Gateway AnyKey
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The Gateway AnyKey is a programmable PC keyboard that was sold with desktop computers from the Gateway 2000 company roughly from 1990 to 1995. It was manufactured in at least five known versions and incarnations by Tucson, Arizona-based Maxi Switch, now a subsidiary of LiteOn Technology Corporation. The AnyKey is no longer manufactured, with the latest dated model available marked 1996. Maxi Switch, Gateway, and LiteOn currently do not offer any product labeled as or comparable to the AnyKey.
The AnyKey keyboard is easily distinguished from other generic keyboards by an extra double column of F keys on the left side, a unique eight directional arrow key pad as opposed to the traditional inverted T, and a quartet of extra keys directly above the numeric pad that control the programmable aspects of the keyboard. They are labeled “Program Macro”, “Suspend Macro”, “Repeat Rate”, and “Remap”, reading left to right. All versions of the AnyKey are white or very light gray with some keys (notably the programming keys, extra function keys, and arrows) in a darker gray.
Contents
1 Features and construction
2 Programming
3 Features
4 Versions
5 Value
6 References
Features and construction
A typical Gateway AnyKey keyboard.
The AnyKey is a 124 key PC keyboard, including the usual complement of 101 keys in addition to others. Some revisions of its design predate the advent of the “Windows” keyboard and therefore lack the three extra keys present on such keyboards, and are replaced with extra keys for the asterisk (*) and either a backslash (\) or a hash (#), depending on the intended locale.
The keyboard includes 12 extra F keys, four programming keys, and four additional arrow keys for diagonal input, as well as one blank key in the center of the eight way arrow key area that normally acts as a second space bar but can be programmed. Also, the AnyKey has a fourth indicator light to the right of the normal Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock lights labeled “Program”.
Since the design of the AnyKey predates the "multimedia PC," it lacks the additional multimedia keys present on many keyboards included with brand name computers like CD controls and volume knobs.
A unique feature of the AnyKey is its hardware programmability. The keyboard contains an internal controller as well as an EEPROM chip that can store user-defined macros. Any key on the keyboard can be programmed to contain a macro of arbitrary length or can be programmed to act like any other key on the keyboard (remapped). This is done on the hardware level inside the keyboard's controller itself. No driver software is required to use the AnyKey's programming functionality, as the keyboard's own controller dictates which keypress codes are sent to the attached computer. A utility for MS-DOS exists to quickly remap the entire keyboard to a predefined configuration or save its current configuration to a file, but it is not required to use or program the keyboard. The AnyKey's EEPROM memory will retain its data even if the keyboard is unplugged indefinitely, so settings and programming aren't lost if the computer is powered down, unplugged, or if the keyboard is unplugged or moved to a different computer.
The controller board inside the Anykey contains six integrated circuit packages (“chips”) in addition to various signal regulation hardware including 15 diodes, 11 capacitors, and nine resistors of unknown specific function in addition to four green LED's for signalling purposes of (left to right)“NUM LOCK”, “CAPS LOCK”, “SCROLL LOCK”, and “PROGRAM”. The chips included are an Intel P8052AH microcontroller, an Atmel AT28C16 16 kilobit EEPROM chip, and four Fairchild Semiconductor Decoder/Demultiplexer chips of various descriptions.
The AnyKey is available in AT and PS/2 style configurations, and either is compatible with any AT or PS/2 keyboard compatible computer. Additionally, an AT to PS/2 adapter (or vice versa) can be used to attach either type of keyboard to either type of system – The AnyKey includes no quirks that interfere with the use of the adapter. Its design predates the implementation of the USB standard. No USB AnyKey was ever produced. However, a USB to PS/2 converter will allow the AnyKey to be used with modern or "legacy free" systems.
The AnyKey is constructed of a plastic chassis that is large compared to most modern keyboards (partially owing to the extra columns of keys on the left side) and also slightly thicker than most keyboard casings of the present era. It is rounded on all corners and edges, with an overall rectangular shape. As with many keyboards, there are two plastic feet that can be flipped down from the upper corners to tilt the keyboard into a suitable typing position. There is also a long central plastic foot, on some versions, that can be flipped down to tilt the keyboard to a less severe angle than the two outside feet.
