PTKUBUNTU asks:
I have an i-ball multimedia keyboard and all its wires are broken.
I am trying to determine which wires belong to which solder joint, but haven’t been very successful. The keyboard circuit has 4 pin-outs: Ground, Data, Clock, CC. Also,the PS/2 connector has different color wires! They are red, yellow, brown and white.
Can you tell me which wires should I solder on which pin-out, o that my keyboard can work again?
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PTKUBUNTU,
were you able to fix your keyboard?
Mine i-ball laser mouse’ wire had also been cut down by some bad animal.I don’t know how to get it fixed.Currently using a i-ball laser mouse but sometimes doesn’t works.
Unfortunately there has never been a standardized color code for PS/2 devices. Basically they could use a different color setup within every production cycle of the keyboard.
Unless you can open the PS/2 connector and see which wire goes to which pin there is nothing you can do about it.
Personally I suggest to look for another damaged keyboard within your family, friend circle, neighbors or maybe the next computer store (maybe they have some damaged one lying around) – open it up, note down which wire goes to which pin-out and then use this PS/2 cable on your keyboard.
For what it’s worth you can find the pin description and common color codes on Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS/2_connector#Color_code
I agree that fixing the keyboard would be cool & less expensive than buying a new one but let me give you a fair warning: PS/2 is a very delicate port. A not properly connected device – let a lone wrong wiring – can not only fry your PS/2 port but there is a chance of damaging the mainboard itself.
Wouldn’t it be easier and faster to just buy a new keyboard, and recycle the old one?
To re-use is better than to recycle. And if it can be fixed, why waste it? It might be perfectly alright, except for a ripped cable, which can be fixed easily if you know how. Hence the question…
I actually think it’s very cool that someone wants to take the time to repair something rather than to trash it and buy something new!
If it can be easily repaired, for less than the cost of replacing it, that would be preferable. Unfortunately, the cost of repairing electronics often exceeds the cost of getting a new one; thus the suggestion recycle it, not trash it.