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Einstein TC01 PS2 Keyboard Adapter (Nano and Mini variants)
Version:
1
October 14, 2026
A PS/2-to-Einstein-keyboard adapter for the Einstein TC-01, available in two board variants: a larger Arduino Nano version (v1.2), intended for development of the Arduino code and also perfectly usable as a finished board, and a smaller ATMEGA328 "Mini" version (v1) using the same circuit on a smaller footprint.
Both variants use the same wiring approach: separate pins pull Shift, Ctrl and Grph through BC517 Darlington pairs. The board needs a separate 5V power connection, as there is no power output on the Einstein's keyboard header — footprints for both a barrel jack and a 2 pin XH connector are provided for this. There are 3 rows of pin headers, the centre row being 2.54mm and the other 2 being 2.50mm, the same as the main board; this arrangement could be used for passthrough to an existing keyboard if necessary.
The larger of the two boards, intended for development of the Arduino code — but perfectly usable as a finished board.
The Arduino folder contains the code, which can be loaded with the Arduino IDE. It's based on C64Keyboard by Robert Van Hazinga; key mappings can be found in key mapping.h. The same code is used for the smaller EinsteinTC02PS2 board, with the built binaries in the build folder.
The code is usable as-is but will improve over time — it sometimes gets stuck and needs a hard reset. It includes code for future remix versions of the project, including a keyboard reset and a separate Alph key for the 256.
The Nano variant's Gerber files are available here: PS2 v1.2 (Nano) Gerber files (Google Drive).
Einstein-TC-01/Expansions/EinsteinTC01PS2 at main · Board-Folk/Einstein-TC-01
The smaller of the two boards. This version doesn't include indicator LEDs for Shift/Ctrl/Grph.
Code can be found in the EinsteinTC01PS2 folder, including the compiled binaries for the ATMEGA328 — see any notes in there. A Minipro TL866 II can be used to program the chip; these fuse settings work:
Einstein-TC-01/Expansions/EinsteinTC01PS2Mini at main · Board-Folk/Einstein-TC-01
