Though I never owned a KIM-1, I once built a memory circuit for the KIM-1 that
lived on a prototype card I once had made and sold for the thing, which, when
combined with an FDC allowed one to run the "APEX" os, but only after disabling
the KIM-1-resident I/O and Firmware. It also required a small character display
(16 lines of 64 characters), and a parallel-interfaced ascii keyboard.
I may still have enough information about that to be of some use. My efforts to
locate various KIM-stuff have been in vain though. I've been looking for a
KIM-2 and a KIM-3 board, which I hope I didn't pitch, for some years now.
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ross Archer" <dogbert_at_mindless.com>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2001 8:36 PM
Subject: Re: Kim / Commie keypads
>
>
> Richard Erlacher wrote:
>
> > I'd recommend that you not only replace the keypad with something more
durable,
> > but that you buffer and parallel the LED display such that you can use some
> > significantly larger displays. That will provide you with flexibility in
> > packaging that the use of the existing display won't allow. It's lotsa
work,
> > but that's what the hobby is about, isn't it?
>
> I gave that some thought. Suppose having BIG displays would be nice.
> I don't intend to input much data via the keypad -- I plan to take the best
> parts of my 65C02 microcontroller and add it to the KIM so you can use
> the PC as a rather fast tape drive. :) Still, it's cool to show people who
> are into computers how people hand-assembled their programs and
> typed them in, etc. :)
>
> AC in, a filtered DC supply, cassette I/O jacks, an RS232 port, and 32K RAM
> and secondary monitor ROM would all fit nicely within a box and
> protect the whole thing, so I like that idea very much.
>
>
>
> >
> >
> > The way to handle this might be to buy a scrap of aluminum sheet stock
that's
> > about large enough to build a box that will hold the KIM-1, perhaps together
> > with a PSU, and, if you've any desire to do that, together with whatever
> > expansion hardware you want. Make sure it's sturdy enough for your
purposes.
> > Obtain a hacksaw, shear, files, etc, and whatever else you think you'll need
to
> > butcher the metal. Radio Shack once sold a really decent nibbler, that's
the
> > easiest tool to afford for making oddly-shaped square-cornered holes for
> > keypads, displays, connectors, etc. It was a good tool so it's likely no
longer
> > available. I bought two just to be safe.
> >
> > Purchase or fabricate a keypad, ABSOLUTELY NOT a membrane or otherwise
prebuilt
> > matrix keypad, but rather, one with keyboard-type switches and removable
keytops
> > to which you can see yourself applying some sort of decent-looking legends.
> > That way you have a maintenance path. It's not hard to hand-wire a set of
> > switches onto a piece of perf-board in a solid way that can be attached to
the
> > underside of your aluminum top. I've done this sort of thing many times and
if
> > you want "spiritual guidance" with respect to this, I doubt I'm the only one
in
> > this forum who's got advice for you.
> >
>
> It sounds like I could manage this assuming there's a ready supply of
individual
> keys somewhere out there -- and I figure this must be the case.
>
> Thanks a lot for all the ideas.
>
> -- Ross
>
>
> >
> > Dick
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Ross Archer" <dogbert_at_mindless.com>
> > To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
> > Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2001 1:31 AM
> > Subject: Re: Kim / Commie keypads
> >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: Richard Erlacher <edick_at_idcomm.com>
> > > To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
> > > Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2001 9:04 AM
> > > Subject: Re: Kim / Commie keypads
> > >
> > >
> > > > It's pretty hard to tell whether it's the keypad or the circuit that's
> > > > malfunctioning. How did you determine it's the keypad itself?
> > > >
> > >
> > > Funny you should ask. I studied the circuit in detail
> > > about two years back, and verified that closing the
> > > right pair of application connector pins caused the
> > > "broken" keys to register. I got busy, put the KIM
> > > away in a box and forgot about it until recently.
> > >
> > > > Dick
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "Roger Merchberger" <zmerch_at_30below.com>
> > > > To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
> > > > Sent: Monday, April 09, 2001 7:12 PM
> > > > Subject: Kim / Commie keypads
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > Rumor has it that Sellam Ismail may have mentioned these words:
> > > > > >On Mon, 9 Apr 2001, Ross Archer wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > [[[ Editor's Note - original poster not identified ]]]
> > > > >
> > > > > >> > > So this discussion isn't totally off-topic, does anyone have
> > > > > >> > > any suggestions on how to fix my dead KIM-1 keyboard?
> > > > >
> > > > > [ snip ]
> > > > >
> > > > > >I'll bet that the KIM-1 keypad was the same type that was used in one
> > > of
> > > > > >Commodore's pocket calculators. But even THOSE are pretty rare.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >I guess you're SOL. Is it possible to unsolder the keypad and
> > > disassemble
> > > > > >it to clean the contacts?
> > > > >
> > > > > I hope he's not [1]... I happen to have a Commie pocket calculator in
my
> > > > > basement - dunno if it's what you're looking for (it's *duuuuuusty!*
and
> > > I
> > > > > don't think it works well) but I can put digital pix on the 'net in
the
> > > > > next couple days if that'd help...
> > > > >
> > > > > Shipping or small trade would be all I ask...
> > > > >
> > > > > [1] I'm hoping that the original poster isn't SOL, that is...
> > > > >
> > > > > HTH,
> > > > > Roger "Merch" Merchberger
> > > > > --
> > > > > Roger "Merch" Merchberger --- sysadmin, Iceberg Computers
> > > > > Recycling is good, right??? Ok, so I'll recycle an old .sig.
> > > > >
> > > > > If at first you don't succeed, nuclear warhead
> > > > > disarmament should *not* be your first career choice.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
>
>
Received on Thu Apr 12 2001 - 01:18:46 BST
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0
: Fri Oct 10 2014 - 23:33:26 BST