Tipro KM128A PS/2 - Can I rip out the controller?

[Sidle]

On paper, these keyboards are awesome, 128 programmable keys, 4 layers, beep, delays in keypresses etc. But that damn PS/2 connection, and Tipro's abuse of the PS/2 port makes reprogramming it impossible unless you have Windows XP and a PS/2 port on a computer.

Is it possible to rip out the controller and put in a new one, and then use some existing, more open programmable software? It feels like a shame to waste the Cherry MX blacks.

[Wodan]

There are tons of KM128 with USB Controller
But yeah, being tied to an old WinXP machine with a native PS/2 port for programming is such a drag.

[Sidle]

You're right, there are lots of KMX 128's with USB, but sadly I don't have one, I instead have a few PS/2's versions given to me. So I was hoping I could do something with them

[Lanrefni]

You can reprogram them with Changeme running under 32 bit Win 10,and you can do that while booting from a flash drive. As far as the controller goes if it's anything like my Tipro made Cherry RC128BM the controller is soldered to the same pcb as the switches,I've been tempted to pull the pcb entirely and hand wire it to use QMK.

[Sidle]

Ouch, this sounds painful. I have a VMWare machine running an old XP and I can use the keyboard normally with a PS/2 to USB converter, but I don't have access to a computer with a PS/2 port so I'm ultimately screwed as ChangeMe can't detect the keyboard.

I'm guessing, even if I could add a controller like a teensy, adding the additional things (the layer lights, the beep) would be an additional nightmare?

[Lanrefni]

Ouch, this sounds painful. I have a VMWare machine running an old XP and I can use the keyboard normally with a PS/2 to USB converter, but I don't have access to a computer with a PS/2 port so I'm ultimately screwed as ChangeMe can't detect the keyboard.

I'm guessing, even if I could add a controller like a teensy, adding the additional things (the layer lights, the beep) would be an additional nightmare?

I keep a piece of crap Emachines EL-1200 in a box for things like that,toss an Athlon X2 4050e in it and it will run Windows 10 just fine no need to bother with XP,might cost you $40-50 on Ebay for both.

[Sidle]

...might cost you $40-50 on Ebay for both.

Yep, I have an old laptop somewhere that I haven't tested - it'd take me months to find the power brick though! It hurts because I could buy a USB one for about £40. I thought maybe it'd be fun to do something with these.

I've opened them up, and it is is just one board

Could I junk them out for parts? If so how much (I'm in the UK)

[Sidle]

As a side question, the back of the Tipro board has 2 sets of 7 header pins sticking out, and one set of 9 pins. What could these be for? 14 * 9 isn't quite 128!

[kelvinhall05]

As a side question, the back of the Tipro board has 2 sets of 7 header pins sticking out, and one set of 9 pins. What could these be for? 14 * 9 isn't quite 128!

I think they're for addons like card readers. I know my Cherry RC128BM came with one.

[Sidle]

ah, of course, msr etc! thanks

[kelvinhall05]

As for OP's question, I have a Cherry RC128BM which is a KM128A just with Cherry branding. I've used wintousb to clone my VM to an external hard drive, and then I just leave it dangling out of the back of my PC which the Tipro is plugged into. It is slightly annoying that I have to reboot to program it, but it works super well and the software isn't *that* bad.


I think that as long as you have a PS/2 port on the PC you want to use it on, it's a good buy.

[Sidle]

It is if you have a native PS/2 port, unfortunately I don't!

[kbdfr]

On paper, these keyboards are awesome, 128 programmable keys, 4 layers, beep, delays in keypresses etc. […]

Not just on paper
My daily driver is a staggered Tipro (MID, the older range) with a 8x8 unit coupled on either side.
I have been using it for years, first with a PS/2 controller, then with a USB controller I was lucky enough to get.

There’s virtually nothing I can’t program on a single key, be it the Latin transcription characters of Arabic texts ("Abū Ǧaʿfar al-Manṣūr"), the middle-of-the-line dot used in French gender neutral words ("les coordonnateur·rice·s officiel·le·s), or macros like "print the current page" or "insert notepad content in 7th field of database page, start search and show ’name of author’ in the results".

