Resolved one of my two older iMac wired keyboards isn't recognized on the Studio...

[soosy]

Upgrading from a late 2014 iMac (can't believe it's been so long since an upgrade!) and was really confused when my normal wired apple keyboard wasn't recognized. Not even showing up at all in System Information. (The one with silver body, white keys, like the current keyboards but wired and no touch ID).
Did lots of testing. An even older apple keyboard was recognized (PowerMac G5 era? clear case and more mechanical white keys). A pc keyboard was recognized. Finally found an identical wired keyboard to my iMac I had stored away and it WAS recognized.

This is what is showing in System Information for the keyboard that is recognized. The one that doesn't show up on the Studio, shows on my iMac as the same except "Apple Keyboard" version is "0.74" instead of "0.71". Any ideas why the 0.74 one wouldn't work? It's less used and cleaner so I'd preferably continue to use it with my Studio.

Edit: I guess most likely just a finicky USB connector on the keyboard. Marking thread as resolved.

 

[BanditoB]

First, do you have a second computer that you can plug the keyboard into to verify that it is actually working? It shouldn’t matter whether it is a Mac or a PC. You just need to confirm that the keyboard is functional.

If it does work, then I would contact Apple support or make a Genius appointment to see what they can tell you.

 

[soosy]

Thanks! Yes the keyboard works on my 2014 iMac.
I called Apple Support but got disconnected while talking to someone. I might not call back as this problem is so strange, I'm not sure what they'd do. I don't think a keyboard replacement is likely since it is so old.

Further testing, the v74 keyboard doesn't work on a 2021 MacBook Pro via USB-C adapter either! While the identical v71 does work!

But here's the kicker. I did get the v74 to work with a USB extension cable! So is it something with the contacts on that keyboard and the newer machines? I thoroughly examined the contacts of the USB-A connectors of both keyboards and don't see any difference.

And the final weirdness: The v71 shows up on the MacBook via the USB-C adapter and USB-A extension cable, while the v74 does not!

So v74 keyboard:
- works on iMac
- works on Studio only through USB-A extender
- won't work on MacBook Pro no matter what.

I guess the most likely explanation is the keyboard is somehow faulty. Maybe it's the USB plug (more likely?), maybe it's something internal (less likely?).

Since I can use it on the Studio via extension cable... I think I'll just let it be. Just never realized it was faulty as I've been using it for years on my iMac! Typed this post with it in fact.

 

[Sirmausalot]

Did you try flipping the USB C 180 degrees? I know it's supposed to be symmetrical, but I think there are some edge cases... I've also had USB C adapters that don't work properly

 

[soosy]

Did you try flipping the USB C 180 degrees? I know it's supposed to be symmetrical, but I think there are some edge cases... I've also had USB C adapters that don't work properly

thanks, though that didn't make it work. A good idea though. I'm going to order some USB-C adapters anyway. Since the keyboard works only with the extension cable, maybe the right adapter will also do the trick. I'm guessing the contacts on the keyboard plug are somehow not fully connecting only on some computers. Seems like the only explanation for it working with the extension cable but not without.

 

[Fishrrman]

Sorry to be contrary, but I don't see the point of this thread.
The OP has several keyboards from which to choose.
Out of four or five, one doesn't work with the Studio (the rest do).

Well, ok. Could be a hardware problem, could be a controller problem, who can tell...?
But why make an issue out of this?

Why not just use one of the keyboards that works, and NOT USE the one that doesn't work...?

How does that old saying go?
"Many are called, but few are chosen..."

 

[soosy]

Well, of the two "modern" keyboards, the one that works was used for many years and is yellow with dirt and some of the letters are rubbed away. The other one looks new and is preferable (even though I've used it for several years on my iMac).

But yeah, I wouldn't have made this thread if I had realized I just had a faulty keyboard. I was so confused when I swapped it from my iMac to the Studio and it wasn't recognized. I just wanted a sanity check and to see if maybe there was a known limitation, like older keyboards weren't supported or something due to updates.

 

[Chancha]

I have G5 era keyboards that pretty much stopped being recognized by Mac mini as early as 2012. That KB region assignment dialogue thing would come up, asking me to press the key next to the left shift key or something. But the error can often be dismissed, the actual keyboarding works with no key mapping mixed up.

In your case you only have one out of that many KBs not working then it is a pretty good record. Also if I am not reading you wrong, you got two copies of this model of Apple KB and only one of them fails?

 

[soosy]

In your case you only have one out of that many KBs not working then it is a pretty good record. Also if I am not reading you wrong, you got two copies of this model of Apple KB and only one of them fails?

Yeah, looks like it's the good ole A1243 first introduced in 2007! I know I got one with my 2014 iMac and several other times. I remember when buying new Macs always asking them to swap in the wired keyboard... still don't see the use of a wireless keyboard on a desktop, but perhaps it's finally time to get one of the new ones, lol.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_keyboards#Apple_Keyboard_(109_and_78_keys)

I did call back Apple and they were so confused because everything is wireless now. Is bluetooth on? No, it's wired. And the lightning cable is plugged in? No... it has an actual usb wire attached to it. (They just said old and out of warranty and transferred me to sales.)

edit: "This model was discontinued on 5 June 2017 and was the last wired keyboard produced by Apple." Ok, so it's not THAT old.

 

[BanditoB]

I would have to wonder if it is a keyboard firmware issue. You did mention that they were different, so that could be partly to blame. I wonder if or how the firmware could be updated or, in this case, downgraded to the known working version to see if it would make a difference.

It is strange that the adapter cable makes it work though. Perhaps the adapter cable is doing some translation? Who knows?

 

[soosy]

Well, here's a whole thread of people with the same problem and using the USB Extender cable as a fix!

external mac keyboard not working with ma… - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

Circa 2013-2015, it seems major system updates would trigger it for a lot of people. Everyone perplexed that the USB extender somehow fixes it!
I guess the A1243 keyboard just often had this flaw. Many say Apple gave them new keyboards that fixed it.

I also discovered an old Aluminum Keyboard Firmware 1.1 update. But running it says "No Aluminum Keyboards were found." It's unclear what version it is supposed to update to... the knowledge base link in the link below is no longer found on apple's site. Maybe I already applied it a decade ago:

Aluminum Keyboard Firmware Update 1.1 - Apple Support

Improves battery performance of the 2007 aluminum Apple Wireless Keyboard when used in combination with other bluetooth devices and addresses an issue with the 2007 aluminum Apple Keyboard and the 2007 aluminum Apple Wireless Keyboard where a key may repeat unexpectedly while typing.

support.apple.com

At least I'm not alone, and know it's a semi-common flaw.