Date   : Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:11:57 +0100
From   : afra@... (Phill Harvey-Smith)
Subject: New storage system suggestinons?

Alex Taylor wrote:
> 2009/10/14 Rick Murray <rick@...>:
>      My favourite option, one which doesn't seem to exist and one
> which I don't have the skill to do, would be some kind of PIC-based
> converter which connects a PS/2 keyboard or similar to the actual
> keyboard connector on the motherboard.

You've just described exactly how the AtomClone keyboard works, I have 
an AVR that decodes the PS/2 keyboard and then feeds it's results to an 
MT8816 crosspoint switch, which in turn is connected to the Atom 
keyboard hardware.

The clever bit is the crosspoint switch, it's basically an array of 
electrically switchable switches arranged as an 8x16 matrix you 
basically feed it row and column, and a data bit, if the bit is 0 then 
the switch at the row/col is opened, if it is 1 it is closed.

Guess it would be pretty easy to adapt for the BBC/Master/Electron, just 
never bothered because all my machines had working keyboards :)

Cheers.

Phill.


-- 
Phill Harvey-Smith, Programmer, Hardware hacker, and general eccentric !

"You can twist perceptions, but reality won't budge" -- Rush.