L3 Systems KeyAT-5 User manual

KeyAT-5
Version 5.0
RS232 to USB Copyright 2006-2010
Keyboard/Mouse L3 Systems, Inc.
Port Adapter Redmond, WA

Command Description Pg
Connections & Pin-Outs 2-4
Turn off Commands ~@ Turn off commands 5
Reset (10 tildes ‘~’) ~~~~~~~~~~ Reset & Load Defaults 5
Send scan code ~:nn Sends scan code nn 6
Shift Keys ~A~C~S~G Prefix Alt, Ctrl Shift or GUI 6
Raw Mode ~R Enter Raw Mode 7
Move Mouse ~M+xx+yy Move mouse +/-xx, +/-yy 8
Mouse Button ~Bnn Mouse buttons nn 9
Line Mode ~L Data buffered until <ENTER> 10
Immediate Mode ~I Data interpreted as received 10
Send CR mode ~F Sends <CR> through 11
Status request ~? LEDs = n, Boot/OS Mode 11
Sleep ~Znn Sleeps nn seconds 12
Test ~T Test KeyAT LED Control 12
Help & Version ~H & ~V ~H for help, ~V for Version 13
Setup Mode ~*SETUP Setup Mode, Commands: 14
Command Pg Command Pg
LC Load Config 16 LK
Load Scan CodeTable 19
PC Print Config 14 PK Print Scan Code Table 20
D Config to default 18 EK Erase Key Scan Codes 20
LP Load Power-On 21 H Display Help Info 21
PP Print Power-on 22 Q Exit Setup Mode 14
Special Characters ^C send Ctrl “C”, ~41 Sends ASCII 41Hex 22
Recovery methods Loading & Setting KeyAT Defaults 23
Examples Examples of KeyAT Commands 24
Scan Code Table Table of Scan Code values 25
ASCII Table Table of ASCII Characters & Scan Codes 30

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Introduction
The KeyAT-5 keyboard port adapter allows you to
send keyboard keystrokes and/or mouse
instructions to a computer via an RS-232 interface.
Typical uses for the KeyAT-5 are:
Testing software - With a KeyAT-5, you
can send keys and mouse movements that
simulate user input from another computer
using RS-232 communications.
Remote Access - The KeyAT-5 allows
remote access to a system where the
software does not provide any other
method.
Attaching input devices – Allows you to
attach RS-232 devices to the keyboard port
such as bar code readers, scales, and credit
card readers.
Note: The KeyAT-5 also operates during boot mode,
for use with BIOS menus. However, mouse
commands are supported for this use. The Status
command (~?, pg 11) denotes boot or OS mode.

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Connections
The following illustrates a typical connection of the
KeyAT-5.
1. The USB connector connects to the target
computer either directly, or via a USB extension
cable, such as L3 Systems part number
CL0017.
2. The RS-232 connector connects to an RS-232
port on the host system either directly, or via an
RS-232 extension cable, such as L3 Systems
part number CL0015.
KeyAT-5 RS232
to USB Adapter
Target PC
CL00 15 US BEx tensionCabl e
Host PC
3
Systems
3
Systems
CL0017
RS-232 Cable
The above example shows two extension cables,
one on each connector of the KeyAT-5. Generally
only one extension cable is used.

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Serial Port Connector
The port is configured as a DCE device. On the 9
pin DB-9S connector, it transmits data on pin 2
and receives data on pin 3. No other RS-232 signal
is required for it to operate.
Pin 6
Pin 9
Pin 1
Pin 5
Pin Signal KeyAT-5 Function
1 DCD Not Used
2 RX (Receive) from KB232 RS-232 Output
3 TX (Transmit) to KB232 RS-232 Input
4 DTR Not Used
5 Signal Ground Ground
6 DSR Not Used
7 RTS Not Used
8 CTS Not Used
9 RI Not Used.

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KeyAT-5 USB Connector
The following connector shows the pin definitions
for the KeyAT-5 USB connector. Note that this
provides power to the KeyAT-5 Adapter.
Gnd
Pin 4
Data+
Pin 3 Data-
Pin 2
+5V
Pin 1
USB Series A Connector
Sending Data
The main job of the KeyAT-5 is to transfer data from
the RS-232 port and send it through to the
computer's keyboard port. Data can be sent using
ASCII, ASCII control codes, HID keyboard scan
codes or ASCII hex. A line can have a maximum
length of 80 characters and should end with an
<ENTER> (CR, hex 0D). When using immediate
mode, data and commands are interpreted as
received with buffering up to 80 characters. If you
get more than 80 characters ahead of the
computer, the additional characters will be ignored.

