--- Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> > > Of course there _are_ keyboards with plain async outputs...
>
> How exactly is your board designed? Is the UART on the host bus (Omnibus
> IIRC), or is there a CPU in the way? If the latter, then I really would
> consider using that CPU to help with the keyboard interfacing.
The UART is local to the 68000 which sits on the OMNIBUS. Since I
have the circuit diagrams and licenses to real Qbus and Unibus and
VAXBI peripheral boards based on the 68000, I was thinking of adapting
the design to the OMNIBUS. The 68K sits there and does single-cycle
databreak and/or programmed I/O to the OMNIBUS, but listens to any
IOTs I tell it to. It has a modern disk interface and perhaps a spare
serial port. Its primary serial port would have a serial LCD or VFD
display for status (and maybe blinkenlights), and accept a keyboard for
simple, local monitoring, debugging and configuration. I want to use
an available, inexpensive keyboard.
Given the design so far, either taking a real 8042 from an old PeeCee
or using an LK201 are acceptable keyboard designs. I could just use
a dumb terminal (or PeeCee running a terminal package), but I wanted
something small and dedicated for doing input to the 68000. I'll
have a dedicated display for its output (I have several PD3000 "Pole
Displays" - 2x20 VFDs from cash registers/tills)
Essentially, I'm envisioning a user-definable I/O peripheral. It
behaves like any device you ask it to. I'm trying to decide ATA/IDE
vs SCSI and am thinking of both. With IDE, it can use flash cards
(I have adapter frames) and inexpensive modern disks. With SCSI, it
can use inexpensive modern disks, including removables like SyQuest
drives (have more than one).
It's a design I've been kicking around in my head for a while. I have
a DataSystem 310 desk and -8/a arriving in a few weeks. It's enough to
put my brain back in OMNIBUS mode.
-ethan
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Received on Fri Aug 30 2002 - 00:50:00 BST