6
1
I've had an unused laptop for over a year now (the motherboard's all messed up) and I've been thinking if it is possible for me to use the rest of it other than its hard disk and optical disk drive.
Is it possible to use my laptop keyboard (or convert it) so that it can be used on my PC?
Andy Anugerah
Posted 2012-02-04T12:08:45.007
Reputation: 61
2
Assuming your keyboard is a 'simple' ps/2 keyboard, you'd need to get a PS/2 keyboard connector, work out what is what, and so on. If the keyboard has no logic, you need microcontroller - such as a teensy, reverse engineer all the contacts and so on.
Its simply not worth the cost, considering you can get membrane keyboards pretty cheap
Journeyman Geek
Posted 2012-02-04T12:08:45.007
Reputation: 119 122
1
Most likely no, it is not possible. If you remove the laptop keyboard from the laptop you will notice the connector ribbon. You would need to find an external keyboard that took this type of connection or you'd need to find an adapter (as pointed out in @billc.cn comment) that would convert the proprietary adapter to a standard USB/PS2 keyboard adapter. Ultimately, if you managed to do that, you'd have to custom make a container for the keyboard so that it sat properly and ergonomically for usage.
If you want to do it as a side-project and invest time and money to learn and solder and reasearch, it's definitely a possibility, but for practice, no it's not.
Raystafarian
Posted 2012-02-04T12:08:45.007
Reputation: 20 384
2Possible? Yes. Practicable? No. – Nifle – 2012-02-04T12:24:44.683
4To extend on Nifile's answer: laptop keyboards use properiatery connectors and to connect them to another computer, you need a adapter, probably custome made. The cost of making that adapter is probably equivalent to that of several good keyboards. – billc.cn – 2012-02-04T12:37:37.660
1If it's a reasonably new unit of popular design and in halfway decent condition you can probably sell it for spare parts. There's a strong market for displays in particular. – Daniel R Hicks – 2012-02-04T14:08:02.263