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In line turn-around mode, the KeyAT-5 sends a
colon prompt after the data has been processed,
signaling that it is ready for another command.
Below shows the ASCII characters ‘DIR<ENTER>’
being sent via the KeyAT-5.
Example: KeyAT, V5.0x1, [C]L3 Systems, Inc.
2010 :DIR^M<ENTER>
:
Commands
Commands are instructions to the KeyAT-5 to do
something other than just pass data through to the
computer. All commands begin with a ~ (tilde, hex
7E) character followed by a command character,
and in some cases additional data.
~@ Disable Commands – All commands are
disabled until 10 consecutive tildes
(~~~~~~~~~~) or reset/power cycle.
~~~~~~~~~~ Reset/Enable Commands – If
commands are disabled, sending 10
consecutive tilde (~) characters will enable
commands. If commands are enabled, this
will reset the KeyAT-5 (& run power-up string
if loaded).

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Send a scan code
If you want to send a scan code without going into
scan code mode, then use the ~:nn command to
send the hexadecimal scan code value. This is
useful for function keys, arrow keys or any other
keys that don’t have an ASCII equivalent. See the
“Scan codes” table later on for valid scan codes.
~:nn Send Scan Code – This scan code nn.
Examples: :~:4B<ENTER> (sends PgUp)
:~:E1~:4B<ENTER> (sends Shift-PgUp)
Modifier Keys
The following commands allow you to prepend a
modifier key to a subsequent key. You can prepend
multiple modifiers to a single key. Capitalized
command letter specifies the left key, lower case
specifies the right key
~S Left, ~s Right Shift – Apply Shift to next key
~C Left, ~c Right Ctrl – Apply Ctrl to next key
~A Left, ~a Right Alt – Apply Alt to next key
~G Left, ~g Right Gui – Apply Gui to next key
Ex: :~Sa<ENTER> (Sends a Shifted “A” key)
:~CX<ENTER> (Sends a Ctrl-X key)
:~a~:3A<ENTER> (Sends an Right-Alt-F1 key)
:~S~A~:3B<ENTER> (Sends a Shift-Alt-F2 key)
:~C~A~:4C<ENTER> (Sends the Ctrl-Alt-DEL key)

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Raw Mode
The ~R command enters a special mode, called Raw
Mode, where the KeyAT sees all serial input as
bytes of data directly interpreted as scan codes. For
example, hex 41 is the letter “A” in ASCII, but in
Raw Mode it is interpreted as the “F8” key. (See the
Scan Code Table towards the end of this manual.)
The only two bytes that are not considered scan
codes are hex 02 (Ctrl B), which is interpreted as
an end-of-line, and hex 03 (Ctrl C), which is
interpreted as a command to exit Raw Mode. In
Raw Mode commands are effectively disabled, and
the bytes received are not echoed.
Note that this mode is not practical to use from the
command line with Tera Term or Hyperterm. It is
designed to work with a script (such as the Tera
Term macro language) or a programming language
(such as C/C++ or Visual Basic).
Example:
:~R<ENTER>
:<Byte 04><Byte 05><Byte 02> (Send keys A & B)
:<Byte 1E><Byte 1F><Byte 02> (Send keys 1 & 2)
:<Byte 03><Byte 02> (Exit Raw Mode)
:

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Mouse Commands
The KeyAT-5 allows you to send commands that
mimic mouse usage.
Move mouse
This command allow you to move the mouse
pointer.
~Mxxyy Move Mouse – Moves the mouse xx
increments in the x-axis and yy increments
in the y-axis.
Examples: :~M+07-32<ENTER> (Moves mouse right 7
and up 32 )
:~M-12+23<ENTER> (Moves mouse left 12
and down 23 )
Note that mouse sensitivity is controlled by host
computer settings. For Windows, look for mouse
settings in the control panel.

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Mouse Buttons
The command below allows you to send mouse
button presses.
~Bnn Mouse Button – Presses mouse button(s),
where:
nn=01 – Left Button nn=02 – Right Button
nn=03 – Right & Left nn=04 – Middle Button
nn=05 – Left & Middle nn=06 – Right &
Middle
nn=07– Left. Right & Middle Buttons
