Internal Soarer's Converter from scratch (beginner friendly)

xueyao

21 May 2018, 11:04

Hi guys! This guide is for absolute beginners and is a step by step guide on creating an internal Soarer's Converter. For reference, here's the end product:
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This adaptor is designed for IBM's Model F but can definitely be re-purposed for other keyboards. It's powered by a Pro Micro (Teensy clone) with 4 Dupont male pins leading out of it allowing you to plug and play into an IBM Model F. It can then be followed by a MicroUSB Cable of your liking.

Please PM me if you have queries. I'm active on geekhack as well.

I also hand make these adaptors on eBay and I ship them worldwide. PM me if you're interested :D

First, a list of material:
NAME URL FOR PURCHASE
Pro Micro
Male to Female Dupont Cable
Black Electrical Tape
Heat Shrink Tube
For the Dupont cables, we just need 4. Alternatively, you could get any wires you want, but it'll make it much harder to plug into the Model F. For the Heat shrink tubing and black tape, it's not necessary, but it'll make things more sturdy and prettier.

Obviously this requires a soldering iron and some other equipment like scissors and a pair of steady hands. :lol: This is also written for Windows.

Alrighty, next step.

Flashing the converter:

1) Install winAVR: 2) Download Soarer's converter: Download the v1.12 update which contains the firmware only. Download the other attached files for documentation and other tools.

3) Get ready the Pro Micro:
Spoiler:
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4) When you plug in the Pro Micro, Windows should see a COM device under device manager, the exact COM port differs for everyone:
Spoiler:
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5) Open a command prompt and navigate to the firmware folder which contains the hex files. Mine's located in my documents folder.
Spoiler:
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6) Now, use something metal to short the GND and RST pins on the Pro Micro while it's plugged in. Personally, I just use a metal scissors.
Spoiler:
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7) Immediately on Windows, the COM port should change and detect a new device with a different COM port.
Spoiler:
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8) On command prompt, type in the following commands:

Code: Select all

avrdude -p atmega32u4 -P COM5  -c avr109  -U flash:w:Soarer_at2usb_v1.12_atmega32u4.hex
Change the COM5 into the COM Port that shows up on your computer.
Spoiler:
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9) If it times out (you have a buffer of about 5s before the Pro Micro resets itself), short the pins again and type in the command again. I personally type the command before hand and press enter when I short the teensy.

10) If the firmware is successfully flashed, you should see this:
Spoiler:
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11) Under device manager, there should be no more COM Ports and you should see a Soarer's converter in the devices panel in control panel.
Spoiler:
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Yay! You've flashed the firmware successfully!
Now onto the next part, soldering and making the converter:

1) You'll need 4 Dupont male to female cables. I've got 4 and they're about 5 inches long.
Spoiler:
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2) I used a plier to bend the male pin into a right angle as it makes soldering much easier.
Spoiler:
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3) Now get to soldering! I have a helping hand so I can clamp the cable down on the board and the right angle sticks the pin into the hole.
The pins to solder is: 2, 3, GND and VCC. For GND, there are a few that you could use but I recommend using the one along the side of the VCC.
Spoiler:
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4) Snip off any excess solder which might affect soldering:
Spoiler:
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5) Solder the rest of the cables!
Spoiler:
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6) The end result:
Spoiler:
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7) Time to test the Pro Micro! I'm using a Model F XT here:
Spoiler:
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8) To figure out which pins lead to which, use to find out the pinout. You'll need a multimeter for this. I made a simple diagram to follow:
Spoiler:
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It's not the best illustration, so here's a written explanation:
Use a multimeter to figure out which pins of the DIN connector (Model F XT for example) leads to which pin on the actual board connector and use the keyboard pinout documentation as reference. I'll leave the Model F XT and 122 pinouts here:
Spoiler:

Code: Select all

Model F XT: From back of keyboard (metal plate)

CLIP C D G X V CLIP 
CLIP X X X X X CLIP

C - CLOCK
D - DATA
G - GROUND
V - VCC
Spoiler:

Code: Select all

F 122 Connector view:

C G D
X N V

C - CLOCK
G - GROUND
D - DATA
N - NO PIN
V - VCC
9) Time to wrap the adaptor up! At this point, the adaptor is completely functional so if you wanna stop here and start using, it's done. I'm doing this part to insulate the adaptor. I'll be wrapping it up in insulating black electrical tape followed by heat shrink wrappings.
Spoiler:
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10) Electrical tape:
Spoiler:
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11) Heat shrink wrapping, you can use any heat source to shrink it:
Spoiler:
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12) All done!
Spoiler:
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It's done! This section is showing off some pigtails and female USB mounts.

