Author Topic: XT/AT/PS2/Terminal to USB Converter with NKRO  (Read 892228 times)

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Offline Soarer

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« Reply #50 on: Wed, 04 May 2011, 15:31:39 »
Quote from: Mr. Perfect;341710
Very nice diagrams there Neit. Any idea where the lock LEDs would fit into those?

Has anyone wired them up yet? I'm tempted to move them to different pins on the Teensy (non++)...

Offline Hak Foo

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« Reply #51 on: Wed, 04 May 2011, 23:24:30 »
I have.

If one thing is annoying about the laout, it is the lights.  Too close together, so it is hard to wire and all the lights blend together.

also, does one light come on when you shut down for everyone
Overton130, Box Pale Blues.

Offline Neit

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« Reply #52 on: Thu, 05 May 2011, 14:05:31 »
Quote from: Mr. Perfect;341710
Very nice diagrams there Neit. Any idea where the lock LEDs would fit into those?
I'll add them on the diagram as soon as Soarer has chosen the final pins to use (currently PF5, PF6 and PF7) and how to wire them (anode+resistor on pin and cathode on ground?).
If anyone is interested (or for the article), I can do the ++ diagram.
(hope that's what you wanted to hear, my English isn't perfect and I have to admit your question confused me :$)

@Soarer
Something I thought: Since the converter is plugged through USB, can we hotplug the keyboards? (or is it still risky because of the PS2/DIN)

Offline Soarer

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« Reply #53 on: Thu, 05 May 2011, 15:46:14 »
Quote from: Neit;342138
Something I thought: Since the converter is plugged through USB, can we hotplug the keyboards? (or is it still risky because of the PS2/DIN)

Still a bit risky but should be ok (as ok as hot-swapping any PS/2, I guess). The converter won't know if the keyboard type has changed though, so you couldn't unplug an XT then plug in an AT (I might try and improve that at some point, but it's not high on the list). Bottom line - it's safest to unplug the USB side first :)
« Last Edit: Thu, 05 May 2011, 15:48:58 by Soarer »

Offline Mr. Perfect

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« Reply #54 on: Thu, 05 May 2011, 20:12:22 »
Quote from: Neit;342138
I'll add them on the diagram as soon as Soarer has chosen the final pins to use (currently PF5, PF6 and PF7) and how to wire them (anode+resistor on pin and cathode on ground?).
If anyone is interested (or for the article), I can do the ++ diagram.
(hope that's what you wanted to hear, my English isn't perfect and I have to admit your question confused me :$)

 
Yes, that's exactly what I was asking about. Probably best to wait and see if they change pins though.
Mr. Perfect - A name fraught with peril.

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Offline 8_INCH_FLOPPY

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« Reply #55 on: Thu, 05 May 2011, 22:27:25 »
Quote from: Soarer;341464
Is it though? Even used just as a keyboard converter, I don't think it's unreasonable, considering how much it can do. But then, maybe you're one of those who thinks the blue cube is too expensive also, and have wasted money on a small mountain of crappy $3 converters (I don't mean that as aggressively as it may sound, btw, I have quite a collection!).

As an Atmega breakout, the Teensy can't be beaten on quality OR price... it really is the de facto choice for that reason.

 I'm just a cheapass who doesn't understand who people are willing to use an arduino to do the same thing that you can do with a $5 microcontroller. Don't take this the wrong way.  I'm really very grateful for the contribution. This device will allow me and many other members to finally use all of those awesome terminal and XT keyboards we have sitting around.
Notable Switches I have tried:
black cherry, blue cherry, brown cherry, clear cherry, cherry M84, white alps, black alps, cream alps, Monterey blue alps, Fujitsu Peerless, Gateway2000 rubber dome, Keytronic rubber dome, Model M buckling spring, Model F buckling spring, futaba, black space invader

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Offline hasu

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« Reply #56 on: Fri, 06 May 2011, 03:51:11 »
8_INCH_FLOPPY,

You can do with V-USB at cheap. You just need a crystal, 2 zeners, some R&C and AVR.
To cut cost down more, you might be able to omit crystal and even zeners. (dangerous to PC? :)

I made my PS/2 converter with Atmega168p + V-USB and it works fine. (with crystal and zeners, of course ;)
If you are familiar to PIC, PIC18F14K50 is better candidate. It has a real USB function.
Both chip are just 200 yen in Akihabara. cheap!

