Apple Numeric Keypad IIe
| Apple Numeric Keypad IIe | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Apple Numeric Keypad IIe | |
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Type | Numeric keypad |
| Price | US$99 (February 1984 price list) |
| Interface | DB-15 cable to the keypad connector inside the Apple IIe |
| Compatible | Apple IIe |
| Predecessor | Apple Numeric Keypad II |
| Model | A2M2003 |
| Part number | 658-4040 (service assembly) |
The Apple Numeric Keypad IIe (model A2M2003) is an external 24-key numeric keypad for the Apple IIe; its FCC identifier, BCG9GRNUMERCPAD2E, dates from 1982.[1] Apple's February 1984 dealer price list gives its suggested retail price as US$99.[2] It replaced the Apple Numeric Keypad II, which needed an interface board between the keyboard and the logic board of an Apple II or II Plus; the IIe keypad's DB-15 cable connects to the IIe through an interconnect cable, Apple part 590-0129.[3]
Design
[edit | edit source]The keypad has 24 keys in a 6 × 4 grid in a rounded ABS case set at a fixed seven-degree angle. The left column has Escape, the left and right arrows and Space; the centre is a numeric pad with a 1.5-unit zero key, a comma and a decimal point; the right two columns have open and close brackets, minus, divide, plus, multiply, Return and Print. The Print key is legended with a question mark, the Applesoft BASIC shorthand for PRINT. The switches are plate-mounted on a simple printed circuit board wired to an 11-pin header and ground, and a single fixed cable ends in a DB-15 connector.[4]
Two versions
[edit | edit source]Two versions were sold under the same model number. The earlier (1982) has Alps SKCC tall black switches and double-shot PBT keycaps with larger white capital legends; the later (1983 onwards) has Alps black cross-mount integrated dome switches and dye-sublimated PBT keycaps with smaller dark legends.[4] The legends tell them apart without opening the case.
Apple's own keyswitch identification chart lists two switches for the IIe keypad: the SMK short-stem switch 705-0075 and the Alps long-stem ("extended") switch 705-0070, which Apple notes is also used in the Macintosh numeric keypad.[3] Examined IIe keypads have so far contained Alps switches.[1]
Apple parts
[edit | edit source]| Part number | Description |
|---|---|
| 658-4040 | Numeric keypad assembly, IIe |
| 590-0130 | Cable, numeric keypad IIe |
| 590-0129 | Interconnect cable, numeric keypad IIe |
| 658-7044 | Keycap set, numeric keypad IIe (replaced by 658-4040) |
| 705-0070 | Alps long-stem keyswitch |
| 705-0075 | SMK short-stem keyswitch |
The revision C character generator ROM
[edit | edit source]Apple's troubleshooting guide warns that the keypad's special function keys (arrows, Return and so on) do not work properly on an Apple IIe that has the revision C character generator ROM, part number 342-0132-C, which Apple first shipped in the IIe after 25 August 1984. Check the ROM at location E12 on the IIe logic board. If it is revision C, Apple's fix is to replace the character generator ROM with another version, such as 342-0132-A or 342-0132-B, and not to replace the logic board.[3] Apple's Tech Info Library article 883, "Apple IIe and the Numeric Keypad: Some problems", covers the same fault.[1]
This fault looks like a failed keypad. Check the ROM before opening the keypad.
Troubleshooting and repair
[edit | edit source]Apple's troubleshooting guide starts by confirming the fault with the keyboard test on the Dealer Diagnostic diskette. Its module-swap steps were written for the Keypad II and its interface board (see Apple Numeric Keypad II).[3]
To open the keypad, remove the four screws on the bottom: two exposed at the rear and two under the rubber feet at the front.[4] The switch matrix is wired straight through to the DB-15,[4] so a meter is enough: check continuity from a key's switch to the DB-15 pins with the key held down.
Modern use
[edit | edit source]Because the X/Y matrix is brought out on the DB-15, the keypad can be converted to USB without modifying it, using a DB-15 breakout and an ATmega32U4 board. QMK has a converter profile for it, converter/numeric_keypad_IIe.[4]
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- Apple Numeric Keypad Technical Procedures (Apple II/IIe): troubleshooting, disassembly, parts list and keyswitch identification.
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Apple Numeric Keypad IIe", Deskthority wiki (community wiki, a secondary source): model A2M2003, FCC ID BCG9GRNUMERCPAD2E (1982), introduced 1983, Alps SKCC Tall Black and Alps integrated dome switches.
- ↑ Apple Computer, dealer price list dated 15 February 1984, "Apple // Miscellaneous Accessories", page 3 of 8 (PDF p. 5): A2M2003 Numeric Keypad //e, US$99.00; A2M0056 Numeric Keypad II+, US$139.95. Hosted as File:Apple Dealer Price Lists February 1984.pdf.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Apple Computer, Numeric Keypad Technical Procedures (Apple II/IIe), rev. Sep 85, from Apple Service Technical Procedures: Archived Products Volume Two (072-0231). Troubleshooting guide p. 1.3 (rev. Oct 84); Assembly/Disassembly pp. 1.6-1.7; Illustrated Parts List pp. 2.2-2.3; Appendix A, keyswitch identification, p. A.1. Hosted as File:Apple Numeric Keypad II and IIe Technical Procedures.pdf.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Adam Newbold, "The Numeric Keypad //e", neatnik.net: teardown and QMK conversion of one unit (enthusiast documentation). Two versions under A2M2003; case, angle and layout; 11-pin header and DB-15; four bottom screws, two under the front feet; box contents; QMK converter profile.