Broken controller on Dell AT102W Keyboard

[tlt]

I have tried to clean and mod two Dell AT102W keyboard (found in the trash) both seemed to be working when a got them bot now they are both dead . I changed the switches in one of them to Matias tactile and started to test it out some with a cheap ps/2 to usb converter on my Macbook Air and on my PC. It started to have strange behavior like random character thrown in while typing or key stroke randomly starting to repeat without me even touching the keyboard. So I opened it up again and looked throw all the soldering and cleaned the PCB once more. Still problems so I swapped the controllers between boards and tried again and it worked!... for a little while than I put it in the Macbook Air with the cheap converter and now it's dead too ... . I have tried to replace the capacitors since then but that didn't help. I think this combination of hardware is the problem but it could also be me killing the controller with ESD. I have used the same converter with a Model M in the pc and that has been working fine but now I'm scared that the converter is dangerous.

Have anyone else had the same kind of problem? Advice or theories about how to not break old ps/2 keyboard when plugging them in to USB. Recommendations or warnings of converters. And have anyone got a spare Silitek controller? (I'll check the part number to night)

EDIT: the Silitek controller has part number: kkmpa80604

[Daniel Beardsmore]

The earth/ground wire is connected correctly, right? I always have trouble remembering what I was supposed to do with it when reassembling a keyboard.

[tlt]

I think so, have to double check.

[beltet]

I have tried to clean and mod two Dell AT102W keyboard (found in the trash) both seemed to be working when a got them bot now they are both dead . I changed the switches in one of them to Matias tactile and started to test it out some with a cheap ps/2 to usb converter on my Macbook Air and on my PC. It started to have strange behavior like random character thrown in while typing or key stroke randomly starting to repeat without me even touching the keyboard. So I opened it up again and looked throw all the soldering and cleaned the PCB once more. Still problems so I swapped the controllers between boards and tried again and it worked!... for a little while than I put it in the Macbook Air with the cheap converter and now it's dead too ... . I have tried to replace the capacitors since then but that didn't help. I think this combination of hardware is the problem but it could also be me killing the controller with ESD. I have used the same converter with a Model M in the pc and that has been working fine but now I'm scared that the converter is dangerous.

Have anyone else had the same kind of problem? Advice or theories about how to not break old ps/2 keyboard when plugging them in to USB. Recommendations or warnings of converters. And have anyone got a spare Silitek controller? (I'll check the part number to night)

EDIT: the Silitek controller has part number: kkmpa80604

I have used that usb->PS2 converter myself(but bought it on kjell)on the same keyboard without any problem.
When you changed the capacistors did you use the right value on capacitors?
Can it be driver problem with MacOSX? Tested in windows?
The only way I know to destroy the controller with the adaptor is that PS2 + and gnd has been swapped. Look up the polarity for ps2 and mesaure with a multimeter. But I bealieve thats a remote possibility with factory assembled converter.
Hope that you get it to work, it's a nice board.

[tlt]

I have tested the keyboards in a pc with a regular ps2 port and one of them makes the computer not even post and the other just does nothing. the Converter works fine with my model M and I have only used the original cables of the keyboards so I haven't swapped the polarity. I might trouble shout some more but I'm close to give up on them now.

[beltet]

I have tested the keyboards in a pc with a regular ps2 port and one of them makes the computer not even post and the other just does nothing. the Converter works fine with my model M and I have only used the original cables of the keyboards so I haven't swapped the polarity. I might trouble shout some more but I'm close to give up on them now.

To bad.. Maybe you can make a new controller with a teensy? Not sure how hard or easy it is. hasu has made a firmware I believe.

[tlt]

I made keyboard controllers with Atmega32u4 chips before so I have some idea of how much time it would take me and I don't think want to fix them bad enough to do it. The might also be to few pins on a teensy or similar board depending on how matrix is made, the original controller has really a lot of pins.