1) Female pigtail:
Spoiler:
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Spoiler:
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2) Mounting the female USB onto the board:
Spoiler:
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This is a magnetic microUSB cable I sourced, allowing me to attach and detach magnetically.
Spoiler:
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MicroUSB female mounted into a Model F AT.
Spoiler:
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Model M50 with a USB-B female mounted into the case.
2 Pictures of my current collection :lol:
Spoiler:
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Model F XT, IBM 3727, Model F 122
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Credits:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=17458.0
http://www.kbdbabel.org/conn/index.html
workshop-f7/how-to-use-a-pro-micro-as-a ... t8448.html
Last edited by xueyao on 22 May 2018, 17:00, edited 2 times in total.

Mallowpuff

21 May 2018, 11:21

Fantastic guide!! Thanks for writing it up!

User avatar
Iggy

21 May 2018, 11:29

Awesome guide!

Oh, your beamspring has the right shift upside down. Fortunately there's a back-up key right above it.

xueyao

21 May 2018, 11:44

Iggy wrote:Awesome guide!

Oh, your beamspring has the right shift upside down. Fortunately there's a back-up key right above it.
It's actually a selectric shift key, couldn't fit it into the normal way but fits perfectly upside down haha

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

pcaro

21 May 2018, 20:53

Great guide! Bookmarking it now.

User avatar
Wodan
ISO Advocate

21 May 2018, 23:03

Great to have it all in one place! Thanks for sharing, that is reall helpful. Used to do a few mods like this myself and always had to check five different threads for pinouts and firmware stuff.

Edit: my mods were never that good looking. I usually just hotglue the promicro into the case and add a short USB extension cable

User avatar
ScottPaladin

21 May 2018, 23:08

Man, I love that USB-B full size connector. Well done.

RealityCavesIn

22 May 2018, 08:29

Amazing guide! Can this be added to the "Threads Of Interest"-thread?

User avatar
Wodan
ISO Advocate

22 May 2018, 15:16

I would like to add two other helpful threads for IBM conversions:

workshop-f7/ibm-terminal-es-to-us-iso-l ... t9745.html

workshop-f7/ibm-model-f-122-key-termina ... 11102.html

Hope it's appreciated :)

User avatar
hellothere

20 Sep 2020, 00:04

I'm just here to say, "Thank you for this thread." This worked great. I'm going to put up a couple updated parts in a few.

User avatar
hellothere

20 Sep 2020, 00:50

All Amazon links.

ARCELI Pro Micro Atmega32U4 5V 16MHz. $8.
EDGELEC 120pcs Breadboard Jumper Wires. $7.
A micro USB to USB 2.0 cable. $7 for 5.
Electrical tape.. Under $3.50.

Other stuff ...
Soldering iron of your choice with a small tip for electronics. I got a decently reviewed one that was on sale for $70. (Hakko brand is supposed to be the best, but costs $60 more.)
"Helping Hands" / "Third Hand." This one also held my magnifier. $19.
Ginsco 580 pcs 2:1 Heat Shrink Tube 6 Colors 11 Sizes. $7.
If you get the shrink tubing, obviously you need a heat gun of your choice :D. I got mine on special, so $15.

Also, the Pro Micro is tiny. It's about half the length and less than half the width of a sticky note. If you're old and have bad eyes, like me, you'll really want a magnifying lens. If you don't have one, you should probably get your "Helping Hands" with one.

Couple notes:
The guide talks about the "2 & 3" spots on the Pro Micro. These are for "Clock" and "Data." If you connect it to your keyboard incorrectly, the keyboard just won't work. Just swap the wires on your keyboard.

I tested the Pro Micro every time I made any change. A couple of times, I accidentally pulled a cable from the keyboard side. Another time, I found that I put on the electrical tape too tight and that shorted a connection. Just take it slow!

ntv242ver2

31 Oct 2020, 22:38

Hi, how would you deal with the lack of grounding for this mod? I have to do an internal converter for my F XT and it just inputs random characters to the pc, someone pointed out the lack of grounding for my F XT but i don't really know how to incorporate that with this mod.

meceb31556

08 Feb 2021, 19:50

I just wanted to add what fixed the random characters issue for me because it might help others. I've been plagued by this problem for years (it would usually appear in the morning when I started my computer up and then eventually go away after some jiggling/unplugging), and I eventually had had enough of dealing with it and started researching a real solution.

