Looking for a female connector for the F122

[j0d1]

Hi! Here is a picture of the F122 male connector (sorry for the VERY poor quality, I will upload a better one when I am at home):

f122_connector.png (200.19 KiB) Viewed 4482 times

This connector is a DIN-5 240 degrees and must ideally be screwed in the female connector. As Orihalcon states for one of his female connectors:

The adapter will work as is, but it will plug in farther and more securely if the screw in shield is removed with a dremel from the original F122 cable.

I would like to avoid this scenario and I would like to avoid modifying the internals of the keyboard.
Therefore my idea is to create an external box with a panel mount connector (not a hard requirement).

I am wondering if someone already went that way and found the ideal female connector for the F122.
Thanks!

[fohat]

The screw part is not really a problem in ordinary use. The mating threaded end actually exists and I have one - it was at the end of a strange Y-connector cable in a dust bin at a salvage store, the only one I have ever seen.

Otherwise, there are several ways to go that don't cost much, if you can wait a few weeks for them to arrive from China via ebay.

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=58 ... msg1348717

[j0d1]

Oh thanks a lot for the link. I asked this question because I want to do exactly what you described in your guide.

I was eyeing the panel mount 240 degree DIN female socket you're showing in your guide so I am very happy to know that I will be able to use that model and it will work with an F122.

Did you consider adding a switch to select which keyboard to read from?

[Phenix]

I know that these female panel mount (or screw-in, fine as well) exist but for some reason I am not able to find them on aliexpress or similar sites:
@j0d1 if you go that route and and that socket can you please link to it?

[j0d1]

@Phenix, I intend to buy this one from Digikey, ~7$CAD. I'll post here (remind me if I don't ) to let people know if this works or not with the F122.

[fohat]

That seems crazy expensive, unless you are in a hurry.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Pcs-Metal-6- ... Swo6lWL7vQ

I never intended to use the box for multiple connections. I know that a motherboard will not recognize more than 1 Teensy, but it would be great if multiple keyboards connected to the same Teensy did not confuse it.

[Darkshado]

Modifying the internals to make an internal USB conversion is completely reversible on the F122: the cable connects to the controller using standard pitch pin header connectors.

Solder headers to Pro Micro, flash your build of TMK, secure a good quality micro USB cable (I've used black Monoprice 24/28 with the ferrite removed) with the existing clamp, use jumper wires to connect your converter to the controller, test, close the case, done.

If you decide to go that route and need a hand PM me.

Darkshado

[zool]

http://www.lumberg.com/en/products/product/KFV ?

[j0d1]

That seems crazy expensive, unless you are in a hurry.

Yes, you're right and I am not in a hurry. I lived 30+ years without a panel mount DIN-5 240 degrees female connector, I can probably wait another month Also, this is not the only component that I need so buying everything on Digikey will be costly in the end.

I never intended to use the box for multiple connections. I know that a motherboard will not recognize more than 1 Teensy, but it would be great if multiple keyboards connected to the same Teensy did not confuse it.

I think it could work to have multiple keyboards share the same Teensy. When configured as a HID device, you plug the Teensy in the computer and the operating system loads built-in drivers automatically.

The wiring from the connectors (DIN-5, PS/2, RJ-45, etc.) to the Teensy would be very similar from what you did, but the PWR/GND wires must be plugged into relays with a switch to select which keyboard receives power from the Teensy.

With the Soarer firmware installed on the Teensy, I think the keyboard must be plugged before the Teensy is powered so an idea would be to reset the Teensy when switching keyboard.

I will to produce a schematic for this idea, if what I'm saying makes sense...

Modifying the internals to make an internal USB conversion is completely reversible on the F122: the cable connects to the controller using standard pitch pin header connectors.

Thanks for the idea and help. For now I want to avoid making internals changes to the keyboard but if what I am trying to do doesn't work, I'll go that route.

http://www.lumberg.com/en/products/product/KFV ?

That looks promising!

[zool]

http://www.lumberg.com/en/products/product/KFV ?

That looks promising!

don't forget the cap : )

Spoiler:

cap.jpeg (32.31 KiB) Viewed 4252 times

double check the cad datasheet and dimensions the thread on the outer ring of the connector if you have the tools to do so. Its a well documented part from Lumberg. ~$7. if you poke around they also have many other options. eg: http://www.lumberg.com/en/products/product/0308

http://www.newark.com/lumberg/kfv-50-6/ ... S%2Fsearch

[fohat]

For now I want to avoid making internals changes to the keyboard but if what I am trying to do doesn't work, I'll go that route.

