KeyStone AT<->ADB Keyboard & Serial Mouse Converter . . .

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

. . . from the Silicon Valley Bus Co.

Here are the shots I took for the gang forming up to do the Skunkworks PS-2 <-> ADB Project

The only problems I ever had with this peripheral stemmed from coupling it with a pair of KVM Switchboxes for use with multiple Macs a/o a PC (and possibly my Laser 128, but that memory's a bit hazy in the IIRC department. The pointing device often went a bit wonky when switching between Macs. However, keeping an alias of ADB Reset to tab to on the desktop was the only fix necessary, I'll try to dig out the Docs and drivers for this great peripheral converter.

 

[LCGuy]

I've seen pics of this beast before...looks like it'd be quite a handy device to have.

Also, I have to say, "The Silicon Valley Bus Company"...what a cool name for a hardware company.

 

[MidnightCommando]

Please tell me you dumped the ROM /before/ firing a photoflash at it. Please.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Nah, a photoflash isn't a UV source, which is needed to erase an EPROM. If flashes put out UV, Super Models would go blind within in a year.

You'll notice I didn't scan it without covering it/it! 8-o

 

[MidnightCommando]

God I hope you're right that your flash doesn't let UV pass.

The very nature of a photoflash is a high-intensity broad-spectrum emission of visible and invisible light - flash tubes themselves have a coating on them which severely reduces the amount of UV light allowed to pass through. At any rate, your average flashgun will probably have something to inhibit the transmission of UV light, but I still wouldn't trust it myself.

I'm probably just overly cautious.

BTW - has anyone looked at the Keyboard Babel project for ADB -> PS/2 conversion to implement in a microcontroller of some description?

The mouse could be done with some discrete logic easily enough - just look what an ADB mouse does on-circuit to the pulses from the rotary encoders. I think it uses a quadrature latch of some kind? If you can essentially strip the serial mouse or PS/2 mouse to the basic data of "motion x/y, direction x/y" and the button press activity, and then use that to drive whatever turns a dumb mouse into an ADB device, you have the mouse side dealt with easily.

If one wanted to be all fancy and neat and tidy, implementing a softcore 6811 in a CPLD, and using the remaining space to chain the logic for the mouse, would be an elegant solution. (I hate hate hate hate miniaturisation and over-integration, I'd rather replace a 74xx or a few transistors than an ASIC, but what do I know)

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

MC, please make your original post in the Skunkworks PS-2 <-> ADB Project thread in hacks & dev. and I'll reply there and we can . . .

. . . a competent mod could probably move just this part of the discussion, but . . . :I

 

[MidnightCommando]

Not to nitpick, but a competent mod would also probably create a usable link, such as Skunkworks PS/2 <-> ADB Project

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It's not incompetence, don't worry - as long as you can keep the peace you're doing your job as a moderator correctly. Between you and me, I derp pretty hard with phpBB myself on occasion I'll get over to that other thread now.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

You got me! :lol: I thought I'd cleaned up that bit of boo-boo-doo, but apparently I was mistaken . . . feces occur!

 

[techknight]

BTW - has anyone looked at the Keyboard Babel project for ADB -> PS/2 conversion to implement in a microcontroller of some description?

As i mentioned in the other thread, i posted my simple PS/2 mouse reader for the Atmel AVR series for peeps to look at. PS/2 protocol is really easy. The ADB is a little less easy, its seems to use Manchester encoding, but they dont come outright and say that it IS Manchester encoding in the apple specs, and the reason for that is because true Manchester performs a transition at the center of the bit period. While the apple version of Manchester, doesnt do that. it is offset by their own timing specifications.

I found an Embedded C implementation of the ADB protocol for a ADB to USB adapter code at the SE/ARM project site. I was briefly looking over it, but i am totally lost because i dont understand embedded C operators and how they work together in the same line of code.

 

[olePigeon]

I have a big port expander from Silicon Valley Bus Co., but I can't get it to power on.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I saw a Macintosh Serial Port Switcher made in the same box as my KeyStone Converter on eBay for a while.

I take it you've tested your AC adapter and its connections to the PCB?

I need to put in a new momentary switch for the power button on my KeyStone, but I can just keep another ADB KBD on the chain.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

KeyStone rides again and brings the Nimitz Class Keyboard (as opposed to the puny Apple branded Aircraft Carriers, the Extended KBDs) out of mothballs.

The KeyStone box is to the left of the KBD.

Also in this shot of the RadLab:

SuperIIsi™ goodies:

IIsi NuBus Adapter

Radius Rocket33

SCSI II DaughterCard

Radius Studio Array SCSI II RAIDbox

Miscellania and Tanning Salon Equipment:

21" Radius PrecisionView 2150 - Old Faithful

21" MAG Innovision MX21F video display from pet IIfx

21" ViewSonic G810 Portrait Display

22" ViewSonic Professional Series P225fNinja

(sorry about the brightness and contrast levels: set for clickey input message-n-KBD clarity)

Same post made in the SkunkWorks Project.