keypro-fk-9000.org
1	* Keypro FK-9000
2
3 ** Backstory/Info
4 This is a pretty interesting keyboard. At the end of the post
5 I'll render an UNICODE ascii picture of it for those interested.
6
7 I wanted to write something quickly as a documentation exercise
8 and as something perhaps useful to others.
9
10 I've had this old Keypro FK-9000 and Soarer Converter lying
11 around for a couple of years now and I had yet to play with it.
12
13 So, last night, I finally decided to check it out.
14
15 Basically it's an old 5 PIN keyboard that has a few cool tricks:
16 - built in calculator and lcd
17 - You can hit a latching key on the keyboard and
18 the numpad input will then be sent to the little
19 on board LCD screen
20 - 12 on board programmable macro keys
21
22 The Soarer Converter cable I have, which as I understand is basically
23 an atmega chip shoved into a cable, also allows me to remap keys as the
24 scan codes come into the converter, before they get to the computer.
25
26 ** Docs (Useful Info)
27
28 It took me a while to figure out how to program the keys
29 so for any future readers hopefully this will help:
30
31 1. Open a text editor
32 2. Hold the `Prog` key and hit the key you want to
33 program (PF1-12)
34 3. Enter the key sequence you'd like to program
35 4. Hit the key you want to program again
36
37 Example:
38
39 Prog->PF1sometringPF1
40
41 This will also work with CTRL,RETURN,ALT,etc, however
42 the macros all have a 14 char limit, with control chars
43 taking up 2 chars.
44
45 ** Examples (Less Useful Info)
46
47 Here I'm going to document my own macros:
48
49 - PF11: Ctrl-G -- Emacs escape hatch/escape/stop
50 - PF1: Ctrl-x-b -- Emacs switch buffer menu
51 - PF2: Ctrl-x-b-RETURN -- Based on Ido menu ordering
52 behaves as switch to last
53 buffer
54 - PF3: Ctrl-x-Ctrl-f -- Open file
55 - PF4: Ctrl-c-Ctrl-f -- Open file at point
56 - PF5: M-xeshell-RETURN -- Open eshell
57 - PF7: Ctrl-x-5-2 -- Open new emacs frame (window for non emacsers)
58 - PF8: Ctrl-x-5-0 -- Close emacs frame
59 - PF9: gT -- literally gT, AKA previous tab in vim/evil mode
60 - PF10: gt -- literally gt, next tab in vim/evil mode