BLACK BOX

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© Copyright 1997. All rights reserved.

Black Box Corporation. T h e Wo r l d ’s S o u r c e f o r C o n n e c t i v i t y SM

Tech Reference: Pinouts for Keyboard and Mouse Interfaces

his Technical Reference describes the pinouts defined for many different keyboard and mouse interfaces. Given the
Tuncertainties about these mostly proprietary interfaces, and the speed with which new I/O devices render older ones
obsolete, this document is not intended to be authoritative, comprehensive, or exhaustive. We hope you will find it
useful as you study, shop for, build, or troubleshoot devices and cables; however, we make no claim that it is absolutely
correct, and will not be responsible for any damages or losses resulting from its use—please exercise caution.
Notes: All connectors are shown in front view (wires exit from the rear). The “pins” on male connectors are typically
metal prongs or teeth, while those on female connectors are typically metal-lined sockets or grooves.
I. Keyboard Only and Integrated Keyboard/Mouse Interfaces

1. IBM PC/XT™, PC/AT compatible and Commodore Amiga 2000/3000 keyboard

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Pinout on 5-pin DIN (“DIN-5”) connectors:

Male Female

1 3 3 1

4 5 5 4
2 2

Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal

Name Function Source Name Function Source

1 Keyboard Clock Timing Computer 4 Ground Ground n/a

2 Keyboard Data Data Keyboard 5 +5 VDC Voltage Computer
3 Keyboard Reset1 Control Computer

2. IBM PS/2 compatible keyboard2

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A. Standard pinout on 6-pin mini-DIN (“mini-DIN-6”) connectors:

Male Female
5 6 6 5

3 4 4 3

1 2 2 1

Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal

Name Function Source Name Function Source

1 Keyboard Data Data Keyboard 4 +5 VDC Voltage Computer

2 Reserved3 n/a n/a 5 Keyboard Clock Timing Computer
3 Ground Ground n/a 6 Reserved3 n/a n/a

1This line/signal was used by XT and very early AT computers to reset the keyboard. Contemporary AT compatible computers either do not
use it or do not connect it, and it is not connected on the Amiga 2000 and 3000.
2This interface is also used by many other computers, including the IBM RS/6000, some Silicon Graphics and HP® workstations, the DEC™
Alpha , and the Commodore Amiga 4000.
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3These pins are normally not used or not connected.

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 2. IBM PS/2 keyboard (continued)
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B. ACCESS.bus-compliant pinout on 6-pin Shielded Data Link (SDL) connectors:

Male Female
1 2 3 4 5 6 6 5 4 3 2 1

Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal

Name Function Source Name Function Source

1 Reserved1 n/a n/a 4 Keyboard Clock Timing Computer

2 Keyboard Data Data Keybd/Computer1 5 +5 VDC Voltage Computer
3 Ground Ground n/a 6 Reserved1 n/a n/a

3. Apple Desktop Bus (ADB —Apple Macintosh keyboard and mouse)

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Pinout on 4-pin mini-DIN (“mini-DIN-4”) connectors:

Male Female
3 4 4 3

1 2 2 1

Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal

Name Function Source Name Function Source

1 Bus Data Data Keyboard/Mouse 3 +5 VDC Voltage Computer

2 Reserved n/a n/a 4 Ground Ground Ground

4. Sun Microsystems keyboard and mouse ®

Pinout on 8-pin mini-DIN (“mini-DIN-8”) connectors:

Male Female
6 8 8 6

3 5 5 3

1 2 2 1

Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal

Name Function Source Name Function Source

1 Ground Ground n /a 5 Keyboard Transmit2 Data Keyboard

2 Ground Ground n /a 6 Keyboard Receive Data Computer
3 +5 VDC Voltage Computer 7 No Connection
4 Mouse Receive Data Computer 8 +5 VDC Voltage Computer

2These pins are normally not used or not connected.

3The mouse transmits its data to the keyboard on this pin; the keyboard then adds its data and transmits it to the computer.

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 5. Compaq Vocalyst keyboard1
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Pinout on HDI-20 connectors:

Male Female

1 5 5 1
6 10 10 6
11 15 15 11
16 20 20 16

Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal

Name Function Source Name Function Source

1 +5 VDC Voltage Computer 7 Left Headphone3 Data Computer

2 Keyboard Clock Timing Computer 8 Right Headphone3 Data Computer
3 Keyboard Data Data Keyboard 9 Microphone In Data Keyboard
4 Ground Ground n/a 10 Audio Ground Ground n/a
5 Mouse Clock2 Timing Computer 11 +5VDC for Audio Voltage Computer
6 Mouse Data2 Data Mouse 12 Headphones Present4 Control Keyboard
13–20 No Connection

6. AT&T 6300 keyboard

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Pinout on DB9 (DE9) connectors:

