PS2 Keyboards?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
D

Dasda

Senior member
Jan 9, 2010
228
0
76
Do they still make them? I had a scary situation where I could not boot into my PC because of a power failure. So I had to go get one from a friend. I was very lucky a friend had one.

I would like to avoid this situation in the future. Are there any cheap ps2 keyboards available? I would like to get one in the case where USB is not recognized by motherboard.


Thanks
 
R

ripster55

Member
May 4, 2009
65
0
0
Did you check Newegg.ca?

It's about the ONLY reason to keep a PS/2 keyboard around any more. Unless of course you hang around Overclock.net.
 
D

Dasda

Senior member
Jan 9, 2010
228
0
76
ripster55 said:
Did you check Newegg.ca?

It's about the ONLY reason to keep a PS/2 keyboard around any more. Unless of course you hang around Overclock.net.
Click to expand...


Thanks a lot. Forgot to utilize the great interface of the egg site.

Thank You.
 
A

Auric

Diamond Member
Oct 11, 1999
9,596
2
71
PS/2 is actually superior to USB. Also ebay for new-old stock: loads of quality OEM stuff, generally the older the better.
 
B

bononos

Diamond Member
Aug 21, 2011
3,886
156
106
Just get a ps2-usb converter. They used to be common when usb was still new.
 
S

Sheep221

Golden Member
Oct 28, 2012
1,843
27
81
PS/2 keyboards are still sold and computers are again made with PS/2 connectors
 
Synomenon

Synomenon

Lifer
Dec 25, 2004
10,542
6
81
Wish I could power my PC on / cold boot with a keystroke from a USB keyboard. I haven't seen any BIOS or UEFI with that option for USB keyboards.
 
kleinkinstein

kleinkinstein

Senior member
Aug 16, 2012
823
0
0
You can, the hitch is just that you need an "always on" usb port. My old X58 Gigabyte board had this feature. And yes, it was quite convenient. Nowadays, I only see a small spackling of boards with usb 2.0 always on, not yet a 3.0.
 
J

john3850

Golden Member
Oct 19, 2002
1,436
21
81
Synomenon said:
Wish I could power my PC on / cold boot with a keystroke from a USB keyboard. I haven't seen any BIOS or UEFI with that option for USB keyboards.
Click to expand...

I also had at least one pc that starts that way since 1993.
The only problem is the ps2 plugs falls out to easy so I tie back it to another wire.
 
C

C1

Platinum Member
Feb 21, 2008
2,316
77
91
I run an old P4 3.06 ASUS board and I can do with USB whatever can be done with PS2 (eg, boot up, wake up from sleep {remember to press the space bar for this please}, etc).

Suggest the OP inspect their BIOS and OS power and hub settings to ensure that the desired USB capabilities are properly enabled.
 
Zap

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
2
81
Some keyboards have both, for instance many higher end gaming keyboards. My Rosewill mechanical keyboard came with both cables.

Synomenon said:
Wish I could power my PC on / cold boot with a keystroke from a USB keyboard. I haven't seen any BIOS or UEFI with that option for USB keyboards.
Click to expand...

I've seen it in BIOSes. In the past I've experimented and some have not worked. I tried it a couple weeks ago with an ASRock Z77E-ITX board and it powered up just fine (from off, not sleep) using USB peripherals.

ripster55 said:
PS/2 deserves to die.

Only Overclock.net is keeping it alive.
Click to expand...

And gamers. PS/2 allows for NKRO (N-key rollover) while USB allows for a max of 10 simultaneous keys.

N-Key Rollover: What It Is and How To Test Your Keyboard
 
E

Evander

Golden Member
Jun 18, 2001
1,159
0
76
Check out the thrift stores in your area: you'll probably find a whole box of them for $2 each
 
R

ripster55

Member
May 4, 2009
65
0
0
Zap said:
Some keyboards have both, for instance many higher end gaming keyboards. My Rosewill mechanical keyboard came with both cables.



I've seen it in BIOSes. In the past I've experimented and some have not worked. I tried it a couple weeks ago with an ASRock Z77E-ITX board and it powered up just fine (from off, not sleep) using USB peripherals.



And gamers. PS/2 allows for NKRO (N-key rollover) while USB allows for a max of 10 simultaneous keys.

N-Key Rollover: What It Is and How To Test Your Keyboard
Click to expand...

Last time I checked I had 10 fingers.
 
C

Charles Kozierok

Elite Member
May 14, 2012
6,762
1
0
They are still out there.

I am a die-hard Gateway Anykey keyboard user. All of my keyboards are from the early 1990s. :D Nobody has ever made a replacement that can do what it can do.
 
Zap

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
2
81
ripster55 said:
Last time I checked I had 10 fingers.
Click to expand...

The point isn't to press more than 10 keys at a time. It is to guarantee that there isn't any key blocking. That is, most keyboards won't allow certain combinations to be pressed at the same time. NKRO is just a quick specification that tells the discriminating gamer that this is one thing they won't have to worry about in the middle of a frag fest.
 
B

Ben90

Platinum Member
Jun 14, 2009
2,866
3
0
CharlesKozierok said:
I am a die-hard Gateway Anykey keyboard user. All of my keyboards are from the early 1990s. :D Nobody has ever made a replacement that can do what it can do.
Click to expand...
I still haven't ever seen a single program that refuses to accept at least some type of software emulation through AutoHotKey. I guess internal memory might be nice if you need physical access to many machines that don't have VNC, although that just seems like a one in a trillion situation. I'd rather just combine the best scripting software with the best typing keyboard and not have to settle for anything.
 
C

Charles Kozierok

Elite Member
May 14, 2012
6,762
1
0
Ben90 said:
I still haven't ever seen a single program that refuses to accept at least some type of software emulation through AutoHotKey. I guess internal memory might be nice if you need physical access to many machines that don't have VNC, although that just seems like a one in a trillion situation. I'd rather just combine the best scripting software with the best typing keyboard and not have to settle for anything.
Click to expand...

I have my Caps Lock and Ctrl keys remapped on my Anykey.. and the much-more-useful function keys on the left. That's what I can't replace any other way.
 
Synomenon

Synomenon

Lifer
Dec 25, 2004
10,542
6
81
Had to switch from an ASRock Z77E-ITX to an ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe/WD and am already missing the power-on from keystroke option via PS/2 keyboard.

The ASRock had a PS/2 port, but the ASUS does not. The ASUS does not have any options either for powering on via a keystroke from a USB keyboard. It does not have any similar settings at all.
 
I

Insert_Nickname

Diamond Member
May 6, 2012
4,971
1,691
136
Auric said:
PS/2 is actually superior to USB. Also ebay for new-old stock: loads of quality OEM stuff, generally the older the better.
Click to expand...

Damm, I miss my old IBM model M keyboard... :\

(they are getting hard to find with Danish layout...)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom