Key Tronic keyboards
Contents
Overview
This page lists examples of Key Tronic keyboards as well as advertisements, datasheets and manuals for the various models.
Encoding
The operator’s guide to model KB5151 (1984) indicates that the keyboard is based around an 8035, a ROM-less microcontroller from the Intel MCS-48 family. This chip is listed as “commercial”, i.e. not specific to Key Tronic. The firmware must therefore live in the 2796 EPROM, Key Tronic part 22-02758-496. By comparison, the KB 5150 operator’s manual gives the chip as an 8748, another MCS-48 chip, but one that includes 8 kB of EPROM capacity. Key Tronic list the 8748 also as “Commercial” (no Key Tronic part number); this appears to be an error as the circuit schematic indicates that the chip must have been factory-programmed.
Examples
The manufacture date format for many Key Tronic keyboards appears to be week number, month, year, e.g. “24-06-89-I” will be week 24 1989 (June), as all such examples check out, except “10-10-85”. “40-10-89-S” will be week 40 1989 (October) and “33-08-88-S” will be week 33 1988 (August). This format is used on the cryptic paper labels typically found on the back of the keyboard, above codes such as S/N (serial number presumably), M/N (model number presumably) and “S/K”, “M/O” etc. The meanings of most of these codes remains a mystery. In the table below, just the year and month are used for such dates. Co-incidentally, even with such a small sample, two unrelated models have the date code “33-08-88-C” and another has date code “33-08-89-S” from one year on.
Example | Switches | Model (M/N) | Date | Serial (S/N) | S,K | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Entrex Data/Scope keyboard | Reed modular replaceable | 1975-12 | 18784 | PCB code 065-01380-001 | |||
Sanders 8170 keyboard | Foam pad modular | 1977-07 | 07077 | PCB code 065-01614-002B | |||
Unidentified unit | Foam pad modular | 1977-11 | 19790 | PCB code 065-01483-002H | |||
Miniterm keyboard (APL/ASCII) | Reed modular replaceable | 1978-07 | 18784 | PCB code 065-01614-002B | |||
Datapoint 1500 terminal keyboard | Foam pad modular | 1981-07 | 23613 | PCB code 065-01483-002H | |||
Unidentified keyboard | Foam pad discrete tall, linear | 1982-06 | 62112 | PCB code A65-02366-251 | |||
Columbia Data Products keyboard | Foam pad discrete 30 mm, linear | 1983-03 | 38721 | ||||
Unidentified keyboard | Foam pad discrete tall, linear | 1983-07 | 24806 | ||||
Hyperion Dynalogic keyboard | Foam pad discrete 30 mm, linear | 1983-09 | 15239 | PCB code A65-02471-001 | |||
Apple Lisa keyboard | Foam pad discrete tall, linear | 1983-09 | 26474 | ||||
Gavilan SC keyboard | Screened contact | ca. 1983–85 | Membrane code 65-02597-201; appears to have dual alternate action switches for the two lock keys | ||||
Unidentified assembly | Screened contact | 1985 | 222031 | PCB code A65-02936-051; PCB marked “D0147RC” | |||
KB 5153 T | Foam pad discrete 30 mm, tactile | KB 5153 T | 1985-10-10 | 4268 | Marked “TDA 132 & 134”; FCC ID CIG8AVKB5153001 | ||
Compaq Enhanced Keyboard | Foam pad discrete 30 mm, tactile | E03390001 | 1988-08 | 6626303000 | USA | FCC ID CNT8AV106288 | |
Westinghouse Canada W1643 | Foam pad discrete 30 mm, linear | E02933051 | 1988-11 | 2385254 | 6609175001 | Key Tronic date is week 33, August 1988 | |
Dell Enhanced Keyboard (KB 101 variant) |
E03418201D | 1989-06 | 584499 | 6622998000 | |||
Model F AT clone | Foam pad discrete 30 mm, tactile | E03091007 | 1989-08 | A079357 | 6606960001 | USA | |
Numeric keypad | Foam pad discrete 30 mm, tactile | E03218051 | 1989-10 | A107091 | 6619051000 | USA | |
KB 3270 or similar (Lynk) | Foam pad discrete 30 mm, tactile | E03159051 | 1991-09 | C913738115 | USA | Label marked KT-122-US | |
Sun Compact 1 GR | Rubber dome | E03613GR | 1994-12 | 0011219-9501000477 | USA | FCC ID CIGE03713 |
Undated examples
Example | Switches | Model (M/N) | Serial (S/N) | S,K | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beehive B100 terminal keyboard | Foam pad discrete tall, linear | Circa 1977; PCB codes 65-01562-002H, 112-1327-0000 H | ||||
Unidentified industrial | Reed low-profile tall | Circa 1990 | ||||
E03600QL-C | Rubber dome | E03600QL-C | J953707950 | Mexico | E03600 family | |
E03601QL | Rubber dome | E03601QL | C935185463 | USA | ||
KB 101 | KB101 | C910927428 | USA | |||
KB101 Plus-C | Foam pad discrete 30 mm, tactile | KB101 PLUS-C | S963007774 | USA | FCC ID CIGKB101PLUS |
Documentation
- Model L1696 datasheet (March 1979) (extracted and re-tagged from a PDF from Marcin Wichary of unknown origin)
- P2492 keyboard advertisement, Computer Design, May 1982 (scanned by Bitsavers)
- KB 5150 Operator's Manual including schematics, 1983 (scanned by Bitsavers)
- KB5151 Operator’s Manual including schematics, 1984 (scanned by the National Museum of American History Library)