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APPENDIX C: Commands for Advanced Users
C.2 Set Keyboard Typematic
Most keyboards have an internal seven-bit “typematic”
setting, which governs the way the keyboard responds
when you hold a key down to force it to repeat. The five
“low” bits of this setting represent the rate at which the
key repeats; the two “high” bits represent the delay after
you begin holding down the key before it begins to
repeat. Sometimes a keyboard’s typematic setting isn’t
suitable for a given user or for a given application. To
change the typematic setting of your keyboard, issue the
Set Keyboard Typematic command: Press and release
the left Control key, type [A] followed by the desired
“typematic value,” and press [Enter]. The “typematic
value” is the decimal equivalent of the binary seven-bit
typematic setting: While the typematic setting = delay
bits + rate bits, the typematic value = decimal delay value
+ decimal rate value (see Table C-1 below and Table C-2
on the next page). For example, to set your shared
keyboard to register a key 16 times per second after the
key has been held down for half a second (typematic
value = 7 + 32 = 39), type [Ctrl] [A] [3] [9] [Enter].
Enter the Keep Settings command ([Ctrl] [K]) after
you enter this command.