February 23rd, 2018
Atari Xegs (#1), Keyboard Issues
Letters A through H are non functional. This leads me to believe their is an issue either on the control pcb or the buttons themselves. After disassembling the keyboard, I learned to my dismay that the internal pcb is a flex pcb. This means if the problem is on the flex pcb, their is virtually no reasonable way to repair it.
Pulled out the DMM and started doing some continuity test. First trying to get a siginal from the A button to the pin on the control pcb. This resulted in nothing. Then I removed the flex pcb. Continuing the testing on the edge connector exclusively. One pin was bad, confirming my dread. Further inspection of the flex pcb, revealed several other traces are heavily oxidized. Unless a replacement can be found, I will require to build a replacement keyboard.
Luckly someone very skilled has released the pcb and firmware for an adapter, to do as such. Called the TransKey-II. Which requires you to be able to program a pic16f1847. They do offer a solution for this as well.
Atari Xegs (#1), Keyboard Issues
Letters A through H are non functional. This leads me to believe their is an issue either on the control pcb or the buttons themselves. After disassembling the keyboard, I learned to my dismay that the internal pcb is a flex pcb. This means if the problem is on the flex pcb, their is virtually no reasonable way to repair it.
Pulled out the DMM and started doing some continuity test. First trying to get a siginal from the A button to the pin on the control pcb. This resulted in nothing. Then I removed the flex pcb. Continuing the testing on the edge connector exclusively. One pin was bad, confirming my dread. Further inspection of the flex pcb, revealed several other traces are heavily oxidized. Unless a replacement can be found, I will require to build a replacement keyboard.
Luckly someone very skilled has released the pcb and firmware for an adapter, to do as such. Called the TransKey-II. Which requires you to be able to program a pic16f1847. They do offer a solution for this as well.