I think Teensy's price is reasonable, though shipping cost is a problem for buyers outside USA :(

Offline Soarer

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« Reply #57 on: Fri, 06 May 2011, 06:11:14 »
Quote from: 8_INCH_FLOPPY;342347
I'm just a cheapass who doesn't understand who people are willing to use an arduino to do the same thing that you can do with a $5 microcontroller. Don't take this the wrong way.  I'm really very grateful for the contribution. This device will allow me and many other members to finally use all of those awesome terminal and XT keyboards we have sitting around.

Ah, well, I can explain that quite simply: it's easier!

I chose Atmel AVR mainly because there is a good, free, C compiler. But then their range of devices is frustrating - hardware USB support is only available in a surface mount package, so some kind of breakout board is needed to make it usable by most people (the chip itself only costs a few dollars). I haven't tried V-USB, but as it's a software USB solution it uses a considerable amount of CPU time, and I would be concerned that it would not be easy to acheive the same level of reliability in reading data from the keyboard as I have using the hardware USB (which mostly just does its stuff in the background). Even with the hardware USB, I've had to solve a few tricky timing problems.

It's easier for the end-user as well. Hardware USB means you can load code into the device via USB (and as a bonus, the Teensy loader is well nigh foolproof). Without that, you'd need some other hardware to load the software onto the chip, which most people don't have. At a minimum only four wires need soldering, and that's a benefit too.

In essence, a Teensy does give us useful extra features compared to a $5 micro on its own.

Were I to take offence, it would at your use of the word 'willing', possibly implying that I've been had over by some evil scam to part me of my money! Or that I am a slack engineer who is wasteful! I would of course deny both, having considered V-USB and PIC options, and deciding that the Teensy is the best compromise between economic, efficiency, and ease-of-use factors in order to get the job done :-)
« Last Edit: Fri, 06 May 2011, 06:52:33 by Soarer »

Offline 8_INCH_FLOPPY

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« Reply #58 on: Fri, 06 May 2011, 13:14:38 »
Thanks for the detailed explanation. I didn't mean to suggest that you  are lazy. After all, you are the first person to offer a complete and thorough solution for those of us who want to make use of our XT keyboards.
Notable Switches I have tried:
black cherry, blue cherry, brown cherry, clear cherry, cherry M84, white alps, black alps, cream alps, Monterey blue alps, Fujitsu Peerless, Gateway2000 rubber dome, Keytronic rubber dome, Model M buckling spring, Model F buckling spring, futaba, black space invader

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HAPPY HUNTING
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Offline Soarer

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« Reply #59 on: Fri, 06 May 2011, 14:33:07 »
Quote from: 8_INCH_FLOPPY;342580
I didn't mean to suggest that you are lazy.

 
I didn't really think you had, the last paragraph was very much tongue in cheek :-)

But I am lazy - some say it's a good quality for a programmer to have!

