USB keyboard into PS/2 port

  • Thread starter Thread starter GT
  • Start date Start date
G

GT

A post the other day about USB keyboards and accessing the BIOS started me
thinking... I have a USB keyboard, which I have been using for many months
now and all is well. Problem is that when I want to boot and enter the BIOS,
I have to plug in my old PS2 keyboard direct to the PS2 port on the PC. I
don't have a setting in my BIOS that allows me to enter the BIOS with a USB
keyboard - the keyboard is not recognised/loaded until after the POST is
complete.

My USB mouse came with a little green converter that allows me to convert
the USB end of the cable into a PS2 connector. I hunted round and found
another, thinking it would convert my keyboard's USB connection into a PS2,
but alas it doesn't work - keyboard does nothing during or after POST. Is
this a problem with the adapter, computer, keyboard, or is this just not
possible with a USB keyboard?

Keyboard serial number is KUS0103 and appears to be unbranded. Was a cheapy
from Dabs IIRC.

Googling on this results in loads links to PS2/USB adapters, but going the
wrong way - they all convert old PS2 cables into USB. Incidentally, these
adapters cost more than a new keyboard, so I don't really see the point!
 
A post the other day about USB keyboards and accessing the BIOS started me
thinking... I have a USB keyboard, which I have been using for many months
now and all is well. Problem is that when I want to boot and enter the
BIOS, I have to plug in my old PS2 keyboard direct to the PS2 port on the
PC. I don't have a setting in my BIOS that allows me to enter the BIOS with
a USB keyboard - the keyboard is not recognised/loaded until after the POST
is complete.

My USB mouse came with a little green converter that allows me to convert
the USB end of the cable into a PS2 connector. I hunted round and found
another, thinking it would convert my keyboard's USB connection into a
PS2, but alas it doesn't work - keyboard does nothing during or after
POST. Is this a problem with the adapter, computer, keyboard, or is this
just not possible with a USB keyboard?

Keyboard serial number is KUS0103 and appears to be unbranded. Was a
cheapy from Dabs IIRC.

Googling on this results in loads links to PS2/USB adapters, but going the
wrong way - they all convert old PS2 cables into USB. Incidentally, these
adapters cost more than a new keyboard, so I don't really see the point!
Click to expand...

I've got my usb keyboard plugged into the PS2 port via a purple adapter that
came with the keyboard and it works in the BIOS screens.

Like this one ...
http://weship2world.com/products/store5/agora.cgi?p_id=SG28143&ppinc=search2
 
JeffTex42 said:
...

I've got my usb keyboard plugged into the PS2 port via a purple adapter
that came with the keyboard and it works in the BIOS screens.

Like this one ...
http://weship2world.com/products/store5/agora.cgi?p_id=SG28143&ppinc=search2
Click to expand...

I wonder if the wiring in the purple (keyboard) adapter is different from
the wiring in the green (mouse) adapter. Either that, or Grinder is right -
the keyboard has to be up to the job of working through an adapter - my
keyboard did not come with an adapter.
 
GT said:
I wonder if the wiring in the purple (keyboard) adapter is different from
the wiring in the green (mouse) adapter. Either that, or Grinder is right -
the keyboard has to be up to the job of working through an adapter - my
keyboard did not come with an adapter.
Click to expand...
The keyboard has to be designed to work with both PS2 and USB for those
simple adapters to work. The two are very different and only those items
that came with the simple adapters will work. The active converters that
I've seen are the reverse. They allow PS2 items to be used on USB ports.
 
I wonder if the wiring in the purple (keyboard) adapter is different from
the wiring in the green (mouse) adapter. Either that, or Grinder is right -
the keyboard has to be up to the job of working through an adapter - my
keyboard did not come with an adapter.
Click to expand...


It's my understanding that the keyboard has to be specifically designed
to work with one of those tiny tot adapters.
Click to expand...

all my usb keybs have supported ps2 (my luck, or his bad luck?)
(small usb to ps2 adaptor)

but ps2 ones don`t support usb, hence the bigger adaptors
(ps2 to usb adaptor)

Note though, quality varies amongst the little usb-ps2 adaptors!!
I have some relatively large green ones. They are picky, they worked
fine in one computer`s usb ports but not another`s.
Some small red ones work fine in any comp, and a small purple one i
think would`ve worked fine in any of my comps.

