VT131 needs keyboard help

From: Christopher Smith <csmith_at_amdocs.com>
Date: Mon Jan 28 12:26:38 2002

Another weekend project of mine has been working on a VT131
terminal. The terminal seems to work fine when receiving data.

The terminal always powers up with a "4" in the corner
(keyboard error?). Typing characters on the keyboard will give
no response from either the terminal, or the system to which
it's connected. The lights flash (all at once), and the speaker
beeps when power is applied to the terminal. No lights are ever
activated afterwards, though.

Having taken apart the keyboard, it does have an empty socket for
a DIP. Anyone know what this is?

Is it possible that this is a "lookalike" keyboard? Did DEC make
different models for different VT100 terminals -- were they
compatible? If this is an authentic DEC keyboard, will it be
marked as such somewhere? If so, how?

The key layout _looks_ like VT100, but...

The reason I'm asking about the brand is that there was another
terminal at the junk yard, completely trashed, which looked like
a VT100, but had a completely different branding. I forget the
brand right off, but I'm afraid I may have picked up the keyboard
for the dead terminal, and that it may not be compatible at all.

Failing a way to positively identify the keyboard, are there any
common modes of failure along these lines?

Also, I'm guessing at this point that the terminal is in good shape.
Does anyone know where to get a keyboard?

Chris

Christopher Smith, Perl Developer
Amdocs - Champaign, IL

/usr/bin/perl -e '
print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl Hacker.")."\x08!\n");
'
 
Received on Mon Jan 28 2002 - 12:26:38 GMT