Offline 8_INCH_FLOPPY

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« Reply #60 on: Fri, 06 May 2011, 16:33:58 »
I caved and ordered a couple. Maybe I can recoup the cost of one by selling the other after I get them both working. I think the price of ibm terminal keyboards if about to skyrocket...
Notable Switches I have tried:
black cherry, blue cherry, brown cherry, clear cherry, cherry M84, white alps, black alps, cream alps, Monterey blue alps, Fujitsu Peerless, Gateway2000 rubber dome, Keytronic rubber dome, Model M buckling spring, Model F buckling spring, futaba, black space invader

================================================
HAPPY HUNTING
================================================

Offline Oqsy

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« Reply #61 on: Sat, 07 May 2011, 03:09:28 »
Repeat that enough times in the right places and they will. However, this is still DIY and will scare away many that don't want the hassle or clutter. Prices *should* remain sane.
[sigpic]Currently in use: Rosewill RK9000 and CH DT225[/sigpic]
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Offline 8_INCH_FLOPPY

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« Reply #62 on: Sat, 07 May 2011, 12:37:29 »
Not if I build a bunch and sell them. Muahahahaha.
Notable Switches I have tried:
black cherry, blue cherry, brown cherry, clear cherry, cherry M84, white alps, black alps, cream alps, Monterey blue alps, Fujitsu Peerless, Gateway2000 rubber dome, Keytronic rubber dome, Model M buckling spring, Model F buckling spring, futaba, black space invader

================================================
HAPPY HUNTING
================================================

Offline Hak Foo

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« Reply #63 on: Sat, 07 May 2011, 23:57:45 »
To me, the logical endgame of this project is to eventually develop a small-run PCB where you can attach a teensy and your choice of the needed connectors and get a really professional job.  while the hand-soldered one works fine, it hardly looks like a robust professional 'take the 122 to the office and show it off' product.

From there, redesign so the $20 Teensy is replaced with just the surface-mounted atmel chip, send the design to China, and get the retail price down to like USD20.

The gamers will have a stroke-- an NKRO adapter for their old precious PS/2 boards, and their sales will bankroll development.
Overton130, Box Pale Blues.

Offline bhtooefr

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« Reply #64 on: Sun, 08 May 2011, 04:49:34 »
Of course, in my case, I just mounted the Teensy internally. That way, it looks like it was USB from the factory.

Offline Mr. Perfect

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« Reply #65 on: Mon, 09 May 2011, 08:59:12 »
Ok, here's a question that probably hasn't come up before: can USB keyboards be hooked up to this controller to achieve NKRO? I'm thinking of all the Filcos, Leopolds, Decks, etc that achieve NKRO when plugged into a PS/2 port with one of those USB to PS/2 adapters. Clearly the keyboard can handle NKRO, but the traditional USB hookup limits it to 6KRO.

Quote from: Hak Foo;343202
To me, the logical endgame of this project is to eventually develop a small-run PCB where you can attach a teensy and your choice of the needed connectors and get a really professional job..

 
Now that's a good idea. Even a do it yourself soldering kit would be great, people wouldn't have to hunt down all of the individual parts.
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Offline Soarer

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« Reply #66 on: Mon, 09 May 2011, 09:45:00 »
Quote from: Mr. Perfect;343753
Ok, here's a question that probably hasn't come up before: can USB keyboards be hooked up to this controller to achieve NKRO? I'm thinking of all the Filcos, Leopolds, Decks, etc that achieve NKRO when plugged into a PS/2 port with one of those USB to PS/2 adapters. Clearly the keyboard can handle NKRO, but the traditional USB hookup limits it to 6KRO.

 
Yes, it should work fine! (I'm sure someone did ask that before, but maybe not in this thread :) ).

Offline Mr. Perfect

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« Reply #67 on: Mon, 09 May 2011, 12:36:03 »
That's great news. So to wire a female USB socket to the controller you just match up power, ground, and the data lines and it's good to go?

The best possible version would have three inputs, a DIN, PS/2 and USB. Then you could plug in any keyboard capable of NKRO and get USB on any OS. :music:
Mr. Perfect - A name fraught with peril.

G80-8113HRBUS MX Clears, FC200R MX Clears, RK-9000v2 MX Blues.

Offline Soarer

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« Reply #68 on: Mon, 09 May 2011, 13:03:23 »
I don't know how the passive USB to PS/2 adapters are wired up though - either probe one or toss a coin ;-)

Offline Soarer

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« Reply #69 on: Wed, 11 May 2011, 18:19:52 »
New version (v0.994) posted which adds suspend and wake-up support!

