Thinkpads Forum

Hi,

well basically I've an x31 and I want to connect , thru the ultrabase, a ps/2 keyboard + mouse (I know I can use usb devices, but for this exercise I was and am looking to get it thru the ps/2).

Now, I've bought a ps/2 Y splitter from ebay ... when i've tried it, it didn't work once both a mouse and a keyboard were connected... same result on a normal pc. Fine, probably was just a keyboard splitter to add 2 keyboards on the same plug.

Now a ps/2 Y made for Dell notebooks has just arrived, I've plugged everything and the X31 behaves like with the other cable (aka frozen to the picture saying to press the blue button to access other options, internal keyboard obviously not working).

So my question is : are thinkpads requiring a ps/2 Y adapter made expressly for thinkpads ??

(now I wonder what to do with the 2 .. actually 3 since by error the seller shipped me 2 at the cost of 1.. ehm ... adapters I got)

mazzinia wrote: So my question is : are thinkpads requiring a ps/2 Y adapter made expressly for thinkpads ??

I have a splitter back from my T21 days. At that time, I believe that yes you had to have one from IBM in order for it to work on a Thinkpad. Third party adapters did not work.

Unfortunately, this may yet still be the case.

Don't know if this will help but...

To the best of my knowledge, the PS/2 port on ThinkPads that have them is a PS/2 'mouse port'. You cannot plug a PS/2 keyboard into one of these ThinkPads without using a PS/2 keyboard/mouse splitter cable (I have experienced this). I am not quite sure what is causing your problem, but it is possible that the splitter you bought is wired for a PS/2 keyboard port (instead of a mouse port), or else the PS/2 port on the Ultrabase is a PS/2 keyboard port. [I really don't know the details of how these splitters are wired.]

There are at least two different kinds of splitters out there, that are not interchangeable.

Seems this is the case (of 2 different kinds)... unfortunately all the announces I've seen state "ps/2 Y cable to mouse/keyboard" without pointing out if the male part is for a mouse port...

First time, I suppose I ended getting a ps/2 keyboard to 2 ps/2 keyboard.

Now I suppose I got a ps/2 keyboard to mouse/keyboard.

In both cases the individual costs are so low that shipping them back would cost more than the refund, so they end being here and who knows, they may even be useful somehow in the future... but given the sum of both piles up I don't think I'll try my luck a 3rd time, I prefer to invest in a beer....

It's very, very annoying

I think the following would work. [Don't quote me on that though.]

http://www.jaykang.com/1mdmato2mdfe.html

Thanks, looks like I should have asked here before trying....