ECMA-23 is a standard for a bit-paired keyboard layout adopted in 1969 and revised in 1975. As a bit-paired layout, shifted keys correspond to toggling bits in the ASCII keycode. This is most visible in the digits on the top row, where shifting give , and each of are paired –, – and –.
The ECMA-23 layout has two options, being the same as the ISO 2530 or the ANSI-X4.14 bit-paired layout.
In the UK, ECMA-23 layout keyboards were used on most 8-bit computers such as the Acorn BBC computers and the earlier Atom and Systems, the Amstrad CPC series, and (to an extent) the ZX Spectrum. While bit-paired layouts have generally given way to typewriter layouts, the Japanese keyboard layout still uses one.
Technical details
The and keys may be at the left as per ISO2530 or at the right as per ANSI-X4.14. Character 96 is generated either with Shift- with a singleton key, or with Shift- with a singleton key. Underline may be generated with Shifted- instead of with its own key. If this is done then Shift- is used to generate character 96. If a key is labelled it should be at the top-right; if a key is labelled it should be at the bottom-right. If the key to the left of is not , it is . The most common layouts are: "BBC Micro": ECMA23/ANSI with Shift- generating character 96 "Japan": ECMA23/ANSI with Shift- generating character 96 and an extra key to the right of generating "PC": ECMA23/ISO with Shift- generating character 96
Examples Acorn Atom and Acorn SystemAcorn Atom ECMA23/ANSI shuffled RS2376 keyboardRS2376 ASCII Keyboard ECMA23/ISO character 96 generated with Shift- BBC Microcomputer seriesBBC Micro ECMA23/ANSI character 96 as £ generated with Shift- Amstrad CPCAmstrad CPC ECMA23/ANSI and swapped, moved, Shift- and Shift- swapped, in the location
Notes
External links Standard ECMA-23 for Keyboards