Many thanks to intealls for his help with testing on OS-X, discussing the problems, and unwittingly providing motivation :-)

Essentially the changes are that the converter now tracks when it has been suspended by the host, or is in the process of waking up, and takes measures to avoid the situations that sometimes resulted in repeating or stuck keys after exiting the suspended state.

Also, it now sends a remote wake-up signal to the host when a key is pressed while it is suspended, to bring the computer out of stand-by/sleep.

Offline slueth

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« Reply #70 on: Wed, 11 May 2011, 23:28:58 »
Soarer, you are amazing!  :)

Offline intealls

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« Reply #71 on: Thu, 12 May 2011, 19:26:19 »
Heh, no problem, just glad I was able to help :) You're the one doing the awesome work, and we should all be grateful for it!

Offline Soarer

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« Reply #72 on: Thu, 12 May 2011, 20:16:55 »
Well this phase is really a shakedown, making sure that reliability is top notch before adding more features... and I can't do that all by myself :)

BTW, the problem when pressing lots of keys to wake-up got fixed too - the debug channel was filling up with stuff it couldn't send.

Offline Voixdelion

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« Reply #73 on: Fri, 13 May 2011, 05:30:01 »
Okay, I just kind of skimmed the discussion because it was all rather technical for me,  I see the "DIY" letters which has me a bit frightened and also the word "expensive" - but I was considering the $100 price tag for the converter that was no longer available, so I guess it's all relative ... How expensive are we talking here?  $20?   The other scary word was "Programming" considering the previous mention of "DIY project" but   I've held on to my F-XT in case some way to make use of it ever came to fruition; has this happened? I could offer my services for a cooperative effort in assembling these on the electrical/soldering side (which I am reasonably confident about being able to do)  if someone else will do the chip programming (which I know nothing about at all)

Can someone do an Inigo Montoya -like encapsulation of the last page and a half for me?  ("Let me explain-- no, there is too much . . . Let me sum up: Buttercup is marry  Humperdink in little less then half an hour so all we have to do is get  in, break up the wedding, steal the princess, make our escape... after I  kill count Rugen.")
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Offline bhtooefr

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« Reply #74 on: Fri, 13 May 2011, 05:50:03 »
Soarer is developing the firmware, you buy a Teensy or Teensy++, you can get one without pins and solder wires to it, or get one with pins, stick it in a breadboard with the appropriate connector, and jumper wires to it. Plug the wires into the appropriate pins on the Model F's controller, or plug the Model F's connector into the circuit.

Plug it into USB, run the Teensy loader, push the button, flash the firmware. Then reboot the Teensy. Done.

Offline Soarer

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« Reply #75 on: Fri, 13 May 2011, 06:32:34 »
Basic shopping list:
Optional items, as desired:
  • 3x LEDs
  • 3x Resistors for LEDs (value depends on the LEDs)
  • 2x 1k Resistors (for pull-ups)
  • Box
To assemble it just needs a few wires soldering. bhtooefr is right, there's lots of ways you could choose to build it and case it, and that's partly why I haven't done a demo build yet - I can't decide which way I want to do it :)

'Programming the chip' in this sense just means installing the hex file onto the Teensy, and that's made easier than burning a CD by the Teensy loader.
« Last Edit: Fri, 13 May 2011, 06:37:55 by Soarer »

Offline bhtooefr

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« Reply #76 on: Fri, 13 May 2011, 06:40:26 »
And, my build didn't even use the socket, due to how I installed mine.

Offline intealls

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« Reply #77 on: Fri, 13 May 2011, 09:14:55 »
Here's my highly ghettoish solution (I HATE that movie btw)

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 18098[/ATTACH]

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 18100[/ATTACH]

I plan to build a proper version sometime by using one of these, can't seem to find PS/2 sockets that can be properly aligned to an experiment board though :/

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 18099[/ATTACH]

Offline ch_123

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« Reply #78 on: Fri, 13 May 2011, 17:12:42 »
Quote from: ripster;345731
Sounds a teensy bit complicated to me.


