The lockdown has proven the perfect excuse to upgrade my SX32 system. The pièce de résistance has been the addition of the SunRace industrial keyboard which is the ideal colour and with a few stickers looks like it was designed for the CD32!

The only problem is it's a mini keyboard with the Num Pad overlapping onto the letter keys. While being used with a PC the Num Lock key is easily pressed and the letters are enabled. However, on the Amiga CD32 using the AUX port and an Eyetech adapter for PC PS2/AT keyboards the Num Lock is stuck on and the only way I can disable it is by holding down the function key! The Num Lock key seems to be mapped to '(' rather than the actual Num Lock function!

Any ideas to switch off Num Lock or should I fuse the function key so that it's always on?

Last edited by BigD on 04-Jun-2020 at 09:17 PM.

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@Thread

Ok, so the function key is now wedged with a insulated wire and 'Tank Tape' and covered with vinyl stickers so it doesn't look like a bodge job. Strange that a key as important as Num Lock isn't hard wired for that purpose but I guess the way PCs vs Amigas handle keymaps is inherently incompatible and that the Keyrah and the Eyetech adaptor that I use are work arounds rather than perfect keyboard converters.

Oh well, at least it works and definitely looks good. It's a shame that the CD32 licensed keyboard wasn't produced in larger quantities but it was really too big to match the tiny games console!

Another weird fact is that the Help key is mapped to Page Down! Again, nothing a vinyl sticker can't fix

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@Thread

The arrow keys are not being mapped correctly and it seems the command for Left Arrow isn't mapped to any key presently (though left and right arrows are mapped to up and down currently).

I used to use Edimap to remap keys but it crashed when I used it with OS 3.9 yesterday. Is there a better program to remap keys?

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@Thread

Ok, I've swapped around the physical arrow/cursor keys to match the default keymap but am still missing a left arrow input! Not really sure how to remap this to an unused key through OS3.9.

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@Thread

I guess it'll remain as a kludge then I guess the Keyrah wouldn't have these issues but that's an extra £30 and in this economy not worth it IMHO.

I thought a software keymap editor for OS3.9 might do the job but I have little knowledge of whether the Cursor/Arrow keys can be remapped. In Edimap (it's in french so I might have missed something) I don't think that it is possible. Sad.

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@BigD

Does the rest of the keyboard work normally at all? It sounds a bit messed up. IIRC the AUX port on the CD32 is designed to connect an AT type keyboard?

Okay so this is a PS/2 keyboard? And you have a PC PS/2 to AT adapter? That should be it. Don't know if Amiga mini-DIN to DIN keyboard adapters exist.

The first Amiga you can't plug an actual Amiga keyboard into. Is that right? They didn't provide a switch?

@Hypex

Yeah, it's a PS2 keyboard attached via an AT to PS2 adapter and an Eyetech adapter (AT female to the AUX port and extra cable to the SX32 board) with Amiga keys automatically mapped to F11 and F12 keys. Since it's a mini industrial type keyboard the Fn (Function key) seems to switch between the numerical keyboard and the normal letter function of the keys on the right hand side of the keyboard. I have wedged the Fn key down with Tank Tape and it works ok but I could really do with a 'Left Arrow' call mapped to the left arrow key! Is this possible in software?

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@Hypex

Quote:

The first Amiga you can't plug an actual Amiga keyboard into. Is that right? They didn't provide a switch?

There's a jumper to select between a PC and Amiga keyboard on the SX32 and the extra wire to the PC keyboard (clock timing data I think) is only required if it is a PC keyboard.

I'm using this keyboard because it looks like it could have been designed for the CD32! In practise though it definitely isn't But hey at least it works with the BigD Tank Tape fix (minus a left arrow key)!

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@BigD

I see I had my information mixed up. Which isn't clear without seeing the manual. But according to my research the AUX port is Amiga keyboard compatible. And includes pins for serial as well. An Amiga A4000 keyboard is said to plug right in.

Ok so, then you have PS/2 board to PS/2-AT adaptor to AT-Amiga adaptor to AUX CD32? That's a casacde of layers there. Jumper set to Amiga?

Got an old AT PC to can check it with?

Guess you can't plug the PS/2 board right in the AUX port and switch it to PC mode?

What if you just use the PS/2 board to PS/2-AT adaptor to AUX CD32?

Quote:

But hey at least it works with the BigD Tank Tape fix (minus a left arrow key)!

LOL!

I found apps that can read codes and remap keys. But not easily. I don't know of anything else. I read recently reading up on keymaps and they don't tend to support remapping special control keys like cursors.

http://aminet.net/package/dev/c/KeysPlease
http://aminet.net/package/util/misc/EditKeys163

@Hypex

Quote:

Got an old AT PC to can check it with?

You joke but it is actually replacing an AT PC Keyboard which is full size and works without compromise including the cursor keys! This is an issue of a mapping the special cursor keys and the Num Lock really. Both I guess are not remappable with keymap software which normally focus on a $, #, or £ being in the wrong place IMHO.

Why, why, why is the Num lock ON by default? If it was stuck off that would be fine

Last edited by BigD on 11-Jun-2020 at 11:53 PM.

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@BigD

[SPAM removed]

Last edited by _Steve_ on 25-Jun-2020 at 07:13 PM.

@ilamariya

PLEASE DON'T CLICK ON ilamariya's LINK ABOVE!!! HE IS A SPAMMER!

I don't think that cannabinoids are the solution to a keyboards problem

I would have reported your post if the Report / Abuse button was working!

Calling any Mods remaining to ban this joker!