The green ones i had were cheap on ebay. I stupidly bought about 5 of
them. I didn`t realise they were not well made.

red ones were a bit expensive, about 5 UKP each from maplin, though
maplin are expensive anyway.

This could resolve the problem. You may have the same badly made green
ones that I had.

This is really basic troubleshooting. If you only have one, and if you
do not try different machines, - and i`d even try different usb
keyboards - then you have not done proper troubleshooting and you
should not use that as data to jump to conclusions. You`ve posted
before illustrating improper troubleshooting, or no troubleshooting at
all, or a completely flawed hopeless philosophy.
Like a guy who posted - it might have been you, about how to advise a
friend on how to connect a network together. Somebody responded
telling him what to plug into what, and you he effectively said yipee,
he was overjoyed. Anybody else would call their ISP and/or Router
manufacturer tech support the first time they do it, and then they
know how. And then they may call them for other specific reasons.
That`s the standard primary way.
And troubleshooting does require superfluous equipment. But you
cannot be a techie otherwise.
 
On Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:15:00 -0700,
"(e-mail address removed)" <[email protected]>
wrote:

Note though, quality varies amongst the little usb-ps2 adaptors!!
I have some relatively large green ones. They are picky, they worked
fine in one computer`s usb ports but not another`s.
Click to expand...
... This could resolve the problem. You may have the same badly made green
ones that I had.
Click to expand...


I'm not convinced those bought of ebay are necessarily
indicative of a widespread problem with others, particularly
larger green adapters.

It's definitely possible the adapter is flaky, but all those
I've had worked fine, providing the keyboard really was
USB/PS2 dual compatible. If it's a really cheap keyboard, I
would suspect that is part of the reason why it isn't dual
compatible, but at this point it would seem best to buy
another keyboard, since they don't last forever anyway...
always handy to have a spare or two or three if you have
multiple systems.

Another possible option is to find the appropriate bios
modification tool to see if a setting to enable USB keyboard
support is hidden/disabled in the bios and enable it. While
this is a rare situation, it's also becoming rarer that
there is no USB keyboard support at all in a semi-modern
bios, but the board manufacturer will decide which default
settings are used and which settings are hidden from the
user.
 
@yahoo.co.uk" <[email protected]>
wrote:



I'm not convinced those bought of ebay are necessarily
indicative of a widespread problem with others, particularly
larger green adapters.

It's definitely possible the adapter is flaky, but all those
I've had worked fine, providing the keyboard really was
USB/PS2 dual compatible. If it's a really cheap keyboard, I
would suspect that is part of the reason why it isn't dual
compatible, but at this point it would seem best to buy
another keyboard, since they don't last forever anyway...
always handy to have a spare or two or three if you have
multiple systems.

Another possible option is to find the appropriate bios
modification tool to see if a setting to enable USB keyboard
support is hidden/disabled in the bios and enable it. While
this is a rare situation, it's also becoming rarer that
there is no USB keyboard support at all in a semi-modern
bios, but the board manufacturer will decide which default
settings are used and which settings are hidden from the
user.
Click to expand...

have you ever had a usb keyboard that did not work with your adaptors?

I have really cheap usb keyboards, horrible ones, but they "just
happen to" support ps2. They didn`t say they did in the advert.
 
have you ever had a usb keyboard that did not work with your adaptors?
Click to expand...

yes, some generic thing I don't recall the name of, and a
pretty nice Gateway 2000 keyboard. Otherwise, I don't
know if some others will or won't, because when I need a PS2
capable keyboard I just grab one that I already know works
with PS2 by native plug or the adapter.

I have really cheap usb keyboards, horrible ones, but they "just
happen to" support ps2. They didn`t say they did in the advert.
Click to expand...

Quite a few do, probably the majority do, but not all.
 
Back
Top