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Re: V-Cheap Homebrew Chording Keyboard

From: "Noah J. Ternullo" <>
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 11:00:15 -0500 (EST)

> |<    Diode
> 
> \     Resistor
> /
> \
> /
> 
> =================================================
> 
> +5v----------+--+--+--+
>              |  |  |  |
>              \  \  \  \
>              /  /  /  /
>              \  \  \  \
>              /  /  /  /
>              |  |  |  |
> D0---|<------O--O--O--O
>              |  |  |  |
> D1---|<------O--O--O--O    (This bunch of "O"s is a matrix-type keypad
>              |  |  |  |       sort of thing.)
> D2---|<------O--O--O--O
>              |  |  |  |
> D3---|<------O--O--O--O
>              |  |  |  |
> ERR----------+  |  |  |
>                 |  |  |
> SELIN-----------+  |  |
>                    |  |
> PE-----------------+  |
>                       |
> ACK-------------------+
> 

I'll have to double check, but I know that  some parallel ports use an
open collector archetecture for some of the data lines.  It sort of
limits the bidirectionality of the port, but it's cheaper to
produce.  (Again I'll and
check for which lines and get back to you).  While this occurs far less in
more recent parallel port hardware, many older machines have this problem
& many wearables are made from older machines.
What this means is that without a pullup resistor in place, you will burn
out the line trying to source enough current to bring it high.  TTL
circuit have pullup resistors built into them, so you can simply connect
your ttl circuits up without the need for one, but some folks got cheap
with the parallel port, (mostly, I imagine, because when it was originally
created most folks felt it would only ever be used to hook up a printer
with)

Incidently a pullup resistor is simply a resistor connected like this...

	+ 5 V
	|
	|
	\
	/
	\
	/
	|
D1 ----------	(Your hardware here)

			Noah
			The sometimes correct.. ;->

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