[nater1217]

I'm having some issues with an Indigo2 I got recently.
When I first got it and was using it, everything seemed to work fine, but now, the keyboard is not detected.
I had a spare motherboard, so I put that in, but the symptoms stayed the same.
I also had a spare keyboard daughtercard, so I put that in with the original motherboard, and with that one it doesn't complain that the keyboard isn't detected, but it doesn't work at all. Even with the keyboard disconnected, it won't drop to a serial console.

It seems like I may have two damaged Keyboard daughtercards? Throughout this process I also tried a different power supply and different RAM.
There isn't much on these cards except what looks like a lot of passives. Are these inductors (based on the L label for the components) or capacitors?

I looked at the data and clock signals with a scope and I can see the keyboard connector gets the initialization signal, and can see the signals from the keyboard on the bottom of the motherboard when probing the connector.

Any ideas for additional troubleshooting before I tear down one of my working systems? That always makes me nervous.

[weblacky]

What keyboard are you using? It could have just died inside.

PS/2 had several scancode revisions, not ALL PS/2 keyboard work on SGIs. Version 1 & 2 scancodes work, 3 doesn't.

I used mid-2006 and older PS/2 MS peripherals on my SGIs.

https://wiki.osdev.org/PS/2_Keyboard#Scan_Code_Sets

Try another keyboard, older one, Don't try USB-> PS/2 Adapter on a keyboard...likely too new. Native PS/2 only for the keyboard...for Mouse, USB-> PS/2 adapter usually works given less updates in mouse protocol.

Normally the serial console to PROM should be offered regardless...but you have to have the serial console open ahead of boot (no late attachments) and react to the PROM on serial wehn offered it...or may bulldoze ahead and assume you don't need it. Serial terminal for Irix will NOT be open all the time, never is by default, that I've seen. You have to react to the PROM serial menu, then it knows you need a Irix terminal (while you still have graphical settings an all peripherals attached). Similar to the timeouts of a embedded bootloader, but in the case there will be no warning or timer. Otherwise, someone has changed default settings on you and you'd look into doing a settings reset if you think this is a concern.

[nater1217]

I forgot to mention I tried 3 different keyboards, one of which was SGI, and all 3 work on other Indigo2s.

I have the serial console attached but never see a prompt when its booting. Even if I get into the prom or an OS, I don't know what that will tell me. I know the keyboard layout is correct because I can check that with the mouse, which does work on the second keyboard daughtercard.

Tomorrow I'm going to swap back to the spare motherboard and see what happens with both daughtercards.
I just cant imagine what components would fail on that relatively simple board.

[weblacky]

I forgot to mention I tried 3 different keyboards, one of which was SGI, and all 3 work on other Indigo2s.

I have the serial console attached but never see a prompt when its booting. Even if I get into the prom or an OS, I don't know what that will tell me. I know the keyboard layout is correct because I can check that with the mouse, which does work on the second keyboard daughtercard.

Tomorrow I'm going to swap back to the spare motherboard and see what happens with both daughtercards.
I just cant imagine what components would fail on that relatively simple board.

Ah, well that changes things doesn't it.  I've not seen symptoms like this before...I'll give it a hard think.  Keep us informed of your progress.

[nater1217]

Well I changed back to the spare motherboard, and now its working. I'm not sure why it started working with that board, maybe I had a bad connection somewhere, but its good now.

I guess its just a problem with the original motherboard.