Could someone please tell me if A1200 keyboard can work with A600 motherboard?

ImmortalA1000 · 04 February 2018, 03:23

I have a spare A1200 case and keyboard and a pretty yellowed spare A600 with damaged keyboard so I was wondering if not only the socket for the keyboard connector is the same number of pins but also if you could physically connect an A1200 keyboard to an A600 motherboard it would be recognised and work correctly with the number pad?

It's one of those google searches that are hard to pin down exactly what you want in the results without using quotes.

emufan · 04 February 2018, 04:57

maybe not the same, look here on amiga.org

Code:

I am trying to find a ZIF connector where I can plug an A600 or A1200 keyboard.
I know the A600's is 30-pin and the A1200's is 31-pin.

same info on amibay, someone sells 30-pin A600 and 31-pin A1200 connectors.

kipper2k is working on a universal keyboard adapter for A500/A600/A1200.

grelbfarlk · 04 February 2018, 05:18

Or you could buy one of these USB keyboard adapters for A600/A1200

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wireless-fa...0/172642765068

IanP · 04 February 2018, 07:06

In a short sighted move Commodore used a 30 pin connector on the A600 instead of the 31 pin connector used for other Amiga keyboards. So the "row" selection signal for most of the numeric keypad group of keys is not available on the connector. Pin 31 on the A1200 is the Caps Lock LED signal and as this is still needed on the A600 it is shifted to pin 4, this is the pin used for most of the numeric keypad group on the A1200. They also used a different order for all the remaining "row" selection signals but the same set of pins. The columns and individually scanned keys use the same pins on both keyboards.

I don't know if they assigned a spare pin on the A600 keyboard controller and included the firmware to scan the non-existent numeric keypad or stripped them out.

I say it was a short sighted move to use a different connector as the saving can't have been much and including it would have allowed them to use the same motherboard in an "A900" with a full keyboard. One of the biggest criticisms of the A600 on release was the cut down keyboard. So it was no surprise that the A1200 went back to using a full keyboard. As others have shown it would have been possible for commodore to fit the A1200 in an A600 size case but the trapdoor expansion space would have been limited.

idrougge · 04 February 2018, 12:45

They still wouldn't have been able to use the A600 motherboard in another case since it has connectors on both the left and right sides.

idrougge · 04 February 2018, 12:48

You could get a new keyboard membrane for your A600, though: https://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/de...Membranes-3265

kolla · 05 February 2018, 06:22

You can use an A500 keyboard controller (which takes 31pin zif of an A1200 keyboard) and wire it onto the CIA chip of the A600, don't recall which one of them.

04 February 2018, 03:23	#1
ImmortalA1000 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: london/england Posts: 403	Could someone please tell me if A1200 keyboard can work with A600 motherboard? I have a spare A1200 case and keyboard and a pretty yellowed spare A600 with damaged keyboard so I was wondering if not only the socket for the keyboard connector is the same number of pins but also if you could physically connect an A1200 keyboard to an A600 motherboard it would be recognised and work correctly with the number pad? It's one of those google searches that are hard to pin down exactly what you want in the results without using quotes.

04 February 2018, 04:57	#2
emufan Registered User Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: #DrainTheSwamp Posts: 4,545	maybe not the same, look here on amiga.org Code: I am trying to find a ZIF connector where I can plug an A600 or A1200 keyboard. I know the A600's is 30-pin and the A1200's is 31-pin. same info on amibay, someone sells 30-pin A600 and 31-pin A1200 connectors. kipper2k is working on a universal keyboard adapter for A500/A600/A1200. Last edited by emufan; 04 February 2018 at 05:05.

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04 February 2018, 05:18	#3
grelbfarlk Registered User Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: USA Posts: 2,118	Or you could buy one of these USB keyboard adapters for A600/A1200 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wireless-fa...0/172642765068

04 February 2018, 07:06	#4
IanP Registered User Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Bristol/UK Posts: 157	In a short sighted move Commodore used a 30 pin connector on the A600 instead of the 31 pin connector used for other Amiga keyboards. So the "row" selection signal for most of the numeric keypad group of keys is not available on the connector. Pin 31 on the A1200 is the Caps Lock LED signal and as this is still needed on the A600 it is shifted to pin 4, this is the pin used for most of the numeric keypad group on the A1200. They also used a different order for all the remaining "row" selection signals but the same set of pins. The columns and individually scanned keys use the same pins on both keyboards. I don't know if they assigned a spare pin on the A600 keyboard controller and included the firmware to scan the non-existent numeric keypad or stripped them out. I say it was a short sighted move to use a different connector as the saving can't have been much and including it would have allowed them to use the same motherboard in an "A900" with a full keyboard. One of the biggest criticisms of the A600 on release was the cut down keyboard. So it was no surprise that the A1200 went back to using a full keyboard. As others have shown it would have been possible for commodore to fit the A1200 in an A600 size case but the trapdoor expansion space would have been limited.

04 February 2018, 12:45	#5
idrougge Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Stockholm Posts: 3,982	They still wouldn't have been able to use the A600 motherboard in another case since it has connectors on both the left and right sides.

04 February 2018, 12:48	#6
idrougge Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Stockholm Posts: 3,982	You could get a new keyboard membrane for your A600, though: https://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/de...Membranes-3265

05 February 2018, 06:22	#7
kolla Banned Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Trondheim, Norway Posts: 1,899	You can use an A500 keyboard controller (which takes 31pin zif of an A1200 keyboard) and wire it onto the CIA chip of the A600, don't recall which one of them.

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