What finally worked for me was to solder the j1 jumper on the pro micro. Afterwards I plugged my Model F in and it started working 100% flawlessly. I couldn't tell you exactly what the problem was, something to do with 3.3v vs 5v power, idk, but it worked.

pandrew

09 Feb 2021, 00:24

Oh, yes

Normally all Sparkfun 5V Pro Micros ship with the J1 jumper shorted.
And all Sparkfun 3.3V Pro Micros ship with the J1 jumper not shorted.
That's not the only difference between them, also:
1) The 3.3V variant has a 8MHz crystal, while the 5V variant has a 16 MHz crystal
2) The 5v variant has an 5V voltage regulator (this is used when powering it from a battery of a higher voltage), While the 3.3V one has a 3.3V regulator which is always used.
So it's not as simple as opening up the J1 jumper to turn a 5V pro micro into a 3.3V one.
Normally in a 5V Pro Micro the J1 jumper is shorted which bypasses the regulator, and the D2 protective diode.
See full schematics here:
http://cdn.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Dev/ ... o_v13b.pdf
What happens if you have a 5V Pro Micro, without J1 shorted, is that you just get a significant voltage drop from the input, through the diode, and the regulator. This is very undesireable. On one non-shorted Pro Micro I have here I'm measuring 4.62V on the output (with the input being 4.99V)
At this voltage the pro micro itself is expected to work fine most of the time, since the atmega32u4 can operate at 16MHz down to 4.5V supply voltage:
atmega32u4_voltages.png
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The cheaper 5V Pro Micro clone manufacturers from ebay/aliexpress/etc pretty much all of them forget to to short the J1 jumper. And they are absolutely wrong about this. And the only reason they have not been forced to short it, is that the pro micro itself kinda works at that voltage!
However trouble comes from many directions:
1) the voltage will not always be above 4.5V. The diode to be used is not specified on Sparkfun's schematics, and someone making a Pro Micro clone could easily choose a diode with a higher forward voltage drop, and bring the voltage below 4.5V. And at that point it won't fail immediately, it will just operate out of spec, and only some devices will fail, rarely.
2) trouble comes when other stuff is being powered off of the bad voltage-dropped 5V line. The diode's forward voltage drop is current dependent, here's a typical diodes forward voltage curve:
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Also, the regulators drop-out voltage is current dependent:
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If you're drawing 500mA, which would be USB maximum, and also depending on diode selection you could drop even 1.7V total across diode and regulator, leading to an output voltage of 5V - 1.7V = 3.3V.
The atmega32u4 chip works at 3.3V but not with a 16MHz crystal, at that voltage it's only specified up to 8MHz, so it will likely fail in this condition.
Also trouble can come from whatever else you are powering not having enough voltage (i.e. your keyboard).
And also if current consumption keeps changing, then the supply voltage will vary as well!

So I hope I convinced everyone reading this, that:
You should short J1 on ALL 5V Pro Micros*

* The only exception I have heard of, is that some split keyboards, using QMK, are kinda relying on the wrongly-built ebay/aliexpress pro micros, because the way they are determining which side of the keyboard is slave, and which one is master, is by looking for the presence of voltage on the VBUS pin of the atmega32u4. And if J1 is not shorted, then only the half-keyboard that has been plugged into USB has any voltage on VBUS. If I had one of these keyboards I would try to change the firmware to not use VBUS detection, or if that is not an option, then I would mod the Pro Micros in the following way: 1) change D2 diode to a very low forward voltage schottky diode (it might already be a schottky on some Pro Micros, just not the lowest possible) 2) short RAW pin to VCC pin, so you bypass the drop on the voltage regulator.

* What I have written above only applies to Pro Micros, and ebay/aliexpress clones that are direct copies of the original Pro Micro schematic. I have not studied in detail other boards, that are promicro-inspired, or the footprint is Pro Micro -compatible. They might not even have a J1 jumper after all. Those cases should be studied independently.

User avatar
hellothere

04 Mar 2021, 00:07

Here's another thing that might help.
4) When you plug in the Pro Micro, Windows should see a COM device under device manager, the exact COM port differs for everyone
Just remember the COM number.

Now, leave Device Manager open and in a place you can see it. Do steps 5 through 7. You'll see the COM port change VERY quickly. Write down that number.

Because you now know the COM port you really need, type in that long command line with that new COM port number, short the jumpers and immediately press enter. Works like a charm.

