There has been a lot of discussion lately in assistive technology and education circles re problems with using IntelliKeys and other assistive technology products with an iMac computer. For those who have missed this discussion or who did not have a chance to read last month’s Spectronics On-line Newsletter, the main points are repeated here.
The main problem experienced by purchasers of the popular iMac computer is that it does not have the ADB port as commonly used by IntelliKeys when plugging into Apple/Mac computers. In its place is a USB port – and an adapter is needed to allow devices such as IntelliKeys to plug into the computer. The USB port is not only found on an iMac computer – so purchasers wishing to use assistive technology peripherals with new computers are best to check which ports are to be supplied as part of the new computer system – and whether these are compatible with existing devices used by people with disabilities. This will continue to be an issue until “USB compatible” versions of the assistive technology peripherals are available – and we have received no firm advice on plans for development of these products to date.
- The Griffin iMate USB to ADB adapter allows you to continue to use your favorite ADB mice, keyboards, trackballs, trackpads, hardware dongles, and other ADB peripherals with newer Mac. I use one, and it works great, allowing me to keep using my favorite ADB input devices with my USB-only computers. IMate plugs into a USB port or hub at one end, and provides an ADB port.
- The Griffin iMate USB to ADB adapter allows you to continue to use your favorite ADB mice, keyboards, trackballs, trackpads, hardware dongles, and other ADB peripherals with newer Mac.
- Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Griffin Imate Apple ADB to USB Connector Adapter at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
Information from the Griffin Technology, the manufacturer of the iMate adapter can be found at the Griffin website http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imate/
Griffin iMate ADB to USB adapter WORKING connect vintage input devices to Mac PC. AU $111.44 + shipping. Seller 100% positive. EBay item number.
| The iMate USB to ADB port adapter Available from Griffin Technology in the USA or Contact your local Apple Computer Supplier. Visit Apple Computer Australia at www.apple.com.au/buy/ for your nearest Apple Computer Supplier. |
From the IntelliTools Web Page …
Connecting the IntelliKeys to the iMac
The iMac does not have an ADB port for the IntelliKeys to plug into. Griffin Technology has an ADB/USB adapter that will allow the IntelliKeys’ standard overlays to work with the iMac.
In the process of installing these drivers, it is important that you follow the instructions in the various Read Me and About documents and verify version numbers. Also be aware that other USB devices may have you install software that could overwrite your iMac Update or may overwrite your iMac Firmware Update. Also be aware that you may need to update your OS version to 8.5.1
As of May 1999, the iMate driver is version 1.0.4. If you have a previous version, consider updating your iMate driver. This version improves the sending time for custom overlays.
You are also encouraged to update your Overlay Maker and Overlay Sender to at least version 2.2b
From the Griffin Technology Web Page …
Griffin Technology iMac Lineup
Griffin Technology has introduced a number of exciting new products for the iMac. The iMate USB to ADB adapter allows the connection of existing ADB devices to iMacs, Macs with USB, and PCs with USB. The NE Mic audio adapter allows the connection of any microphone to your iMac as well as other Mac models. The iPort includes a number of ports Mac users have come to depend on including video out, serial ports and localtalk file sharing and printing.
Comments from Michael O’Leary (Managing Director of Spectronics) …
Of greatest interest to some customers perhaps is the USB to ADB adapter which enables peripheral devices like IntelliKeys to work with iMACS. I saw the Griffin iMate in action with IntelliKeys, when I visited IntelliTools in the U.S. earlier this year. It worked OK, but it was very noticeably slower to send an overlay, in comparison with the send time for other computers. We have been advised recently however, that the iMate driver version 1.0.4 is now available at Griffin Technology’s web site, and it supports improved sending time for custom IntelliKeys overlays.
I believe that Apple resellers, or Apple themselves, should accept some responsibility for distributing a computer that is not compatible with well known access hardware (I thought there were laws in the USA that prevented manufacturers from doing so), and so they should assist users to ensure the Griffin adapter works for people with special needs. This problem serves to highlight the loss of Apple’s World Wide Disabilities Solution Group, which liaised with special needs third party developers to ensure compatibility.
Re the Discover Series of products from Don Johnston Inc.
We have received advice from Don Johnston Inc. that the Griffin iMate USB to ADB Adapter also is suitable for connecting the following devices to an iMac computer.
- Discover:Kenx for the Macintosh
- Discover:Board for the Macintosh
- Discover:Switch for the Macintosh
- The Macintosh Switch Interface from Don Johnston
For successful operation of Discover products with an iMac, the drivers for the iMate Adapter need to be downloaded from the Griffin Technology website at http://www.griffintechnology.com. The drivers for the iMate Adapter are frequently being updated and refined by Griffin Technology – hence the difficulty of supplying these drivers on CD-ROM at this stage.