The AnyKey uses rubber dome type keyswitches, with all the switches and contact points moulded into a single sheet. The keyswitch layer contacts a single flexible membrane that detects all keypresses and directs them to the controller board via a pair of flexible edge connectors. While the AnyKey is branded as a Gateway product, the membrane layer clearly bears the inscription “Maxi Switch Inc,” revealing the true maker of the hardware. This membrane is backed by a metal plate approximately a sixteenth of an inch thick which serves to hold the membrane rigid and in place as well as giving the keyboard considerable heft. Held in place on top of the rubber dome layer is a plastic block that holds the key pillars which in turn hold the key caps themselves. The key pillars are individually replaceable but cannot be removed without dismantling the keyboard to separate the rubber dome layer from the plastic support layer and the removal of the latter from the assembly. The key caps are held onto the pillars via friction with cross shaped pegs. The key caps are easily removed for cleaning or rearrangement, as all keys on the keyboard use the same attachment method and with the exception of the Space Bar, Enter, Shift, Tab, Control, Alt, and Caps Lock keys are all the same size. In this manner, keys that have been remapped (like the commonly remapped arrow keys) can also be physically moved to the correct location on the board.
The AnyKey also has a user programmable repeat rate (the rate at which a key will repeat its function on the computer if it is held down) that is handled by the controller inside the board and therefore overrides the BIOS or operating system controlled repeat rate on the attached computer. The repeat rate is set by pressing the “Repeat Rate” key and then one of the top row F keys, with F1 being the slowest rate and F8 being the fastest.
Programming
The AnyKey keyboard is extensively programmable. This takes two forms: Remapping, and macro programming. The only keys on the AnyKey that cannot be programmed in at least some way are those used to control the programming itself – Program Macro, Suspend Macro, Repeat Rate, and Remap. Any other key on the keyboard including letters, numbers, arrow keys, and even special keys like modifiers, Enter, and the Space Bar can be programmed.
A key can be remapped (copied to a different location on the keyboard) by pressing the Remap key once (depending on the revision of the keyboard, the Ctrl key may also need to be held down), pressing the key to be copied, and then pressing the new key that will serve as the new destination for the old key's command. The Program light on the keyboard will flash as long as it is awaiting remapping commands. Multiple keys can be remapped without pressing Remap again – The Program light will continue blinking after one key has been remapped and the keyboard will await more remapping commands with the same method as before. On each key press the Program light will pause flashing momentarily to signal that a keypress has been registered. Pressing Remap again before completing a remapping cancels the operation. Pressing Remap after at least one remapping has been completed will save all the remappings but will cancel an incomplete one if it is in progress.
After remapping, the old key will retain its original function even after being remapped elsewhere, effectively creating two copies of the same key. After it is remapped somewhere else, the original or 'old' key can be remapped to a different function or have a macro programmed to it. Pressing the Remap key and then pressing the same key twice (known as “remapping a key to itself”) resets it to its original function.
Any key can also be programmed with a macro. Macros are multiple presses of various keys in sequence of arbitrary length. The “extra” F keys on the left of the keyboard are essentially reserved for having macros programmed to them, though they mirror the function of the F keys along the top of the keyboard before they are programmed. The keyboard treats both sets of F keys as separate, however – Remapping or programming one of the F keys will not change the function of its counterpart.
A macro is programmed to a key by pressing the “Program Macro” button once (depending on the revision of the keyboard, the Ctrl key may also need to be held down), pressing the key that will have the macro assigned to it once, and then entering the commands to be programmed. Any sequence of key presses is valid input, including letters, numbers, keys used in conjunction with shift, alt, and control, F keys, cursor movement, remapped keys, and even other keys programmed with macros. The Program light flashes as long as the keyboard is accepting programming input. It pauses momentarily when the key to be assigned the macro is pressed to indicate that the keypress was picked up. Pressing Program Macro for a second time ends the programming session and saves the macro to the target key. Pressing it again before entering any programming input cancels the operation. A key can be cleared of its macro by pressing Program Macro and then pressing the key twice.
Pressing a programmed key will “play back” all the keypresses that were programmed into it at the current repeat rate of the keyboard.
The Program light normally remains solidly on or off depending on whether the keyboard is set to use macros, which can be toggled by pressing the Suspend Macro key. The state of the Program light does not reflect whether there are any macros programmed into the keyboard, merely whether the keyboard is in macro mode.
Pressing the Suspend Macro key will cause the Program light to go out and will cause all keys programmed with macros to behave with their usual functions instead of their programmed macros. Keys that have been remapped do not reset themselves while macros are suspended. Pressing Suspend Macro again relights the Program light and restores the macros to all programmed keys.
Holding the Control and Alt keys and pressing the Suspend Macro key clears all of the keyboard's programming. The Program light will flash while the keyboard erases its memory. Afterwards, it will go dark and all keys will be reset to their original function, all macros deleted, and all remappings reset. Holding down the Suspend Macro key while powering on the computer will also reset all keys to their original function
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