Lost Mac Plus keyboard cord

[CharlieFrown]

Hi, seems that it's lost. I've seen one on eBay, but considering shipping costs there's no way I am paying $40 for a simple cord! 

I am aware of arduino solution, but I just want to use my Apple keyboard. Any way I can modify telephone cord?

Charlie

 

[bibilit]

Hi Yes,

You can modify a phone cord, one is straight, the other twisted, don't remember which is which.

 

[CharlieFrown]

the only thing I found is this pinout. 

 

[chu-oh]

I can take a photo of both ends of mine if it helps. 

 

[techknight]

Yea you might want to take a picture. I do know if you plug in the cable that is wrongly pinned, it will FRY the keyboard. 

 

[Compgeke]

Mac Plus is a straight through cable and a telephone has crossed wires. With a 4P4C connector and crimp it's easy to make a new cable.

 

[Dog Cow]

I made a post in your WTB topic before I saw this topic. I will repeat what others have said: you can make your own keyboard cable in about an hour's time as long as you have: scissors, soldering iron, and a telephone handset cord.

You just cut the cord in two, then reverse the wire connections. You'll see they're colored, so just flip one side of the cut cord around and solder it back together. I'm going to write an entry on doing this in my Mac 512K blog pretty soon; I did it myself about 3 or 4 weeks ago.

Once you do this, the cord won't work on the telephone anymore. That's the only downside. ;-)

 I do know if you plug in the cable that is wrongly pinned, it will FRY the keyboard. 

Not true. Neither the Macintosh nor the keyboard will be harmed. Look at the pinout in Inside Macintosh.

I tried it out before I cut the telephone cord, and it will not harm the Macintosh or the keyboard. All that happens is that nothing happens. ;-)

 

[techknight]

Then you can explain that to the dead keyboard I have from doing this way back in the day. 

 

[unity]

I am not aware of damage to the keyboard, the old tech notes say the controller on the motherboard is what gets fried. There is no mention of the keyboard being damaged but I suppose its possible.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Dumb@## Apple for not using a world standard(?) pinout! Don't solder, find a cheap crimper and a blister pack of RJ-11 Connectors.

 

[sstaylor]

The Dead Mac Scrolls lists two different chips in the keyboard that can be killed by using a telephone cord.

 

[techknight]

Well the dead one I have, I have been using for parts over the years. Pulling key switches, and buttons. 

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Sorry, not RJ-11, they're handset connectors.

 

[techknight]

Or, you could just go the easy and assured route: 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Vintage-Macintosh-Compatible-Keyboard-Cable-M0110-Cord/352230413805?hash=item52029195ed:g:V~kAAOSwETJaLJ7u

 

[Dog Cow]

Then you can explain that to the dead keyboard I have from doing this way back in the day. 

Static electricity?

I did the deed, I even opened Key Caps and typed on the thing. No keypresses were registered. When I swapped in the correct Mac keyboard cable, now I could type. Mac and keyboard were unharmed.

 

[techknight]

you got lucky, I wasn't so lucky at the time, and no it wasn't static electricity I can assure you of that. 

 

[CharlieFrown]

thanks will prepare a new cable and probe 5v on correct side with my meter, so it should be 4P4C instead of RJ-11? 

 

[tomlee59]

Static electricity?

I did the deed, I even opened Key Caps and typed on the thing. No keypresses were registered. When I swapped in the correct Mac keyboard cable, now I could type. Mac and keyboard were unharmed.

No, not static electricity. As techknight says, you were lucky, plain and simple. You shouldn't assume that everyone else would be as lucky as you.

 

[Dog Cow]

No, not static electricity. As techknight says, you were lucky, plain and simple. You shouldn't assume that everyone else would be as lucky as you.

Or maybe the reverse is true. Maybe we shouldn't assume that using a telephone handset cable will harm either the Mac or the keyboard or both.

How do we know it's not static electricity? I think we need more people to try this and see what happens.