Editing Nascom (section)

== Keyboard ==
[[File:Nascom computer keyboards front.jpg|thumb|alt=photograph of Nascom 2 (top) and Nascom 1 (bottom) keyboards|Nascom 2 (top) and Nascom 1 (bottom) keyboards]]

[[File:Nascom computer keyboards side.jpg|thumb|alt=Keyboards side view showing angled keytops on Nascom 2 keyboard|Nascom 2 (top) had angled key-tops and Nascom 1 (bottom) did not]]

The Nascom keyboards used Licon [[Solid-state electronics|solid-state]] (induction transformer) key switches in a matrix arrangement which was scanned under software control. The keys were mounted in a metal frame that was riveted to a single-sided [[fibreglass]] [[printed circuit board|PCB]]. The frame improves reliability by preventing the force of repeated keystrokes from being transmitted to the solder joints that connect the key switches to the PCB. A separate, conventional, key switch was provided on the keyboard for hardware reset.

The Nascom 1 had 47 keys. The Nascom 2 had 10 additional keys (GRAPH, which toggled bit 7, CTRL, a second SHIFT key, 4 cursor direction keys, LF/CH and  keys for [ and ]).

The Nascom 2 keyboard was designed to be mounted at an angle; it had angled key-caps which were horizontal when the keyboard itself was mounted at an angle. The key-caps on the Nascom 1 were not angled (see photo).

The keyboard was always supplied assembled, even when the rest of the Nascom was supplied as a kit.

The Nascom 1 used a 16-pin IC-style DIL socket at each end of the connection from the keyboard to the computer main board. The Nascom 2 used a 0.1" 2x8 male header (16 pins total) at each end. In each case, the connectors use the same physical ordering of signals but the pin numbers do not correspond (because DIL sockets and IDC headers use different numbering conventions). The Nascom 2 keyboard has an additional "sense" output.

Both Nascom 1 and Nascom 2 main boards had connections to the keyboard connectors that were unused on the keyboard. On the Nascom 2, this included a connection to the /NMI (non-maskable interrupt) signal.