Things often get more difficult to comprehend as you grow older.

Offline slueth

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« Reply #79 on: Fri, 13 May 2011, 23:06:52 »
Not that hard as long as you can understand the pinouts.  Make sure you are looking at the picture in the right point of view.  Either way, after messing around and sticking things in holes, I got it to work.

Offline 8_INCH_FLOPPY

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« Reply #80 on: Sat, 14 May 2011, 00:04:49 »
Quote from: Neit;339968
Hi Soarer,

I would like to wire your converter with both DIN and PS/2 connectors.
Since I'm pretty noob in electronics, I need some advice here.

Is it OK to wire the teensy and connectors like this ?
(followed your instructions on the article and of course I will use DIN OR PS/2, not both at the same time).
Show Image


Hope that I can.
Oh, and thank you for your great work, I may "resurrect" a terminal keyboard that probably use XT protocol.

 
Is that the same as the XT pinout? I wired it up to my XT keyboard like that and it is not currently working. The led on the board just lights up whenever I press a key.
Notable Switches I have tried:
black cherry, blue cherry, brown cherry, clear cherry, cherry M84, white alps, black alps, cream alps, Monterey blue alps, Fujitsu Peerless, Gateway2000 rubber dome, Keytronic rubber dome, Model M buckling spring, Model F buckling spring, futaba, black space invader

================================================
HAPPY HUNTING
================================================

Offline slueth

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« Reply #81 on: Sat, 14 May 2011, 02:08:19 »
I used this

with the information from the article:
Conn.       Teensy
GND -------- GND
Vcc/+5V ---- Vcc
Data ------- PD0
Clock ------ PD1

Offline Oqsy

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« Reply #82 on: Sat, 14 May 2011, 02:29:04 »
Voix:  I have this connected to a 122 Terminal F from the acfrazier group buy. Really not hard at all. I got a breadboard from RadioShack for a couple bucks, a teensy++ with pins preinstalled, and a DIN socket with pins for PCB mounting.

The teensy pins are pushed into the breadboard, as well as the DIN socket. Make sure you have the right pinout for the socket that matches your keyboard cable. Wire up the pins on the bottom of the breadboard  to match the diagrams earlier in this thread. Connect the USB cable to the teensy's jack and yr PC, then run the firmware loader, open Soarer's file, click the icon to "download", ie "flash" to the teensy. Click the icon to reboot the teensy. Done. Your board now works via USB, and where available, has full NKRO ;)

There's no need to fear, this is easy and fun!  Join the freenode IRC chat #geekhack and you will surely find a few of us using these that can talk you through it if you hit a snag.

One thing to note, mine is not soldered anywhere, and is currently connected with alligator "test" clips until I decide how to house it permanently. Not recommended since shorting the wrong pins/wires COULD do harm to your hardware, but if small enough clips are used, it IS workable temporarily until you or an electronics savvy buddy are ready to solder it up. ;)
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Offline Soarer

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« Reply #83 on: Sat, 14 May 2011, 07:04:23 »
The most common mistake so far is wiring the socket backwards - it's important to note whether a diagram shows the front or back view of the socket. Which is why I prefer something like Neit's revised diagram or this one from kbdbabel:



8_INCH_FLOPPY: doing that on an XT connector would swap Vcc and GND, so unlikely to give an output at all. Could it be that you just have clock and data swapped over?