Examples: :~B01<ENTER> (Left Button click )
:~B02<ENTER> (Right Button click)
:~B01~B01<ENTER> (Left Double click)
:~B03<ENTER> (Left & Right click)

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Mode Commands
Line Mode and Immediate Modes
Data can be sent and interpreted one line at a time,
or be processed immediately. The default setting is
for “Line Mode” (~L). This is the recommended
method of use. Line Mode is better for automated
control and provides more reliable interaction.
“Immediate Mode” (~I) can better simulate
keyboard operation in some cases. Warning:
Immediate mode provides no throttling of input, thus
data sent to the KeyAT can be lost if it exceeds the
keyboard input rate of the computer.
~L Line Mode - Set to a line oriented basis,
each line must end with an <ENTER> or
<CR>, hex OD.
~I Immediate Mode - Data is interpreted 'on-
the-fly'. Note that in this mode <ENTER> or
<CR> (Hex 0D) is passed on to the
computer. Caution should exercised in
Immediate Mode, as it is easy to overrun the
PC’s keyboard receive buffer.

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Send CR Mode
Normally the “Enter” or ASCII <CR> character
merely determines the end of a line of input. An
“Enter” key can be sent with a ^M, which is a caret
(^) preceding an “M” character. Or you can send it
as a scan code: ~:28. Optionally, you can put the
KeyAT-5 in a mode where the “Enter” or ASCII
<CR> character is passed through.
~F Send CR mode – This causes the “Enter” or
ASCII <CR> character to be passed through.
The setting persists until the next ~I or ~L
command, or until power is cycled.
Status Request
~? Request Status - The response format is:
LEDs = n, Boot/OS Mode where: nLED status:
“0”=All Off, “1”=Num Lock ON, “2”=Caps Lock ON
“3”=Num & Caps Lock ON , “4”=Scroll Lock ON
“5”=Num & Scroll-Lock ON , “6”=Cap & Scroll-Lock ON
“7”=Num-Lock, Caps-Lock & Scroll-Lock ON
Ex: :~?<ENTER> (When running OS)
LEDs = 2 OS Mode (Caps-Lock LED on)
:
Or :~?<ENTER> (When in BIOS)
LEDs = 1 Boot Mode (Num-Lock LED on)
:

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Test LEDs
~T Test LED Control - ~T tests the Keyboard LED
control for any keyboard attached to the computer.
It’s recommended to start this test with all keyboard
LEDS (Num-Lock, Caps-Lock & Scroll-Lock) off.
:~T<ENTER>
Testing… (Keyboard LEDS light up in
a pattern)
:
Sleep
~Znn Sleep – Use sleep to provide delays. The value nn
is in seconds (approx), or use .n for tents of a
second. This can be helpful when doing scripting,
allowing the KeyAT-5 to help you pace
keystrokes, not out-running the application.
:~Z05<ENTER> (delays 5 seconds, prompt
appears when done)
:~Z.8<ENTER> (delays 8 tenths of a second,
prompt appears when done)
:~Z26<ENTER> (delays 26 seconds, prompt below
appears when done)
:

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Help Command
~H Help - ~H displays a help list of the tilde prefixed
commands.
:~H<ENTER>
~@ Turn off commands
~L Set to Line mode
~I Set to Immediate mode
~R Set to Raw mode
~F CR Pass-trough mode
~A Alt preset for next char
~C Ctrl preset for next char
~S Shift preset for next char
~G GUI preset for next char
~H Display this help screen
~T Test Keyboard LED control
~V Display Version Info
~? Display LED Status
~:nn Scancode nn
~Znn Delay nn
~nn ASCII byte
^X Control-X
--- Mouse Commands ---
~Mxy Move mouse x and y
~Bnn Press Mouse buttons nn
:
Displaying Version
~V Version - ~V Displays firmware version.
:~V<ENTER>
KeyAT, V5.0x1, [C]L3 Systems, Inc. 2008-
2010
:

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Setup Mode
The KeyAT-5 has commands for configuration,
status and testing which are accessed by entering
setup mode with following command:
:~*SETUP<ENTER>
Setup>
Leaving Setup Mode
You can exit setup mode with the “Q” command:
Setup>Q<ENTER>
:
Configuration string
The KeyAT-5 stores operating parameters in a
