PS2 keyboard and mouse mini-DIN-6 connector pinouts

Note: the original version of this document uses IBM PC Line-Drawing

characters ("ANSI art"). You can download it from here:
PS2_keyboard_and_mouse_mini-DIN-6_connector_pinouts.txt
But it does not look right when viewed with a Windows character set.

IBM PS/2-type mouse and keyboard connectors are both "6-pin mini-DIN"
connectors. The female connectors are on the computer, the male
connectors are on the mouse and keyboard cables that plug into the
computer.

Viewing the female connector (on the computer), the pinout is:

Viewing the male connector (on the keyboard or mouse cable), the pinout is:

In both cases, the pins are normally used as follows:

pin function

1 data
2 (reserved)
3 gnd
4 +5v
5 clock
6 (reserved)

However, on the NEC Versa 24xx and Panasonic Toughbook CF-35 laptop
computers, and some others, there is just one connector on the computer,
and it uses "reserved" pins to permit connecting both a mouse and a
keyboard via a special "Y-splitter" cable adapter.
The "Y-splitter" cable adapter is connected as follows:

Keyboard (F) Computer (M) Mouse (F)

------------ ------------ ------------
pin function pin function pin function

1=data ---------- 1=data +--- 1=data

2 n.c. 2 -----------+ 2 n.c.
3=gnd ----------- 3=gnd ----------- 3=gnd
4=+5v ----------- 4=+5v ----------- 4=+5v
5=clock --------- 5=clock +------ 5=clock
6 n.c. 6 --------+ 6 n.c.

This is the "4068"/"AK6K" ("stubby") "PS/2 Keyboard & Mouse Spliter

Mini Din Din6M/F/F" from Blue Diamond.

You can also connect the keyboard or mouse alone to that connector,
without the Y-splitter. I don't know how the computer can tell which
device is plugged into it, though.

There is also another common Y-splitter available, which is connected

as follows:

Keyboard (F) Computer (M) Keyboard #2 (F)

------------ ------------ ---------------
pin function pin function pin function

1=data ---------- 1=data ---------- 1=data

2 n.c. ---------- 2 --------------- 2 n.c.
3=gnd ----------- 3=gnd ----------- 3=gnd
4=+5v ----------- 4=+5v ----------- 4=+5v
5=clock --------- 5=clock --------- 5=clock
6 n.c. ---------- 6 --------------- 6 n.c.

This is the "5228"/"MFF6XI" ("long") "PS/2 Port Splitter" from Blue

Diamond. It cannot be used as a Keyboard/Mouse splitter, because it
doesn't separate the data (& clock) lines of the two devices. I didn't
know what it was good for until I got an email from Ravn Gundersen,
who wrote: "It's used if you want two keyboards to work as one on a
computer. Possible uses are many, one example would be if you want a
barcode scanner connected to ps/2 together with a keyboard, or a barcode
scanner and a magnetic card reader, etc." Thanks, Ravn!

Note: the connector is called a 6-pin mini-DIN, and the keyboard and
mouse connector pinout charts above show six pins, but some mice and
keyboards are made with the (male) connector having only four pins
(i.e., with the unconnected pin 2 and pin 6 missing).

Here's a web site with a lot more detailed technical information

on the PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard interface:
www.Computer-Engineering.org
or http://panda.cs.ndsu.nodak.edu/~achapwes/PICmicro/PS2/ps2.htm (or here)
PS/2 connector
The color-coded PS/2 connection ports (purple for keyboards
and green for mice)
Keyboard and computer mouse data
Type
connector
Production history
Designer IBM
Designed 1987
Superseded DIN connector and DE-9 connector
Superseded by Universal Serial Bus
General specifications
Pins 6
Connector Mini-DIN
Data
Serial data at 10 to 16 kHz with 1 stop bit,
Data signal
1 start bit, 1 parity bit (odd)
Pin out

Female connector from the front

Pin 1 +DATA Data
Pin 2 Not connected Not connected*
Pin 3 GND Ground
Pin 4 Vcc +5 V DC at 275 mA
Pin 5 +CLK Clock
Pin 6 Not connected Not connected**
* On some computers mouse data for splitter cable.
** On some computers mouse clock for splitter cable.