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@BigD

This Eyetech adapter you have, is that external or internal? I'm afraid I've never owned a CD32 or an SX32 so didn't exactly know what was connected. I've seen these devices but that's all.

So when you said Eyetech keyboard adapter I thought you had some kind of external conversion box. I just found out Eyetech made the SX32 and some PS/2 adapter so it can be plugged directly into the AUX port. Or it looks like.

Also, I thought there would be more CD32 people around here, who have faced these problems.

Quote:

Why, why, why is the Num lock ON by default? If it was stuck off that would be fine

Actually, I think this is normal. IIRC, on an actual Amiga, the keypad will function with numbers normally.

Compare an Amiga with a PC keyboard, on the keypad. I have a PC one with NumL / * - on top. An Amiga keyboard has the programmer keys as I call them. With ( ) / * on it. By comparison the Mac keyboard I am using has NumL = / * more like the Amiga.

On the Amiga, shifted, you get NumL, ScrL, blank and PrScn on top. On my PC keyboard NumL is exactly where ( and NumL is on the Amiga keyboard.

Your SunRace is harder to deal with.

Have you tried Fn + NumL to turn it off to no go?

Or Shift + ( ? Though that might be hard. And it needs to come from the keypad.

Pity it maps Amiga to F11/F12 as that looks awkward. I suppose keyboards in those days didn't have the Windows key. Or the logo keys as I call them.

@Hypex

Quote:

So when you said Eyetech keyboard adapter I thought you had some kind of external conversion box. I just found out Eyetech made the SX32 and some PS/2 adapter so it can be plugged directly into the AUX port. Or it looks like.

It's an external adapter for the AUX port to an AT keyboard (I've now plugged in an AT to PS2 adapter for the new SunRace Keyboard). It looks very custom like Eyetech used to make them for order. I've tidied it up by wrapping it in a static proof ram bag and spray painting the wires black rather than the issue grey!

I've tried Fn + NumL but NumL seems mapped to ) so no go

The F11 & F11 situation doesn't bother me but the lack of left cursor key and the Fn 'BigD Tank Tape Fix' is quite annoying

I guess some sort of £35 Keyrah adapter for the CD32 would sort all this out but for that I should have gone for the USB model?

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@BigD

I have never owned an SX32 but I had a couple of Promodule's over the years - they used an AT connector, worked well. The promodule with a black bezel FDD looked awesome!

_________________
Amiga A1200, 3.1 ROMs, Blizzard 1230 MKIV 64MB & FPU, 4GB DoM SSD, Workbench 3.1

@A1200

Yep, most of the CD32 expansions were good though in my experience the SX-1 was flaky in regards to power when I attempted to max it out with Fast Ram and an internal Hard Drive.

I've had no problems with the SX32 hardware itself but the SunRace PS/2 keyboard is proving problematic compared to the original AT keyboard that I was sold by Special Reserve. It was part of my Power Amiga CD Bundle (with SX-1 and CD32) bought as our main family computer many years ago and still works but is quite yellow and very 'PeeCee' unlike the CD32 colour scheme SunRace

... and that direction that I took was only because A1200s were not widely available in 1995!

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@BigD

Quote:

It's an external adapter for the AUX port to an AT keyboard

Is that the one that internally connects the clock line to the SX32?

Quote:

I've tidied it up by wrapping it in a static proof ram bag and spray painting the wires black rather than the issue grey!

That would match nicely. I once painted the grey cable black for some SCART adapter I made up. Unfortunately it wasn't dry by that night and some guy at the Amiga club got his hands all sticky.

Quote:

I've tried Fn + NumL but NumL seems mapped to ) so no go

I forgot. What about Shift + Fn+ NumL? My logic being that NumL is opposite to "(" but may not work. If ")" is next to it.

Quote:

The F11 & F11 situation doesn't bother me but the lack of left cursor key and the Fn 'BigD Tank Tape Fix' is quite annoying

That Fn keyboard does sound annoying.

Quote:

I guess some sort of £35 Keyrah adapter for the CD32 would sort all this out but for that I should have gone for the USB model?

Perhaps. It is based on a newer standard. I don't know if it maps the Logo keys to Amiga keys. I've not had one to test AFAIK. But check this out. Would this be a good match?


What I use on my X1000.

@Hypex

Quote:

Is that the one that internally connects the clock line to the SX32?

It's the very same

Quote:

What about Shift + Fn+ NumL? My logic being that NumL is opposite to "(" but may not work. If ")" is next to it.

I don't quite follow the logic regarding "(" and ")" but I'll try it Shift + Fn+ NumL. The keyboard in question is featured on the YouTube Video link below.

YouTube - SunRace as a CD32 Keyboard

Thanks for your input.

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@Hypex

I've had no luck with the shortcuts that you've mentioned I've managed to fully depress the Fn permanently using a cut wooden piece to push down the sensor, tape holding the mechanism down and an elastic band holding a 5p piece in place over the key to apply constant pressure!

Q. Bodge job?
Ans: Yes, but now I have a fully functioning CD32 Keyboard apart from a left arrow key! For games you tend to be able to get away with just up, down and right arrow keys but flight sims would be out (they weren't any good on the numpad-less A600 either)!

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@BigD

Quote:

I don't quite follow the logic regarding "(" and ")" but I'll try it Shift + Fn+ NumL.

On an Amiga keypad NumL is on the "(" key at top left. So Shift+"(" would be NumL. Same place as PC keyboard but shifted to activate.

Quote:

The keyboard in question is featured on the YouTube Video link below.

Nice logo. It does match. But he doesn't talk about how he can use it or any problems.