A recent lot aquisition = Unitron U-2200 (Keyboard needed)

10 posts / 0 new
Last post
Stargeezer's picture
Offline
Last seen: 1 week 2 days ago
Joined: Aug 4 2020 - 12:06
Posts: 145
A recent lot aquisition = Unitron U-2200 (Keyboard needed)

Hi all:

I recently purchased a lot of Apple equipment the seller bought at an estate sale.  The lot includes so very interesting items, including a couple of Apple II+ machines, some Apple II+ componentless motherboards, prototyping peripheral cards, several home-grown peripheral cards of unknown function, 4 x floppy II drives, 2x HDD, joy sticks, paddles, Grafax cards, and the most curious item of all, a Unitron U-2200.  I had NO idea what that was until I started doing some research.  So, I am now on the hunt for a U-2200 keyboard or a way to emulate one with a modern keyboard and via an Arduino or the like.

I would welcome any input from people with U-2200 experience or any ideas on how to solve this. 

Also, if you have any interest in some of the items like peripheral cards, let me know.  I might be up for some trades.

Cheers,

 

mark

Offline
Last seen: 2 years 5 months ago
Joined: Mar 31 2020 - 19:55
Posts: 848
It should be a standard

It should be a standard chinese clone style KB, such as used on Beltron and the like. I would need to see photos of the mainboard in the Unitron, but a standard ][  style KB would probably work, less number pad and special key functions. 

 

The main difference is that it connected via a cable that ran through the side of the case. AFAIR, it was not modular? Photos of the case side and the mainboard are required to help further. 

Offline
Last seen: 1 day 1 hour ago
Joined: Apr 26 2016 - 08:36
Posts: 727
The U-2200 had a detached

The U-2200 had a detached keyboard and finding one of those in the wild is near impossible.

See the picture here

In the 80s there were clone style detached keyboards available (I have one with a coiled cord terminating in a DIP-16 connectr for direct connection to the II+ motherboard)

 

Anyway, it's a curiosity for sure - Unitron Taiwan made a lot of clones in all sorts of flavours.

Your best bet in the short term might be to build a PS-2 keyboard adapter (there are several designs out there including a really simple one made of a PIC controller) and usi it that way until you can find a more permanent solution.

 

Sometimes keyboards come up for sale, and you could maybe 3-D print a keyboard case for it to solve your problem more long term.

 

Stargeezer's picture
Offline
Last seen: 1 week 2 days ago
Joined: Aug 4 2020 - 12:06
Posts: 145
U-2200 Keyboard

Thanks.  I am attaching some photos of the system.  It hasn't been cleaned yet but does boot and display.

 

Any guidance is appreciated.

 

Stargeezer's picture
Offline
Last seen: 1 week 2 days ago
Joined: Aug 4 2020 - 12:06
Posts: 145
I like the PS-2 suggestion

I will start Goolging; however, do you have any specific builds you'd recommend?

I do have large format 3D printing facilities occasionally available to me by way of my son at university.  (If they ever go back)

Offline
Last seen: 2 years 5 months ago
Joined: Mar 31 2020 - 19:55
Posts: 848
Looks to be a DA-15 port. I

Looks to be a DA-15 port. I need to see the logic board under the PSY, as the PSU is covering the actual connector. A standard ][+ KB wiukd work, but you would need a shell for it. A ][+ to PS/2 converter would work here, but you should not get the special functions, lowercase, or other stuff that the normal KB offered. 

Offline
Last seen: 1 day 1 hour ago
Joined: Apr 26 2016 - 08:36
Posts: 727
Fairly standard looking

Fairly standard looking motherboard so there's probably an adapter cable running from the 16 pin DIP socket on the motherboard's keyboard connector to the external D-style connector.

If that's the case the PS/2 keyboard project would work or a spare II+ keyboard in a pinch.

 

Stargeezer's picture
Offline
Last seen: 1 week 2 days ago
Joined: Aug 4 2020 - 12:06
Posts: 145
You are correct sir!

I checked the motherboard. The ribon cable, from the D-connector, goes to the typical Apple keyboard socket.  It was hiding under the power supply.

I think I'm going to go the route of building a PS-2 adapter.  @willegal has a great project here https://www.willegal.net/appleii/appleii-kb-int.htm

To preserve the "purity" of the Unitron, I'll adapt Mike's board to the D connector on the U-2200.

 

Offline
Last seen: 1 year 7 months ago
Joined: Dec 11 2022 - 17:09
Posts: 1
A recent lot aquisition = Unitron U-2200 (Keyboard needed)

Hey Mark,

I actually have one of those keyboards, I had a U-2200 system back in the early 80's with a CPM co-processor card installed too!  Unfortunately the computer itself is long gone but I kept that keyboard!  Still looking for one?

 

Rob

Offline
Last seen: 6 months 1 day ago
Joined: Apr 9 2022 - 17:05
Posts: 58
.

Well that's super neat. I hope this keyboard can re-unite with it's long-lost family

Log in or register to post comments