It doesn't hurt to remember that the KIM was, as much as anything, a
demonstration board for the MOS Technology peripherals that were used in it.
It wasn't really intended for a lifetime of use as a computer, so some of
the "features" may need to be babied somewhat. Later vendors of similar
products had to make their demo boards similar enough to compete but either
more feature-rich or less costly. Cutting cost on a keyboard is not always
a good thing, though.
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Hellige" <jhellige_at_earthlink.net>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2001 3:42 AM
Subject: Re: KIM-1 restoration advice sought
> >There are several switch makers that sell keypads that are simply switch
> >arrays which you can hook up however you like. If you look at a few
switch
> >makers' catalogs, perhaps you can find what you need and then connect the
> >switch matrix to match what's on the KIM. I've built memory circuits,
etc,
> >for the KIM, but never paid much attention to the KIM itself, hence, I
can't
> >remember anything specific about the keypad, except that it could easily
> >have been better, and could only have been worse with great difficulty.
I
>
> The keys on my VIM-1 are on a single large pressure sensitive
> pad about 1/8 inch thick. Ruuning one's fingers across it, it's
> barely noticable when you cross from one key to another. It doesn't
> seem to be a keypad that would stand up to much use.
>
> Jeff
> --
> Collector of Classic Microcomputers and Video Game Systems:
> Home of the TRS-80 Model 2000 FAQ File
> http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/lakes/6757
>
>
Received on Tue Jan 23 2001 - 11:41:43 GMT