[rescue] OT: PS2 keyboard isn't ?

[Chris Byrne]

I've had the same problem with my SGI's as well. What I found out was that
the PS2 port on 2 of my 3 O2's, and the coresponding connector was just a
little tiny bit oversized (we're talking like a hairsbreadth). When I used a
standard keyboard I would get intermittent shift errors, sometimes key
doubling, and my function and escape kays would sometimes decide not to
work.

What I think was going on was bad ground to the PS2 port because of the
loosness but I never did figure it out since I sold the O2's

Chris Byrne

----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Rose" <rr at rits.com.au>
To: <rescue at sunhelp.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2001 09:42
Subject: [rescue] OT: PS2 keyboard isn't ?


> Yes, I am a bit confused, let me explain:
>
> I have now owned 2 SGI boxen (Indy and O2) and have noticed that their
> keyboards (both granite) have interoperatability issues that makes me
think
> SGI is streching the "PS2" keyboard spec.
>
> Feel free to skip over the following if you're thinking "yeah, I knew
that,
> why didn't you".
>
> I picked up a Multia (yes, I know you all think they suck, it's my first
> Alpha and I like it) to run OpenBSD on.  I discovered OpenBSD doesn't do
> the serial console thing well on these and the Multia serial ports seem to
> be a bit odd, so I dug out a PeeCee keyboard (compaq) and plugged it into
> my PeeCee monitor : keyboard didn't seem to work.
>
> Over the next couple of days I tried all the PS2 keyboards I could find
> before I resorted to the Indy keyboard, worked a treat.  Hmm...
>
> A few weeks later I sold the Indy after I got the O2 (and made a profit)
> and got a KVM switch to share the 21" monitor with my PeeCee.  The KVM
> switch was one of those "sucks power from the PS2 port" types but didn't
> like the O2 at all, it wouldn't work unless the PeeCee was plugged in and
> strangeness happened like the shift key was stuck on sometimes.  Ever try
> typing in a root password to shut down a box with the shift key stuck
> on?  Not fun.
>
> I then tried to use the Multia again a couple of days later, and the only
> keyboard I could get to work was the O2's granite keyboard.
>
> So now I'm stuck.  I have a KVM switch that doesn't work for what I'd
> bought it for and a Multia that I can't make much use of unless I buy a
> granite SGI keyboard for.
>
> Is this a known thing?  Did DEC and SGI push the limits of the PS2 spec or
> has everyone else not implemented it correctly?
>
> Rob.
>
> PS. Anyone ever seen a Sun power supply have "earth leakage" issues?  My
> garage/computer room circuit is tripping about once a day, the local
> electrical code says we have to have earth leakage detection on the
circuit
> (so I can't aviod it).  I turned my Sparc 10 off and it's been fine for 2
> weeks so far.  It's not load related (the UPS has less than 50% load) and
> the only other thing that could trip it is earth leakage.
>
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