RedKnight7 (talk) 22:59, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
replies: text:  Unicomp is an extremely remarkable keyboard maker. They arguably make the best keyboards in the world.  They are the factory that made the classic IBM keyboards (e.g. Model M keyboard) and they are still made by hand in the USA.  Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 00:19, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Non-standard keyboard layout? 

message: The article lists three different 5-pin DIN keyboard connectors: PC, XT, and AT. Please add additional tech details about the communications protocols in these three cases, and whether there is any forward/backwards compatibility between them. Also, what keyboards were ever made that were switchable between these three uses, either manually or automatically?-71.174.176.65 (talk) 21:10, 17 April 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  5-pin DIN keyboard connector for PC XT AT 

message: Only by rather loose re-definition of "electronically incompatible", since the keyboard adapter was a passive wiring adapter.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.224.212.199 (talk) 03:52, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  pc / xt  "ielectronicially ncompatible with PC/AT keyboard types "