Offline kishy

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« Reply #84 on: Sat, 14 May 2011, 10:25:28 »
[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 18121[/ATTACH]

Please feel free to pop this into the article if you like...
Enthusiast of springs which buckle noisily: my keyboards
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Offline Voixdelion

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« Reply #85 on: Sat, 14 May 2011, 12:21:44 »
kewl.  will definitely try this...soon
"The more you tolerate each other, the less enforcement will happen."-iMav

Offline Neit

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« Reply #86 on: Sun, 15 May 2011, 13:10:20 »
Finally done mine, 0.994 working perfectly with my cherry 81-3000 (yes MY switches are a pain).
Unfortunately, couldn't resurrect the 122 keyboard, don't know what to do or think, broken? another protocol?
I'll go back where I found it to try some others KBs.





Didn't make the hole for the PS/2 at the moment, will do when needed.

Quote from: Soarer;343914
I don't know how the passive USB to PS/2 adapters are wired up though - either probe one or toss a coin ;-)

Got one somewhere, can check it if you want.

One question: During my final test after soldering, I tried pushing multiples keys to check how much my KB can handle. At a moment the teensy LED lightened up and turned off just after realising the keys. Did you implemented it or the teensy froze ?
« Last Edit: Sun, 15 May 2011, 14:07:49 by Neit »

Offline slueth

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« Reply #87 on: Sun, 15 May 2011, 16:53:29 »
It shouldn't light up, if it lights up there was a problem.  Should handle nkro.
Correct me if I am wrong.

Offline bhtooefr

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« Reply #88 on: Sun, 15 May 2011, 16:54:55 »
If the keyboard itself doesn't handle NKRO, though, there's a problem, and it'll light up.

Offline Soarer

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« Reply #89 on: Sun, 15 May 2011, 18:00:16 »
I don't think the lack of NKRO is a factor here - the keyboard is still capable of tracking lots of keypresses as long as they don't trigger the anti-ghosting or whatever, and in most cases that wouldn't light the Teensy's LED.

I think this is the keyboard's buffer filling up, at which point it sends a code saying that it has overflowed. The converter then clears the state of all keys and lights its LED for a 5 seconds. In nearly all cases where the LED lights up, the converter solves the problem so you don't notice anything bad happen :-)

I've noticed this a lot while testing, particularly when releasing many keys, and there's two reasons for that: first, you are more likely to release them all within a very short time than when pressing them, and second, for scan code sets 2 and 3, there are at least two bytes placed into the buffer for each key release, making much more likely to overflow the buffer.

As for that 122, I'm afraid I have no idea :(  It could be a different protocol, or possibly the connector just isn't wired the same as a normal XT/AT board, or both.

Offline 8_INCH_FLOPPY

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« Reply #90 on: Sat, 21 May 2011, 19:00:14 »
I got mine to work for a moment with a PS/2 keyboard, but after I unplugged it and tried it again, it wouldn't work. The light lights up whenever I press a key and that's it. I never got it to work with an XT keyboard.

With the female DIN plug facing me, and the 5 pins numbered clockwise, this is how I wired it up:
1-D1
2-Ground
3-D0
4-VCC
5-nothing

1.2k resistor between D0 and VCC, and 1.2k between VCC and D1.

Is this correct for both AT and XT?
« Last Edit: Sat, 21 May 2011, 19:02:34 by 8_INCH_FLOPPY »
Notable Switches I have tried:
black cherry, blue cherry, brown cherry, clear cherry, cherry M84, white alps, black alps, cream alps, Monterey blue alps, Fujitsu Peerless, Gateway2000 rubber dome, Keytronic rubber dome, Model M buckling spring, Model F buckling spring, futaba, black space invader

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Offline Soarer

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XT/AT/PS2/Terminal to USB Converter with NKRO
« Reply #91 on: Sat, 21 May 2011, 19:22:07 »
Yup, that's the right order when looking into the socket. AT and XT are the same. Pull-up resistors sound fine.

