Has anyone any idea where I can buy those connectors into which the keyboard membranes push? Other than spares companies, I've never seen them available from RS, Farnell, or anyone like that.
The reason I ask is: I'm determined to finish off my PC keyboard interface at last (yes, I know I've mentioned is loads of times) and I'm try to work out the best way to connect it. Ideally I want to make it internal so it doesn't eat up an expansion slot. Here are the options - what do people think? 1) make it external - simple to install, but a little more expensive, ugly, and uses an expansion slot (what if I included a printer port on-board to save having to buy a SAMBus?) 2) internal, connecting to the keyboard connectors. users solder some wires to the keyboard connector pins on the bottom of the SAM's PCB and to 4 or five other points on the SAM pcb. The circuitry is sheaper than for 1) above. 3) same as 2) but instead of soldering I make some thin pcbs which plug into the keyboard connectors on the main board and have a through connector for the original keyboard membrane. Still need to solder 4 or 5 wires, though, and it all depends on the availability of keyboard connectors. Cheaper than 1). 4) Open the SAM, unplug the ROM and put it into this new board, then plub the new board into the ROM socket. Will also need 3 or 4 solder points onto SAM pcb. Probably the most expensive option. I always assume that most SAM owners are fairly handy with soldering irons, but I don't know how true this is. Which option would you feel most comfortable with? 2) is definitely the cheapest, and is what I already have running. Thanks, Andy
