# Keyboard "polyphony" Problem



## andyenglish (Feb 7, 2007)

Greetings, friends!
I am a Braille transcriptionist and I use a program called Perky Duck to produce Braille on my computer.
I use the six keys sdfjkl to emulate the six keys on a brailler. I should be able to press all six keys and when I let go, I receive the "full Braille cell" with all six dots. 
Recently, since I transfered to a new computer, the keyboard won't accept more than 2 or 3 characters at a time. When I release the keys, the mobo beeps at me. Is there a buffer setting in the BIOS that I need to change?
The keyboard is plugged into the standard kybd slot, not USB. Shouldn't matter though, since I've used this one before and know it can handle six-key input.
By the way, when I change the configuration to wefjio, it still doesn't work. And sometimes I have problems with just two keys, like Shift+i for 'I'. (But the BIOS doesn't beep for that.)
Any suggestions?
-Andy
By the way, the polyphony reference is obscure, but applicable. 16-note polyphony means that a digital piano can play 16 notes at the same time, no more. Apparently, this PC keyboard can only handle 2- or 3-key polyphony?


----------



## Houndog777 (May 17, 2007)

Hi, you could download the manual for your motherboard and see what settings it offers in bios for keyboard, or just enter the bios set-up at start-up and have a look.


----------



## Houndog777 (May 17, 2007)

Hi again,
Your query has been troubling me.
I didn't think keyboards could have more than 3 keys pressed at the same time.
Do you have another keyboard you could try?
What is wefjio?

Have you been here for help...
http://www.braille2000.com/brl2000/KeyboardReq.htm


----------



## andyenglish (Feb 7, 2007)

Houndog,
wefjio is a replacement for sdfjkl. Here's the deal: I need six-keys. If s,d,f,j,k, & l are not working, I try w,e,f,j,i, and o, so that not all the keys pressed are on the same line. It helps with ergonomics and I've heard it also helps with keyboards that have problems with six-key input. But it's not helping me. I'll play with the BIOS a little and see what's what...
Thanks for your time!
-Andy


----------



## andyenglish (Feb 7, 2007)

And thank you for finding that article from Brl2000. I don't use that program, but it's competition, but the specs are the same. So I will go try these tests out and see what happens. 
-Andy


----------



## andyenglish (Feb 7, 2007)

HAHAHA! I called my local computer guru-shop and the guy's jaw dropped when I told him I needed an "IBM PC up/down encoded keyboard with n-key rollover"!
This also explains the problems I've been experiencing while playing video games on my PC--my keyboard won't handle more than 4-key rollover (polyphony).
Anyway, they're "scrounging", they say. We'll see what becomes of this...
-Andy :wave:
P.S. It's ironic though, cause my iBook performs beautifully, except that the program runs under OS 9 and I don't have that OS installed (and having probs with that too, which another guy's supposed to come out and fix for me).


----------



## andyenglish (Feb 7, 2007)

I went into the BIOS, because I was curious as to why the mobo was beeping with 4 or more keys, and I found that the "Report Keyboard Errors" option was selected, which it was doing by going 'beep'. Sure enough, the log displayed quite a few kybd errors.
-Andy


----------



## Houndog777 (May 17, 2007)

Hi Andy,
Thank you for the enlightenment on the rollover capabilities of certain keyboards. What's puzzling me is the keyboard being able to use Perky on one PC but not another.
To my simple hardware mind, if not a bios issue, then it would surely be driver related, as Perky is known to work under Windows.
Does your keyboard have a specific set of drivers for download, or available within windows? Windows does just load it's standard keyboard drivers by default.
(I'm always having to change my keyboard drivers to their proper Logitech ones as it has reduced funtionality using Windows drivers).


----------



## andyenglish (Feb 7, 2007)

Windows is loading its standard 101/102-key PS/2 keyboard drivers. I tried finding updated driver for this kybd, but haven't found it yet. I'll try Dr. Driver this afternoon. 
The different PC problem also makes me think it's a driver thing, but it doesn't make a lot of sense. It's a standard keyboard! Sheesh. Anyway, we'll see what happens...
-Andy


----------



## andyenglish (Feb 7, 2007)

Well, the driver's are all up to date and I couldn't find anything else in the BIOS. Which chip controls roll-over from the keyboard, the enumerator? I tried my sister's keyboard and hers won't do it either. I was going to try my keyboard on her computer, but she doesn't have a PS/2, only USB from now on...
Any other ideas?
-Andy


----------



## Houndog777 (May 17, 2007)

Hi, Andy
Do you know how to add a Keyboard language etc?

Contro Panel> Regional & Language Options> Keyboards and Languages> Change Keyboard> Add> English> See More>.......

See if there's anything there that helps.


----------



## Houndog777 (May 17, 2007)

This has got to be the fact that you loaded different drivers on your other pc.
Is it an IBM keyboard, and you were using an IBM computer with an IBM OS?
What is the make/model of keyboard?
Have you tried disabling numlock?

Do you know how to update drivers for the keyboard, and get to choose from a list of all the standard types?
There are "Enhanced 101/102 Drivers, Compatible 101 Drivers, Natural Keyboard Drivers etc etc
You could also try drivers for a known 6-keyer.
http://www.braille-pokadot.com/keyboard.html

Are you sure you are using the Windows version of Perky Duck? Are you sure this same keyboard worked before?


----------



## andyenglish (Feb 7, 2007)

Houndog, 
Number Lock doesn't make a difference, but for other Braille projects, I require the NumLock to be on.
I'm using the same Perky Duck and the same 2 keyboards I used with the previous PC. One of them is a standard Gateway keyboard that I know is compatible and functional.
I went ahead and ran the BIOS update for this mobo and didn't notice any difference. I've got Dell's tech spt people calling me up soon. We'll see what comes of that...
I may have to order a USB keyboard with n-key emulation, but I'd rather not because my USB hubs are pretty loaded up already.
I'll go check that Pokadot link. (I've used Pokadot before, but prefer Perky Duck.) There should be some helpful info there...
-Andy


----------



## Houndog777 (May 17, 2007)

Hi, it's me again.
Found this on the net regarding keyboards.
Any non-Windows XP compliant software package that attaches itself to the keyboard driver can cause keystroke problems. Adobe Type Manager 4.0 is the most common cause of the issue. PGPDSK versions 6.05 and 6.5 and B3D Projector also cause this issue.


----------



## andyenglish (Feb 7, 2007)

Interesting. I have Adobe Photoshop Elements, but also had that on the older system. The only difference (other than the hardware) is that I'm using Mozilla now instead of MSIE or Netscape. None of those other progs are on my HD.
Still waiting for Dell to call...
-Andy


----------



## andyenglish (Feb 7, 2007)

Is this also related to the problems with the scroll wheel in my mouse? 
Talking to some other techies awhile ago, we came across a problem in Windows regarding the encoding for wheel mouse functionality. One of them said, "I think early on the scroll wheels worked, because the early mouse drivers faked scroll messages for the scroll wheel. But now they have New and Improved windows messages, which means it no longer automagically works."
So now he's having to encode scroll messages so that the wheel works locally in his program. Instead of globally in Windows, as before.
I wonder: same issue?
-Andy


----------

