Kimtron Terminal Keyboard

[karlmartin95]

Hi community! Today I want to share with you a recently find, it's a Kimtron Terminal AT like keyboard:









I'd like to know more about this board, it uses Black Space Invaders switches, I have no idea about the protocol but I read in this site https://www.keyboardjunk.com/post/alloy ... -keyboard/ that it seems to use the XT protocol.

What do you think?

[hellothere]

Based on the stepped keys, I'd say it's probably XT, too. All you'd have to do is the steps at viewtopic.php?t=19035 and get the correct pinout. (FWIW, I'm working on another thread where I'm having difficulties with pinouts, so I can't help more.) I've seen snacks posting here, before. That's not exactly a username you'd forget .

The color of the Space Invader slider doesn't really apply to anything, so you could have a clicky, tactile, or linear keyboard.

Considering the top case is only slightly yellowed, you might want to clean it and leave it out in direct sunlight for a week, rotating it 90 degrees every day (don't do this if you have temperature extremes or if you're expecting bad weather).

I like using Simple Green sprayed onto a lint-free cloth for cleaning the top and bottom case. You can use one of those Mr. Clean Magic Eraser things for really stubborn spots, but a) don't soak the pad (water + electronics don't mix) and b) note that the Mr. Clean Eraser is really a fine-grain spongy bit of sandpaper, so don't go overly nuts in one spot.

The keycaps look very nice and you can just clan them off by CAREFULLY removing them and soak them in warm, slightly soapy, water, for a bit. Then use a cloth to clean 'em off. An ultrasonic cleaner works great.

The Wiki article on Hi-Tek 725 keyswitches is at wiki/Hi-Tek_Series_725.

I've got a Space Invaders keyboard that still needs some attention, but it really is an interesting 'board.

[Polecat]

Hi community! Today I want to share with you a recently find, it's a Kimtron Terminal AT like keyboard:

I'd like to know more about this board, it uses Black Space Invaders switches, I have no idea about the protocol but I read in this site https://www.keyboardjunk.com/post/alloy ... -keyboard/ that it seems to use the XT protocol.

What do you think?

That's almost a match for the Hi-Tek second generation, AT version in the wiki:

wiki/Hi-Tek_Series_725_second_generation

Almost, because the one in the wiki has the voltage regulator spot on the far right unpopulated, not needing a reg to run on 5 volts. But yours has a regulator there, meaning it's expecting a higher voltage, probably 12 volts. The regulator is probably a 7805 or LM340T-5, which drops the power to 5 volts. Bypassing the reg (Jumper J01) and connecting the correct cable *might* get you an AT-compatible keyboard that will work with a simple (Soarers...) converter, but *only* if the terminal it went to used AT protocol and scan codes.

edit: it's actually likely to be AT-compatible since the controller is marked "AT-84 PC" just like the one in the wiki. A careful comparison of the components and jumpers of the two, making yours match the one in the wiki, will probably get you there.