VT131 needs keyboard help

From: Pete Turnbull <pete_at_dunnington.u-net.com>
Date: Mon Jan 28 14:47:14 2002

On Jan 28, 12:26, Christopher Smith wrote:
> 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?

I gave away my VT131 a few weeks ago so I don't know :-(

> 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 keyboard is the same as that for a VT100. There are more setup
options, but the only significant difference is that the sticker on the
underside has more places to record them :-) My VT131 actually had a
VT101 keyboard.

> 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.

Maybe a Plessey terminal? I had two which looked just like a VT100 from
the outside, but had different (Plessey-made) logic inside, and
incompatible keyboards.

> 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?

I vaguely remember something like a flashing "4" in the top corner of my
VT131 if the keyboard wasn't connected. Maybe not exactly that, but
something of the sort.

-- 
Pete						Peter Turnbull
						Network Manager
						University of York
Received on Mon Jan 28 2002 - 14:47:14 GMT

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