Perhaps data (D0) isn't properly connected. Could you post a pic or two?

edit: The other thing that might help to get it working is to run the hid_listen program to see what the error is (a cryptic code beginning with a capital 'R', most likely).
« Last Edit: Sat, 21 May 2011, 19:39:38 by Soarer »

Offline 8_INCH_FLOPPY

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XT/AT/PS2/Terminal to USB Converter with NKRO
« Reply #92 on: Sat, 21 May 2011, 19:50:23 »
Ok, here's the message with one keypress on an AT keyboard:

R06
R06 R06


It doesn't give me any messages with the XT keyboard. However, the lock leds on the keyboard are working.

I doubt the connection is the problem, unless it's my cord or something. I'm not beginner when it comes to soldering.
Notable Switches I have tried:
black cherry, blue cherry, brown cherry, clear cherry, cherry M84, white alps, black alps, cream alps, Monterey blue alps, Fujitsu Peerless, Gateway2000 rubber dome, Keytronic rubber dome, Model M buckling spring, Model F buckling spring, futaba, black space invader

================================================
HAPPY HUNTING
================================================

Offline Soarer

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XT/AT/PS2/Terminal to USB Converter with NKRO
« Reply #93 on: Sat, 21 May 2011, 20:19:51 »
Not accusing you of sloppy soldering! But something seems to have broken after the first test with the PS/2 keyboard, presumably within the converter and its wiring - have you got a multimeter to check continuity?

R06 is a start bit error, so it's not getting very far with it! It's very strange that with the XT nothing is printed.

When connecting it, what does it say at the beginning?
(Should always say wEE, and then print more for the AT or PS/2).
(The USB side should be disconnected when changing keyboards).

Another thing that might give that error is if data is shorted to ground.
« Last Edit: Sat, 21 May 2011, 21:04:25 by Soarer »

Offline 8_INCH_FLOPPY

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XT/AT/PS2/Terminal to USB Converter with NKRO
« Reply #94 on: Sat, 21 May 2011, 23:19:56 »
There's continuity between The socket and the board, according to ye olde VTVM. Also, there are no shorts between data and Gnd.

Hmm, it's suddenly working with ps/2 again. Here's the message it gave me when I plugged in:

wEE rEE wF0 w00 rFE wF0 w02 rFE wF0 w03 rFE wF2 rFA rAB r83
It's giving me a unique message for each keypress, and they are all working.

I still can't get the XT keyboards working. It just lights up whenever I press a key down. I had to unplug the USB and plug it in in order to get any message for the XT keyboard. Here it is:
wEE

then, when I press keys on the XT keyboard, the message alternates between
R06
R06
and
R05
R05
Ctl and a couple of other keys give me an occasional R04.


I haven't tested it with any of my 122-key keyboards yet. I'll remember to unplug the usb before keyboard swapping in the future.
« Last Edit: Sat, 21 May 2011, 23:22:08 by 8_INCH_FLOPPY »
Notable Switches I have tried:
black cherry, blue cherry, brown cherry, clear cherry, cherry M84, white alps, black alps, cream alps, Monterey blue alps, Fujitsu Peerless, Gateway2000 rubber dome, Keytronic rubber dome, Model M buckling spring, Model F buckling spring, futaba, black space invader

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HAPPY HUNTING
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Offline 8_INCH_FLOPPY

  • Posts: 183
XT/AT/PS2/Terminal to USB Converter with NKRO
« Reply #95 on: Sat, 21 May 2011, 23:25:31 »
Ok, I've switched back to an AT board, and now it's not working again. Here's the message when I plug it in:

wEE rEE wF0 w00 wF0 wF2 rFA
 
It is not receiving any of the key-presses now.
Notable Switches I have tried:
black cherry, blue cherry, brown cherry, clear cherry, cherry M84, white alps, black alps, cream alps, Monterey blue alps, Fujitsu Peerless, Gateway2000 rubber dome, Keytronic rubber dome, Model M buckling spring, Model F buckling spring, futaba, black space invader

================================================
HAPPY HUNTING
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Offline 8_INCH_FLOPPY

  • Posts: 183
XT/AT/PS2/Terminal to USB Converter with NKRO
« Reply #96 on: Sat, 21 May 2011, 23:39:03 »
It seems that, out of the 3 AT keyboard that I've tested, the only one that does not work is the one that has a 3-way switch on the back so that it can switch between A, X and S. I've always assumed that this was AT, and XT, since A has worked though a simple AT to ps/2 adapter and X simply has not worked. I have no idea what the S stands for. Anyone know?