See to it that you get a Tipro board with a USB controller, it’s absolutely worth it.

[Sidle]

Yeah, I'm blown away by what you can program on them and am dying to use them! Don't you find the blacks are too heavy to use to type daily on?

[kelvinhall05]

On paper, these keyboards are awesome, 128 programmable keys, 4 layers, beep, delays in keypresses etc. […]

Not just on paper
My daily driver is a staggered Tipro (MID, the older range) with a 8x8 unit coupled on either side.
I have been using it for years, first with a PS/2 controller, then with a USB controller I was lucky enough to get.

There’s virtually nothing I can’t program on a single key, be it the Latin transcription characters of Arabic texts ("Abū Ǧaʿfar al-Manṣūr"), the middle-of-the-line dot used in French gender neutral words ("les coordonnateur·rice·s officiel·le·s), or macros like "print the current page" or "insert notepad content in 7th field of database page, start search and show ’name of author’ in the results".

See to it that you get a Tipro board with a USB controller, it’s absolutely worth it.

Is it possible to program keys to output single keypresses that aren't otherwise used on a normal computer? I want to set it up to open certain programs when I press certain buttons.

[Sidle]

On paper, these keyboards are awesome, 128 programmable keys, 4 layers, beep, delays in keypresses etc. […]

Not just on paper
My daily driver is a staggered Tipro (MID, the older range) with a 8x8 unit coupled on either side.
I have been using it for years, first with a PS/2 controller, then with a USB controller I was lucky enough to get.

There’s virtually nothing I can’t program on a single key, be it the Latin transcription characters of Arabic texts ("Abū Ǧaʿfar al-Manṣūr"), the middle-of-the-line dot used in French gender neutral words ("les coordonnateur·rice·s officiel·le·s), or macros like "print the current page" or "insert notepad content in 7th field of database page, start search and show ’name of author’ in the results".

See to it that you get a Tipro board with a USB controller, it’s absolutely worth it.

Is it possible to program keys to output single keypresses that aren't otherwise used on a normal computer? I want to set it up to open certain programs when I press certain buttons.

autohotkeys?

[kelvinhall05]

Not just on paper
My daily driver is a staggered Tipro (MID, the older range) with a 8x8 unit coupled on either side.
I have been using it for years, first with a PS/2 controller, then with a USB controller I was lucky enough to get.

There’s virtually nothing I can’t program on a single key, be it the Latin transcription characters of Arabic texts ("Abū Ǧaʿfar al-Manṣūr"), the middle-of-the-line dot used in French gender neutral words ("les coordonnateur·rice·s officiel·le·s), or macros like "print the current page" or "insert notepad content in 7th field of database page, start search and show ’name of author’ in the results".

See to it that you get a Tipro board with a USB controller, it’s absolutely worth it.

Is it possible to program keys to output single keypresses that aren't otherwise used on a normal computer? I want to set it up to open certain programs when I press certain buttons.

autohotkeys?

I'm gonna have xbindkeys running on my computer, so I've got that part solved. My problem is finding keys that aren't used for anything and use those as program launch keys, know what I mean?


Is it possible to type f13-f24 without a keyboard that can type it? Are they otherwise used on a normal computer?

[Sidle]

Is it possible to type f13-f24 without a keyboard that can type it? Are they otherwise used on a normal computer?

Might be best to start a new thread.

[Sidle]

I read somewhere on here, or the other site, that the PS/2 controller has been fudged to get it into USB. Does anyone know more about this?

[kbdfr]

[…] Is it possible to program keys to output single keypresses that aren't otherwise used on a normal computer? I want to set it up to open certain programs when I press certain buttons.

You can program any decimal Unicode character, but there's a more direct way to open programs (or switch between them).
The "Properties" of (e.g.) the desktop link to the program you want to open has a "Shortcut" field for you to define.
You can then program a Tipro key with the shortcut, done. I use that all the time.

[…] Is it possible to type f13-f24 without a keyboard that can type it? Are they otherwise used on a normal computer?

Not sure whether this generally applies: https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forum ... =vbgeneral