----------------

Thing 1: Because I always forget, here are the pinouts for a variety of Model Ms.
Spoiler:
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Thing 2: Because I also always flip my data and clock wires on the Pro Micro, here are a couple pictures.
Spoiler:
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C4 and C5 are marked on the PCB. They're yellow. I think they're capacitors. I used the colors from the diagram under "Thing 1." The specific PCB pic is from a terminal Model M 101 with the RJ45 connector.
Last edited by hellothere on 19 Sep 2021, 02:08, edited 1 time in total.

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hellothere

28 Aug 2021, 16:58

As I have need of this thread today, I wanted to mention that I saved this thread in the Internet Archive. It's at https://web.archive.org/web/20210828145 ... s+beginner

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hellothere

22 Nov 2021, 03:45

Because it's essentially the same thing, let me mention Soarer's WYSEverter. My patient is a WY60 ASCII 840338-01 with a 4P4C connector, which some folks call an RJ-11. Please note that you should read Soarer's thread if you don't have the same connector or KB. You will also need to use the firmware from that thread.

Why you'd want to do this: this WYSE and some older ones have vintage Cherry MX black switches. I'm not a fan, but there are a lot of folks that are. Also, the WY60 has a really nice slim, but thick plastic, case with a heavy metal mounting plate, so great build quality. Finally, the keycaps are gorgeous. I had to retr0bright mine to see the full glory: the alphanumeric main block ("the white keys") are double-shot white with dark blue legends. The grey keys also have double-shot dark blue legends. Follow that up with yellow arrows on the nav block. Take a look at this pic from the Wiki. Fantastic.

Why an external adapter? That's because the case is a little too small to fit in an internal adapter. I think I probably could, but I really don't want to mash anything.

Parts required: Same stuff as a Soarer's, but don't necessarily buy wires. Buy these 4p4c blocks. $3.24 for a 10 pack. Description, for if the link dies: "Modular Cable Telephone Cable P + 616E 4P4C RJ 11 Female Jack Phone Connector Wire 5 cm." Yup. A jack with wires. Short wires.

The wire colors on the above 4P4C jack I list above match the wire colors on the exactly. Here's what they're mapped to:

Black: Data (#2 on the ProMicro)
Red: VCC (+5V)
Green: Clock (#3 on the ProMicro)
Yellow: GND

This is also left to right at the keyboard connector:
Spoiler:
Not mine. From https://forums.lawrencesystems.com/t/wy ... to-usb/168
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Here's teh connector:
Spoiler:
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carrot090

20 Aug 2022, 20:55

Hi, sorry to revive this thread but I am having issues getting this working. I have the wires plugged into the right places, the micro is recognized by windows as the converter, but when i press keys nothing works. Sometimes, when plugged in it will keep on typing one character but this occurs randomly.

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snacksthecat
✶✶✶✶

20 Aug 2022, 23:16

What keyboard is it?

carrot090

21 Aug 2022, 02:23

its a model f xt

carrot090

23 Aug 2022, 21:25

snacksthecat wrote:
20 Aug 2022, 23:16
What keyboard is it?

is the light supposed to red / is the raw hole supposed to be soldered like in the guide?

User avatar
hellothere

20 Jan 2023, 21:51

You can build a Soarer's with an Elite-C!

I bought one here. They were $15, on sale. Normal price is $18.

Pinout:

GND: third hole on the right side
VCC: fourth hole on the right side
Data: fifth hole on the left side (D1)
Clock: sixth hole on the left side(D0)

So, slightly different places than on a Pro Micro.

How do you progam it? Pretty easily:

* Download the Soarer's Converter and extract the files to someplace you'll remember.
* Download and install QMK Toolbox from here. The links are at the bottom of the page.
* Launch QMK Toolbox.

1. In Windows, you might be prompted to install the driver kit. It might start automagically. If not, install it manually. It's under the Tools menu.
2. Click the Open button and search for your Soarer's Converter hex file. It should be called Soarer_at2usb_v1.12_atmega32u4.hex
3. Under MCU (AVR Only), choose ATmega32u4.
4. Check the box that says Auto-Flash.
5. Connect the Elite-C.
6. ???
7. Profit.

* I'm assuming you could also flash the Elite-C to QMK. I don't know if you need pull-up resistors for that.
* IIRC, I read that TMK isn't compatible with the Elite-C.
* Of course, the big reason to do this, other than because the "real" Pro Micro is no longer made, is so you can have USB-C goodness and a cable socket that won't pop off if you sneeze at it.