Anyway, my other XT keyboards are giving me the same message that this 'board gave me with the switch in the X position, so I'm assuming that it is working.
Notable Switches I have tried:
black cherry, blue cherry, brown cherry, clear cherry, cherry M84, white alps, black alps, cream alps, Monterey blue alps, Fujitsu Peerless, Gateway2000 rubber dome, Keytronic rubber dome, Model M buckling spring, Model F buckling spring, futaba, black space invader

================================================
HAPPY HUNTING
================================================

Offline 8_INCH_FLOPPY

  • Posts: 183
XT/AT/PS2/Terminal to USB Converter with NKRO
« Reply #97 on: Sat, 21 May 2011, 23:48:31 »
After much testing, here's what basically happens:

Normal AT keyboard: Works fine, do problemos  

wEE rEE wF0 w00 rFE wF0 w02 rFE wF0 w03 rFE wF2 rFA rAB r83
with unique messages for each key

Weirdo Monterey International Corp. FKF456K-104 AT keyboard with 3-way A,X,S switch on the back:
In the "A" position: wEE rEE wF0 w00 wF0 wF2 rFA
In the "X" position: wEE, alternating between R06 R06 R05 R05 with a few R04s thrown in
In the "S" position: wEE, alternating between R06 R06 R05 R05 with a few R04s thrown in

83-key XT keyboard:
wEE, alternating between R06 R06 R05 R05 with a few R04s thrown in

Any ideas?
Notable Switches I have tried:
black cherry, blue cherry, brown cherry, clear cherry, cherry M84, white alps, black alps, cream alps, Monterey blue alps, Fujitsu Peerless, Gateway2000 rubber dome, Keytronic rubber dome, Model M buckling spring, Model F buckling spring, futaba, black space invader

================================================
HAPPY HUNTING
================================================

Offline Soarer

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XT/AT/PS2/Terminal to USB Converter with NKRO
« Reply #98 on: Sun, 22 May 2011, 07:26:43 »
Hmm... I used an IBM XT 'board for developing, and then had to tweak my code to get it working with some of my switchable 'boards. It does seem that implementations vary much more on the XT protocol than the others, but I've only got a few 'boards I can test with, and no others that are only XT.

R04 is a clock error - the converter has missed one edge of the clock signal, usually because of a short spike. I haven't seen this one other than when powering up, so I'm not sure why it's happening here.
R05 is a timeout error - the converter started receiving clock from the board, but didn't receive enough for a full code.
R06, the start bit error - the converter read a start bit, but it was incorrect. (Data should be high for XT, low for the rest).

It looks like that AT 'board is being upset by the tests the converter does to try and auto-detect the keyboard type (or the converter is being confused by the response). I've been thinking about simplifying it, which might help with this 'board.

I've got a Cherry with a pair of dip switches, and the choices are 'PC/XT', 'AT 02', and 'MF'. I'll plug it in later and see what it does.

Offline 8_INCH_FLOPPY

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XT/AT/PS2/Terminal to USB Converter with NKRO
« Reply #99 on: Sun, 22 May 2011, 14:29:41 »
I tested my other XT keyboard, and it responded the same as the first one. I have to make an adapter before I test my 122-key model Ms.
Notable Switches I have tried:
black cherry, blue cherry, brown cherry, clear cherry, cherry M84, white alps, black alps, cream alps, Monterey blue alps, Fujitsu Peerless, Gateway2000 rubber dome, Keytronic rubber dome, Model M buckling spring, Model F buckling spring, futaba, black space invader

================================================
HAPPY HUNTING
================================================