Original Atari keyboards are getting rare and expensive. The Eiffel is a cheap, modern alternative that brings a standard PS/2 keyboard and mouse to the machine, along with the two joystick ports the original keyboard had. It also gives a much better typing feel: I use a Cherry PS/2 keyboard, which is far more pleasant to type on than the original, and a Logitech PS/2 mouse that tracks noticeably better than the original Atari STM1 mouse. It makes the workstation far more practical to use day to day. The older Eiffel versions were originally built and sold by Lyndon Amsdon, with the design documented on the Atari Hardware Guide, and the project history is covered in the Atari Wiki.
In my Mega ST 4 "High" machine the Eiffel connects the PS/2 keyboard and mouse, keeping the workstation fully usable alongside the MonSTerBoard, ET4000 and NetUSBee. The original Atari keyboard and mouse are now used with the "Low" machine.
+In my Mega ST 4 "High" machine the Eiffel connects the PS/2 keyboard and mouse, keeping the workstation fully usable alongside the MonSTerBoard, ET4000 and NetUSBee. The original Atari keyboard is now used with the "Low" machine, which pairs it with a mouSTer and a USB mouse.
My Mega ST 4 "Low" machine uses a mouSTer, a universal USB HID to DB-9 adapter that lets me connect a modern USB mouse to the Atari. The original Atari mouse isn't in use here, instead the mouSTer gives the machine a far more comfortable USB mouse.
+ +mouSTer is the first fully configurable USB adapter for old computers, created by willyvmm. It plugs into the DB-9 mouse/joystick port of an Atari ST (and many other old computers) and lets you use a modern USB mouse. It's open source, with firmware updates done easily via a USB memory stick.
+ +On the Mega ST 4 "Low" machine the mouSTer connects a USB mouse to the DB-9 port, giving a much better feel than the original Atari mouse. It works alongside the Cloudy/Storm ST combo, the Gotek, the UltraSatan, the SidecarTridge and the Wi-Fi modem. The original Atari keyboard is still used on this machine.
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