From owner-freebsd-questions Sun Apr 20 12:21:02 1997 Return-Path: Received: (from root@localhost) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.8.5/8.8.5) id MAA07621 for questions-outgoing; Sun, 20 Apr 1997 12:21:02 -0700 (PDT) Received: from obie.softweyr.ml.org ([199.104.124.49]) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id MAA07601 for ; Sun, 20 Apr 1997 12:20:57 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from wes@localhost) by obie.softweyr.ml.org (8.7.5/8.6.12) id MAA07857; Sun, 20 Apr 1997 12:24:55 -0600 (MDT) Date: Sun, 20 Apr 1997 12:24:55 -0600 (MDT) Message-Id: <199704201824.MAA07857@obie.softweyr.ml.org> From: Wes Peters To: grog@lemis.de (Greg Lehey) CC: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: weird cable In-Reply-To: <199704150201.LAA00629@papillon.lemis.de> References: <199704141141.VAA27032@genesis.atrad.adelaide.edu.au> <199704150201.LAA00629@papillon.lemis.de> Sender: owner-questions@freebsd.org X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk grog@lemis.de writes: > Michael Smith writes: > > Christoph Haas stands accused of saying: > >> On Mon, 14 Apr 1997, Michael Smith wrote: > >> > >>> If you want to _interface_ it, then you are going to have to write your > >>> own keyboard interface driver, and you will need a logic/RS-232 level > >>> inverter. > >> > >> So a SUN uses a simple RS232 interface to attach its keyboard ? > > > > Yup, like many sensible workstation vendors, a real, async serial > > protocol. None of this clocked bidirectional two-wire sync crap 8) > > Wouldn't this make it more appropriate to connect to a serial port, > then? That way you'd save on the logic glue. Not quite. I think it's more like a multi-drop RS422 serial bus, since the mouse, keyboard, and other devices are all plugged into it, with the mouse always being last since it has only *one* port. The specs for the "Sun Desktop Bus" are essentially the same as the "Apple Desktop Bus", I've heard the two are even somewhat compatible. I've never tried it myself; my Sun type 5 keyboard would certainly make my old Mac LC-II at work more livable. ;^) I believe Sun publishes specifications for the SDB, have you tried contacting them or poking around www.sun.com for more information? -- "Where am I, and what am I doing in this handbasket?" Wes Peters Softweyr LLC http://www.xmission.com/~softweyr softweyr@xmission.com