To use the Macintosh Switch Interface from Don Johnston on an iMac, the iMate Adapter is required, however it is not necessary to download the drivers if using the Macintosh Switch Interface only.
My best suggestion at present is that if people are wanting to have alternative accessibility options for a computer – they should pick the computer that will work with the access options they require – unfortunately that is not iMAC at present. To me it’s like buying an American Ford Mustang and complaining afterwards that it is left hand drive only!
The Macintosh Wayback Machine
How many generations of Mac technology (both hardware and software) can you cram into a single Macintosh? Inquiring minds need to know! I haven’t nearly hit the limit yet, but here’s a good start towards answering the question. Introducing the Macintosh Wayback Machine:
• 24″ Intel iMac running OS X El Capitan
• Apple ADB Extended Keyboard II
• Apple 9-pin mouse model M0100
• Mac OS X Snow Leopard (VMWare)
• Mac OS 9 (SheepShaver)
• System 6.0.8 (Mini vMac)
I clearly have too much time on my hands, but this just had to be done.
The 24″ Intel iMac is one of my favorite designs. It has a nice big screen, is fairly easy to service (by Apple standards), and has been upgraded with a zippy SSD. These machines contain FireWire ports along with USB2 connectors so it’s easy to connect external drives from multiple Mac eras.
The ADB Extended Keyboard II is legendary among Mac users – they don’t make ’em like this anymore. It’s huge by modern standards and takes up way more desk space than required, but has a deep, firm mechanical typing action that would make a modern MacBook Pro blush with envy. A Griffin iMate ADB-USB adapter connects the beast to the iMac, which was a common adapter back in the day.
I knew this project had to happen when I learned about RetroConnector’s 9-pin to USB adapter for the Apple M0100 Mouse. This device allows the original Macintosh mouse to work with any USB equipped computer. Visually this is brilliant, and really adds to the gestalt of the project. In use the geriatric mouse is somewhat pokey on a big screen and less accurate than modern optical mice – but hey, it works! (Update: RetroConnector has told me the tracking speed is adjustable in the adapter – perfect :)
Adb Usb Pc
The system uses a semi-transparent power cord from a first generation G3 iMac. I would have used a beige Mac Plus cord but its right angle plug doesn’t work well with the newer iMac’s round recessed port.
Of course a computer is more than just hardware, and the software side of the Mac is what we’ve interacted with for decades. Apple revises the Mac OS every year now and over time drops compatibility for older applications (Classic, PowerPC, 32-bit, etc.) Virtualization and emulation solve part of this problem.
OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 runs all current Mac OS software (both 32 and 64 bit), modern web browsers, iTunes, iCloud, etc. It’s a good current OS version and the last supported release for this machine.
In OS X Lion 10.7 Apple dropped support for running PowerPC apps. Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8 was the last version to include this capability (Rosetta), so the Wayback Machine is running Snow Leopard Server inside VMWare to overcome this limitation. The setup allows the use of older OS X software such as Microsoft Office 2004, Adobe CS2 and obsolete versions of the Apple Airport Utility.
To access Classic apps I installed SheepShaver – inside Snow Leopard – running Mac OS 9.0.4. This emulator supports much pre-OS X era software as long as it doesn’t require virtual memory. It isn’t as well integrated as Classic mode, but it’s cool to see Mac OS 9 booting on your Intel machine!
Why stop there? Mini vMac is another venerable tool which emulates a Macintosh Plus and runs on many platforms (Macs, PC, Linux, etc.) Using disk image files you can run anything from the original Mac System Software through System 7.5.5. I have System 6.0.8 installed along with first generation releases of MacPaint, MacDraw and MacWrite. Talking Moose still gives me a laugh!
The deeper you go into emulation the slower things get. Snow Leopard inside VMWare runs quite well. SheepShaver inside a virtualized Snow Leopard runs decently, you could use it to get work done. Mini vMac inside virtualized Snow Leopard is somewhat slow. Fortunately I can run both SheepShaver and Mini vMac directly under El Cap if needed.
When I woke up the morning following setup, the iMac’s screen was black and I heard a strange fluttering sound coming from the system. I thought the hardware was failing, but no, After Dark had started inside Mini vMac and was running Flying Toasters with sound enabled! Another blast from the past.
A fun little project, and one which I’m sure will grow with time.
Hi Adam,
what a great thing to do! I’m thinking of it, but at the moment I’ve other priorities. I’ve sent your message to the AppleMuseum Nederlands. Maybe a nice project for them as well.
Keep in touch, Paulus