configuration string located in non-volatile flash
memory. These include parameters such as the
settings of the baud rate, enabling command mode
and determining the turn-around character.
Displaying Configuration
To display the configuration string, do the following
command. (Note that the results shown below are
the default settings.)
Setup>PC<ENTER> (Displays Configuration Data)
9600,8,NoPar,Yecho,YesCmd,NoCR,LM,0D,7E,03
Setup>

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The configuration settings are defined as follows.
The underlined characters represent the minimum
required entry in each field:
9600 – Baud Rate: 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400,
and 57600 are valid. 9600 is the default setting.
8– Number of RS232 Data bits: Valid settings are 7 or 8.
This must be 8 if parity is disabled. The default is 8.
NoPar – RS-232 Parity: Valid settings are NoPar for no
parity, Even for even parity, and Odd for odd parity. The
default is NoPar.
Yecho – Echoing RS-232 characters: Valid settings are
Necho for no echo, and Yecho for echo enabled. The
default is Yecho.
YesCmd – Command mode: YesCmd enables KeyAT
commands and NoCmd disables these commands. The
default is YesCmd.
NoCR – CR Pass through mode: NoCR does not send
through the <CR> or <ENTER> at end of command
line. YesCR will send it through.
LM – Entry Mode: LM (default) enables “line Mode”, IM
enables Immediate mode
OD – End-of-line character: Default is 0D, (<CR> or
<ENTER> character)
7E – Command prefix character: Default is 7E, tilde (~)
character.
03 – Delay between keystrokes: Default is 03, (30ms).

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Changing Configuration
You can change operating parameters of the
KeyAT-5 adapter with the LC command. You can
either use a menu interface by typing
“LC<ENTER>”, or type the configuration string after
the LC command.
The following shows the LC menu:
Setup>LC
Config Parameters:
0 Baud: 9600
1 Data: 8
2 Parity: NoPar
3 Echo: Yecho
4 Commands: YesCmd
5 CR Pass-Thru Mode: NoCR
6 Line/Immediate Mode: LM
7 EOL Char: 0D
8 Command Char: 7E
9 Inter-Char Delay: 03
Select 0,1,...9 or S (Save & quit), or [Enter]
(quit, no save):
In the above menu, you can exit without saving
changes by just hitting <Enter>. Typing “S” saves
the changes and exits
The following illustrates attaching a string to the
LC command, changing the baud rate to 4800 from
default, and enabling the “CR pass-through mode”:
Setup>LC4800,8,NoPar,Yecho,YesCmd,YesCR,LM,0D,7E,03<ENT>

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Below shows the minimal entry for the same
setting:
Setup>LC48,8,N,Y,Y,Y,L,0D,7E,03<ENTER>
Powering on to Default Settings
Should you make a mistake in configuring the
settings of the KeyAT-5 configuration string, you
can force it to use the default settings if you send
an RS-232 “Break” condition to the when applying
power. This will cause the KeyAT-5 to return to the
following settings:
9600,8,NoPar,Yecho,YesCmd,NoCR,LM,0D,7E,03
Specifically, this will force it operate at 9600 baud
with no parity. If you use the application “Tera
Term”, send ten Alt-B’s and then quickly connect
the KeyAT-5 while the break is in progress.

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Setting Configuration Default Settings
Restore the KeyAT-5 default configuration with the
D command:
Setup>D<ENTER> (Restores default settings)
Setup>
You can add up to two options to the default
settings. Valid Options are:
“N” = Disables Commands “C” = CR pass-thru mode
“I” = Immediate Mode
Setup>DC<ENTER> (Default settings w/ CR pass-thru mode)
Setup>PC<ENTER> (Displays Configuration Data)
9600,8,NoPar,Yecho,YesCmd,YeCR,LM,0D,7E,03
Setup>
Setup>DIN<ENTER> (Default settings w/ Immediate Mode &
Setup> Commands Disabled)
Setup>PC<ENTER> (Displays Configuration Data)
9600,8,NoPar,Yecho,No_Cmd,YeCR,IM,0D,7E,03
Setup>