One easy and cheap way to get a 6-pin (3x2) connector to plug into the existing controller is to use an old IDE cable and literally cut a plastic block of 6 holes of connector off the end, along with a couple of inches of the wires associated with them. Disregard the 2 that aren't needed and connect the 4 that are.

workshop-f7/ibm-model-f-122-key-termina ... ansi%20122

[j0d1]

One easy and cheap way to get a 6-pin (3x2) connector to plug into the existing controller is to use an old IDE cable and literally cut a plastic block of 6 holes of connector off the end, along with a couple of inches of the wires associated with them. Disregard the 2 that aren't needed and connect the 4 that are.

I still have dupont housings, female pins and the cramp tool to make connectors but I would not consider it an easy way like your proposal

Here are better pictures of the connector:

ibm_f122_connector_1.jpg (1.71 MiB) Viewed 4186 times

ibm_f122_connector_2.jpg (803.2 KiB) Viewed 4186 times

ibm_f122_connector_3.jpg (871.27 KiB) Viewed 4186 times

ibm_f122_connector_4.jpg (781.82 KiB) Viewed 4186 times

I am currently fighting Fritzing on Debian 9 but when I win the battle, I will upload a sketch of what I intend to build as a connector box. I am wondering, are there other noticeable connectors that could be useful, alongside:

• 180 degree DIN 5 connector
• 240 degree DIN 5 connector
• mini-DIN 6
• 8P8C modular connector (RJ-45)

[j0d1]

Here is a rough draft of what I want to do:

pcb.png (309.82 KiB) Viewed 4159 times

I don't know how I could reset the micro-controller automatically when switching from one connector to another (ideas?) so my current hack is to simply add another switch to reset the micro-controller. I also intend to use a cheap Pro Micro with the following pitfall:

When a Pro Micro is externally reset (by pulling the RST pin low), it'll only briefly (<750ms) start the bootloader before continuing on to the sketch. If you need the bootloader to run longer, resetting twice quickly will get the Pro Micro to enter bootloader mode for eight seconds.

So switching sources rapidely could have dire consequences.

Another fun addition to the box could be LEDs to indicate which connector is selected.

[Jose]

With a 2 pole selector switch you (probably) don't need to use a second switch to reset the micro. Simply connect the first poles of the switch as you did above and all the second poles to the micro-controller input power. The power interruption when switching should be enough to restart the micro-controller. I'll try to post a circuit of what I described tomorrow and if possible test it out over the weekend.

PS: With a multiple pole switch is trivial to add LEDs indicators for the selected connector

[j0d1]

I think I understand what you mean and for that I must choose a "break-before-make" switch (which I think I would need anyway), which opens the current signal path before closing the new signal path.

[zool]

you could also run the off the selector switch back to the controller, and select the profile you want for each port, but you will need a little code, so...?

also you might have problems with the clk and data being paralleled up? but whats the worst that can happen there, just unplug the offending boards.

[j0d1]

you could also run the off the selector switch back to the controller, and select the profile you want for each port, but you will need a little code, so...?

As far as I know, Soarer disappeared without releasing the source code of his converter so I am stuck with a black box. I can't add code to it easily. I could take the couple of days necessary to re-code everything (is it finally the time that we have an open source Soarer alternative?) but let's face it, Soarer firmware is awesome as it is and just works.

also you might have problems with the clk and data being paralleled up? but whats the worst that can happen there, just unplug the offending boards.

The switch in the design is there so only one keyboard is powered up at a time and therefore only one keyboard uses the CLK and DATA lines at a time. The only potential ( ) problem I see here is that current flows from the CLK/DATA output of the powered keyboard to the CLK/DATA output of an unpowered keyboard... I don't even know if it is possible / makes sense or what I should do to avoid this situation.

[Blaise170]

I still wish Soarer would reappear but as the years go by it seems more and more unlikely. It's a great firmware to be sure, but I'd love to extend it to other protocols. Fortunately Hasu has done a great job with some of the one's that Soarer doesn't have like NeXT and X68K.

[__red__]

I use the Soarer blob with my F122.

How about tmk?
https://github.com/tmk/tmk_keyboard/tre ... rminal_usb