OT: Source for industrial keyboards?

I'm looking for a couple of keyboards to retrofit old machines. my requirements:

1) PS2 interface 2) EASY to clean. They will be in a dusty atmosphere, and it should be a simple wet-wipe to clean them - that means a flat surface with no dust traps. 3) prefer a stainless steel housing, but that's not absolutely required.

Any suggestions?

Reply to
rangerssuck
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Have you searched for keyboard covers. There are many available for putting over standard keyboards of various designs and they can be removed for easy cleaning as required.

Reply to
David Billington

I have, and as a last resort, something like that could work. I'd really prefer to use a flat surface because then I could also make a custom overlay with the common operational keys in different colors.

Reply to
rangerssuck

I'd recommend getting a USB card before you lay out good cash for an old-stock PS/2 part. There'll be more keyboard/mouse/etc. options if you do. (ignore this recommendation if your OS is Win95 or earlier...)

Reply to
whit3rd

Not an option. Th OS is DOS.

Reply to
rangerssuck

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I tried a different brand of rubber keyboard that didn't work for long.

--jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

But does the BIOS support USB?

I just shut down this 2004 laptop and then F12-booted it into DOS7 (from Win98) from a USB flash drive made bootable with the HPUSB program, then executed a few DOS and DOSKEY commands from the external USB keyboard. The FAT-formatted DOS flash drive shows up as C:

I've been booting to DOS to work on a QBASIC program that reads and writes to my APC UPS via the serial port. The USB mouse works in the QBASIC editor but the scroll wheel does nothing.

So far my program reports back the battery voltage and the load wattage, and the compiled .exe runs under XP. Soon it should be saving the data in a file.

--jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

There isn't even a USB port on the machine.

Reply to
rangerssuck

It's been 15 yr since quit the consulting gig; haven't kept up w/ what they're doing with the old systems in the coal-fired plants that are about as dusty as it gets but know they are still using the systems...

We used a lot of Advantech stuff back then altho didn't see a membrane keyboard in the quick look probably worth checking with them directly.

At the time was getting out, a group of folks knew of got dissatisfied with their former employer and form a new outfit in Atlanta...

Reply to
dpb

"The Machine" may not exactly cut-it as a description. Does it look like it has any more input ports? Like for VGA so you can see what you're programming on-screen? Or for LAN, HDMI or for Audio/Mic connections?

Or are you just planning to install an operating system?

Reply to
mogulah

it has any more input ports? Like for VGA so you can see what you're progra mming on-screen? Or for LAN, HDMI or for Audio/Mic connections?

"The Machine" is an embedded PCXT, built in the late-1980s. It has two seri al ports, one VGA port one parallel port and one 5-pin DIN keyboard port. N o USB, no LAN, no audio. no mouse. It has MS-DOS installed along with its a pplication program.

I have successfully run the application under freedos, and when the embedde d PC croaks, I WILL be able to run on newer hardware. I would do that now, but the certification process is huge (this is in a pharmaceutical plant), and the less that changes the better.

I have ordered a couple of these

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keybords, and I think the y'll do the trick, as long as I can fit a custom legend under the silicone cover. We'll know in a couple of days.

Reply to
rangerssuck

There is a glass keyboard available made by Bastron. For sale on Amazon from $109 to $180. It would certainly be easy to wipe off. Here is a link:

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Eric

Reply to
etpm

The PC/XT keyboard was a different data rate than the AT/PS2/USB keyboards. A lot of AT keyboards will not work on the PC/XT class computer. Also, some Heath/Zenith keyboards were not compatible with anything else.

I still have at least one XT/AT keyboard with a switch on the bottom to select the mode.

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

I currently have a couple hundred AT, PS2 and USB keyboards to test and give away. :(

The PC/XT version with the five pin DIN plug is a collectable for the people who rebuild and keep PC or XT computers. Look at the prices on Ebay. :(

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

[ ... ]

And the keyboard for the Wyse which work got a bunch of (PC/XT clones, sorta) had something like a 13-pin DIN connector. And was also where I first saw the infamous error message "Keyboard missing, press any key to continue." :-)

I had (until it was subjected to a fire) a Northgate keyboard which I particularly liked because of the feel of the keys. It had two switches on the bottom.

1) Selected between XT and AT mode -- and with adaptors (5-pin DIN to Mini-DIN) would work with the later systems too. At least until the systems started showing up with only USB connectors. 2) Interchanged the "Control" and the "Caps Lock" keys (making me happier, because I'm used to using programs which heavily use the Control key -- mostly in unix/linix systems.) However, my wife did not like it -- because the two keycaps were of different shapes, so they could not be interchanged to match the switch-selected behavior. :-)

There are a number of these on eBay at the moment -- some with the keycaps as I prefer them and some with the word-processing setup instead (more common PC layout). Apparently the switches have been moved inside on some -- under the maker's label on the top left corner. And some come with the PS/2 connector and some with the XT connector.

If you were able to use a USB keyboard, there is one which is made for hospital use -- totally rubber covered and washable, but the one example I have has some of the keys a bit less sensitive than I would prefer.

Enjoy, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

Not around here. They want $10 for used, untested keyboards that are dirty, sticky or missing keycaps. Needless to say most people aren't stupid enough to buy them. I've seen 25 ear old computers that they want $100 for, and the hard drive has been removed. They only hire idiots, with no clue as to what the equipment is worth. I used to have to travel to Orlando for parts, and there was only one place I found that sold used computer parts and systems for reasonable prices.

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

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