1 Male 5 5 Female 1

6 9 9 6

Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal

Name Function Source Name Function Source

1 Keyboard Data Data Keyboard 5 +12 VDC Voltage Computer

2 Keyboard Clock Timing Computer 6–9 Not Connected
3, 4 Ground Ground n/a

7. Commodore Amiga 1000 keyboard

Pinout on 5-pin DIN (“DIN-5”) connectors:
Male Female

1 3 3 1

4 5 5 4
2 2

Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal

Name Function Source Name Function Source

1 +5 VDC Voltage Computer 4 Ground Ground n/a

2 Keyboard Clock Timing Computer 5 No Connection
3 Keyboard Data Data Keyboard

1The Vocalyst keyboards are basically PS/2 compatible with added audio-I/O support. They have a built-in mike, speaker, and headphone jack.
2PS/2 compatible mice are attached to this keyboard using a standard PS/2 mouse interface (see page 4).
3When headphones are not plugged in, the Left and Right Headphone signals are summed and output from the keyboard’s speaker.
4Current Vocalyst keyboards do not implement this signal, which causes compatible attached CPUs to automatically mute their audio output.

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II. Mouse-Only or Integrated Mouse/Peripheral Interfaces

1. IBM compatible TIA-232 (“RS-232”) serial mouse

A. IBM PC/XT compatible pinout on DB25 connectors:

1 Male (on COM port) 13 13 Female (on cable) 1

14 25 25 14

Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal

Name Function Source Name Function Source

2 Transmitted Data Data Computer 7 Signal Ground Ground n/a

3 Received Data Data Mouse 20 Data Terminal Ready Control Computer
4 Request to Send Control Computer (All other pins are not connected or not used)

B. IBM PC/AT compatible pinout on DB9 (DE9) connectors:

Male Female
1 (Port) 5 5 (Cable) 1

6 9 9 6

Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal

Name Function Source Name Function Source

2 Received Data Data Mouse 5 Signal Ground Ground n/a

3 Transmitted Data Data Computer 7 Request to Send Control Computer
4 Data Terminal Ready Control Computer (All other pins are not connected or not used)

2. IBM PS/2 compatible mouse1

Pinout on 6-pin mini-DIN (“mini-DIN-6”) connectors:

Male Female
5 6 6 5

3 4 4 3

1 2 2 1

Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal

Name Function Source Name Function Source

1 Mouse Data Data Keyboard 4 +5 VDC Voltage Computer

2 Reserved n/a n/a 5 Mouse Clock Timing Computer
3 Ground Ground n/a 6 Reserved n/a n/a

1This interface is also used by many other computers, including the IBM RS/6000, some Silicon Graphics and HP workstations, and the DEC
Alpha.

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 3. IBM compatible bus mouse
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Pinout on 9-pin mini-DIN (“mini-DIN-9”) connectors:

Male Female
7 9 9 7

3 6 6 3

1 2 2 1

Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal

Name Function Source Name Function Source

1 +5 VDC Voltage Computer 6 Left Button Data Mouse

2 X2 Direction Data Mouse 7 Middle Button Data Mouse
3 X1 Direction Data Mouse 8 Right Button Data Mouse
4 Y1 Direction Data Mouse 9 Signal Ground Ground n/a
5 Y2 Direction Data Mouse

4. Silicon Graphics (SGI ) mouse1 ® ®

Pinout on DB9 (DE9) connectors:

1 Male 5 5 Female 1

6 9 9 6

Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal Pin Signal/Circuit Signal Signal

Name Function Source Name Function Source

1 +5 VDC Voltage Computer 9 Ground Ground n/a

2 –5 VDC Voltage Computer (All other pins are not connected.)
5 Mouse Data Data Mouse

5. Amiga Mouse/Joy port2 ®

Pinout on DB9 (DE9) connectors:

Male Female
1 (Port) 5 5 (Cable) 1

6 9 9 6

Pin Mouse/Trackball Lightpen Digital Joystick Paddle Signal Signal

Signal Signal Signal Signal Function Source

1 V-pulse No Connection Forward Button 3 Data Peripheral

2 H-pulse No Connection Backward No Connection Data Peripheral
3 VQ-pulse No Connection Left Button 1 Data Peripheral
4 HQ-pulse No Connection Right Button 2 Data Peripheral
5 Button 3 (Middle) Penpress No Connection PotX3 Data Peripheral
6 Button 1 (Left) Beamtrigger Button 1 No Connection Data Peripheral
7 +5 VDC +5 VDC +5 VDC +5 VDC Voltage Computer
8 Ground Ground Ground Ground Ground n/a
9 Button 2 (Right) Button 2 Button 2 PotY3 Data Peripheral

1This is the Model 021-0004-002 mouse used with some SGI computers. Most contemporary SGI computers use the regular IBM PS/2 mouse
interface (see page 4) instead.
2This interface is designed to support several types of pointing-device peripherals, as shown in the table.
3These are linear 470-kΩ (±10%) potentials.