Macintosh SerialKeys: System Requirements

May 2001

Using SerialKeys with iMac, iBook, Desktop and Powerbook G3/G4 computers

Newer Macintosh computers (e.g., iMac, iBook, PowerBook G3, etc.) do not have serial ports. Instead, Apple has replaced the serial (e.g., modem and printer) and Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) ports with USB ports.  Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices typically only have serial ports, so they cannot be directly connected to these Macintosh computers without the help of an extra piece of hardware such as the Keyspan Adapter.

If the first thing you do is try to install the 1.0 version of Macintosh SerialKeys on any of these computers and launch SerialKeys, you will probably get a warning message such as "Port problem, trying to run anyway".  What SerialKeys is trying to tell the user, is that it cannot find a open serial port to connect with.  If you have one of the new Macintosh computers listed above, you first need to obtain and install some kind of USB-to-serial adapter software and hardware, such as the Keyspan USB Adapter (approx. $79.99 from MacWarehouse), see below.  Once you have the Keyspan hardware attached and software drivers installed, you can check the availability of serial port drivers by running a program called, "FindSerialPorts", which you can download from the Apple Developer Connection site's collection of sample code. (Note: This is just a quick check and is not a required installation step.  If you wish, you can skip ahead to Installing the Keyspan for the first time)

If your Keyspan Adapter installation was successful, you should see the following output when running the "FindSerialPorts" program.

We have a port called: Printer Port USB

input driver named: .BIn
output driver named: .BOut

We have a port called: Modem Port USB

input driver named: .AIn
output driver named: .AOut

Macintosh SerialKeys looks to find either one of the two serial port drivers, ".AIn or .BIn".  If you do not see one or both of these input drivers available, then your adapter software will not work with Macintosh SerialKeys at this time.

A secondary problem you may run into, is that these computers may not have floppy drives. You may need to have access to a network or the Internet, put SerialKeys on a CD, or get a USB floppy drive to install SerialKeys.

Installing the Keyspan for the first time

If the Keyspan USB Serial Adapter is connected to the computer before the driver is installed, the Macintosh will display a dialog that says that it doesn't recognize the device. So, with the Keyspan USB Serial Adapter unplugged, insert the CD with the driver, then run the "Installer" program. When the install program finishes, plug the Keyspan USB Serial Adapter into the computer.

Finishing up with SerialKeys

SerialKeys is installed on a USB equipped Macintosh just like any other Macintosh. The AAC device is connected to the Keyspan USB Serial Adapter with the same type of cable (e.g. null-modem) that is used with other Macintoshes. Select the Printer port in SerialKeys and plug the AAC device into Port 1 on the Keyspan USB Serial Adapter.

Please note the following restrictions still apply to the operation of SerialKeys for the Macintosh:

1. The Macintosh version of SerialKeys requires the Macintosh computer ADB software drivers to be present. Therefore, it will not work with the very early Macintosh computers, such as the original MAC Plus, MAC 128, or MAC 512 computers.
2. The Macintosh version of SerialKeys has been written to run on System 7.0.x, through System 9.0.x. 
3. The Macintosh version of SerialKeys should operate on 68K as well as Power PC Macintosh computers.
4. You will need to set the mouse into Tablet Mode in order to use SerialKeys.
5. If you wish to run Easy Access MouseKeys with SerialKeys, you must start MouseKeys prior to starting SerialKeys. The latest version of Easy Access allows you to have any of the access features automatically turn on when your computer is powered on. This option provides a nice solution to the need for MouseKeys to be on prior to starting SerialKeys, provided you wish to use the two features together.  Please see the readme file for more information on this.

For older Macintosh computers which still include external serial, printer, and ADB ports

Macintosh SerialKeys requires an unused serial port on your Macintosh computer.  The modem or printer port is typically found on the back of the computer. Some Macintosh laptop computers only had one serial port, which could act as a modem or a printer port.  Sometimes when you try to connect Macintosh SerialKeys using the printer port, you may run into a conflict with AppleTalk. (Note: Even though sometimes these ports appear available [e.g., nothing is plugged into them], they are still being used.)

In order to use SerialKeys on the printer port, you must turn off AppleTalk. This is because you can not use the printer port for AppleTalk and SerialKeys at the same time. In order to disable AppleTalk do not use the Chooser, instead:

1. Open the AppleTalk control panel.
2. Select the User Mode under the edit menu.
3. Select Advanced User Mode and click OK.
4. Click on the Options button.
5. Select inactive and click OK.
6. Close the AppleTalk control panel.
7. Save the changes.

If you meet these requirements, and Macintosh SerialKeys will still not run on your Macintosh computer, the software should provide some kind of error message. Please contact us with this information.