I've done this all of two times, so I'm not an expert.

User avatar
Muirium
µ

21 Jan 2023, 13:18

Following your link to the store: I see they have their USB pins broken out. YES! I may well have to switch to these. I find fitting USB ports is always the fiddliest part of any converter job. Thanks for the tip. :D

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Maledicted

22 Jan 2023, 04:02

It isn't like type c is very durable either. Better than micro USB ... but what isn't? Globbing some high temperature hot glue (strong, easy to work with but easily removable with some isopropyl alcohol) around the micro USB connector will make it much stronger than type c anyway, and the knockoff pro micros cost a lot less.

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Muirium
µ

22 Jan 2023, 13:19

Depends what you’re trying to do. If, like me, you prefer a neatly located socket on your converted keyboard instead of a permanently fixed cable dangling out a hole, then read on.

Why I’m excited about broken out USB pins is because it saves a lot of hacking and space just to hook up a USB extension cable inside a keyboard. Sometimes you can get away with a straightforward USC mini/micro (I usually use Teensies which are mini) to female USB cable, concentrating your effort on securing the female end in place somewhere useful as an external socket. But other times there’s just not room for that around the Teensy, and that’s when exposed pins really, really help. Previously, I had to murder such wires to hack them down to size, which is hairy and stupid with such small pins and inner cables. Direct exposed breakouts are so much better! I have one such project that’s been waiting a while and will try one of these over a Teensy.

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Maledicted

23 Jan 2023, 01:27

Muirium wrote:
22 Jan 2023, 13:19
Direct exposed breakouts are so much better! I have one such project that’s been waiting a while and will try one of these over a Teensy.
Can't disagree with that, I just don't think it is worth more than twice the price to me, but it sounds like you're routinely paying more than these cost anyway. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Trying to tap into USB traces on a Pro Micro is a major pain, but at least there are resistors your can solder to for the data signals. I just broke a micro USB connector off on accident the other day.

Broken micro usb Pro Micro.jpg
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Looks like the Pi Pico also breaks them out ... which may actually even help me soon if I end up trying to stuff one into a tiny Magicforce case.

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Muirium
µ

23 Jan 2023, 12:27

I got all my Teensies long ago at a bargain price, when I ran a group buy. Still got one or two left, but yes my remaining projects need something smaller.

In fact: what is *the smallest* Soarer's compatible project board with broken out USB pins? I've a couple of really tight jobs which could benefit from something half a Teensy's area or less.

Nice pic inside your project box, by the way. A nicely socketed Soarer converter box is one of the very best places for a project board with breakouts. I need to redo mine someday. My (thankfully hidden) hatchet job to hook USB lines into the Teensy is finally turning flaky, and I won't put up with that. Time to redo it proper.

Image

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Maledicted

24 Jan 2023, 08:01

I have no idea if they make any Pro Micros smaller than the usual ones myself. It would be nice if there were some with no usb connector at all.

Nice converter you have there. What are all of the ports on it? Mine's just the standard 5-pin Din and a big reset button in the smallest box I thought I could stuff everything into, since I don't own any boards that can't either use an off-the-shelf ps/2 adapter or a separate ADB adapter otherwise. I did always think about trying to make some kind of monstrosity with every possible port, or just make adapters.

Whenever I have to do a really finicky tap into really tiny pads and/or fragile traces I glob high temperature hot glue on everything so there's no stress on it. With that box I just drilled out the hole I previously had for micro USB (which was also fine until I dug it out of its hot glue entombment) to fit a female aviator connector since I have made a few cables and mounted the same connector on a good number of boards. You can swing things over your head by those suckers.

Good luck fiddling with your USB taps.

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User avatar
Muirium
µ

24 Jan 2023, 12:01

I made my converter almost a decade ago, now. Back then I had a couple of RJ45 terminal Model Ms (since sold), and this proof of concept could not last for long:

Image
viewtopic.php?f=62&t=6407

That weird port, plus DIN and PS/2 made an obvious trio for a nice converter box. Soarer himself encouraged me to make it, as his converter handles all of them, so I did, with a USB B port on the final side to complete the look. I still like the feel of that box in hand, with its sturdy, handsome knob…

Yeah, definitely got to fix it. I found out it was flaky recently when I hooked it up to my just acquired Focus FK-555. Denial! Motivation! :lol:

User avatar
Sheepless

24 Jan 2023, 13:01

A chunky metal box with a big switch does look the part alongside a vintage keyboard. Really needs an old-school embossed Dymo label to complete the look.

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