
The computer keyboard and VDU
The keyboard matrix
The electrical pattern beneath a keyboard is usually in
the form of a matrix of conductors, consisting of m col-
umns by n rows: this matrix is not necessarily physically
similar to the keyboard layout. The keyswitches are each
wired across a column-row intersection. Thus, an 8-
column by
8-row
matrix will accommodate up to 64
keyswitches. The use of such a matrix offers the possi-
bility of a system in which the columns (say) are the input
lines and the rows are the output lines. If no key is held
down, then there is no conducting path between any of
the columns and any of the rows. Naturally