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AT to XT Keyboard Converter

Please, if there is somebody still selling AT 2 XT keyboard converters, send me a PM.
I would need the E0 scancode pass-through feature and the last firmware revision.
I haven't found any at eBay.
 
If you have a 12F629 PIC programmer and are handy with a soldering iron, you can easily build one just on a piece of perfboard (protoboard). There are very few wires and components.
 
it may be time for another PCB run. I don't mind having a supply of parts+PCBs in my closet to fill orders- even having 25 of them on hand takes up a very small space, and I don't see the demand drying up, no matter how slowly they sell in our advertising free environment.

andrew, if you're reading this, let's do another run if you are planning on placing an order to the PCB house.
 
Chuck(G) said:
If you have a 12F629 PIC programmer and are handy with a soldering iron, you can easily build one just on a piece of perfboard (protoboard). There are very few wires and components.
Click to expand...

I have to buy everything (the programmer, soldering stuff, etc) and I don't think I will get something which works the 1st trials, so it will be cheaper if I buy it :)

BTW: I don't mind ordering it from any place in the world, but if I can choose, shipping cost from Europe will be cheaper for me, as I live in Spain.
 
I understand. You're probably best off talking with Hargle and Andrew then. Just tossed that one out in case you were used to "rolling your own".
 
I've been planning a board run (100) assembled on demand, but mine's not the PIC version (I'm an AVR-man...) Source is just as open, though. If there's interest..


Jim
 
I'm not a PIC man either, Jim, but at the time, the 8 pin PIC was one of the cheapest 5V MCUs out there that had just enough pins to do the job (I did look at the 6-pin PICs, but couldn't make one work in the job). The other goal was that it could be built into a mini-DIN to DIN plug adapter if desired (most of the PCB area is taken by connectors on the current version).

Are you using an 8 pin AVR?
 
Hello there.

Just got my hands on a Victor Vicky XT clone as well and would like a AT2XT adapter as well. Please sign me up for one, if you decide to do another run :)

Are you still selling the XTIDE as well - What's the price of this?
 
I have received a "new" 8088 system and, guess what? Now I not only need one AT2XT, but also one XTIDE.

It's not going to be easy :(
 
Great, so now we have a PIC version, and AVR version, and now we can add my version- MSP430- to the mix...

As at least 2 people have mentioned, the 430 was probably overkill for this... Chuck's design has fewer components and is probably a better tool for the job. It's also much leaner since it's written in assembly.

Nevertheless, my code is written using only ANSI C plus gcc's __interrupt keyword (I imagine most C compilers should have provisions for interrupts), and only depends on the existence of a timer peripheral existing on the target microcontroller. So this is basically any microcontroller in existence? The code could easily be ported just changing some defines.

Hey, I gotta make my offer sound decent, right :p?

Open source on demand- not released yet MAINLY because at the moment I have no means to decouple the programming phase from TI's IDE (though the source certainly doesn't depend on the IDE).

Here are some (really bad) pictures of one of the working PCBs (discrete version- surface mount doesn't save that much space in retrospect):
Photo213.jpgPhoto214.jpgPhoto217.jpg
 
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Chuck(G) said:
Nice job--but sometimes using 5V logic does have its advantages!
Click to expand...

Sure, if I had a programmer which could target 5V PICs or AVRs that didn't cost an arm and a leg... though not it's original intent, the Launchpad can be used as a programmer for a large number of MSP430 variants... and only costs $4.30 (gee, I wonder why)! Less than 1/25th of most programmers ;).
 
cr1901 said:
Sure, if I had a programmer which could target 5V PICs or AVRs that didn't cost an arm and a leg... though not it's original intent, the Launchpad can be used as a programmer for a large number of MSP430 variants... and only costs $4.30 (gee, I wonder why)! Less than 1/25th of most programmers ;).
Click to expand...

A 5V PIC programmer used on a PC serial port is a very inexpensive item--and there are DIY versions if you're into that. Same for AVRs--I think I paid about $10 shipped for the PIC programmer from eBay. I figure that programmers for whatever you're developing for are like screwdrivers--you may not like them, but you need them.

When working with PIC32 stuff, I was somewhat miffed that I had to lay out for a PICKit 3 programmer, when PIC32 natively works with JTAG (on-chip logic converts ISP to JTAG). But that's the price you pay, even if you only need to get a bootloader into the thing.
 
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ajacocks said:
All,

I recently found this conversation, and decided to make up a new board, since I don't think that Andrew is still making them. I used the exact same design, and set it up on a as small a board as I could, based on Andrew's original design.

Would anyone like to look and comment? I'm thinking of ordering at least 3 boards.

- Alex
View attachment 16621
View attachment 16622
View attachment 16623
Click to expand...

I see you like DipTrace and OshPark ("at least three" gives it away) :p.

How'd you get PDF output from DipTrace? Also, did you have as much "fun" as I did making your own DIN5 part in DipTrace? Still probably the best PCB software that has a free version though.

Re: the board layout, looks good to me- especially since the routing is limited to mainly one side.
 
Yep, DipTrace is great. So great, in fact, that I bought a license. I got my PDF output via printing to PrimoPDF. That was the best way to get reasonable quality output that I could find.

However, there's a _big_ goof in the layout that I posted. The pins for all the keyboard connectors are completely backwards! I have redesigned the board, in the process also making the solder pads/holes quite a bit bigger, to fit the large legs on the keyboard connectors. v0.1 required quite a bit of hole drilling to get them to fit. I've ordered 3 more boards, so I will have 2 spares, assuming that the first one works, if anyone wants them. I'd also be happy to build the boards up, if anyone wants.

Updated pictures:
View attachment DipTrace PCB top - xtatkbd.pdf
View attachment DipTrace PCB top unpoured - xtatkbd.pdf
View attachment DipTrace PCB bottom - xtatkbd.pdf

- Alex
 
Is anyone still making these converters? I have a trash find XT clone which I found, but no keyboard (I only have AT keyboards, and none are switchable)
 
holdencars11 said:
Is anyone still making these converters? I have a trash find XT clone which I found, but no keyboard (I only have AT keyboards, and none are switchable)
Click to expand...
Judging by your handle, you may be in Australia. If so, note that I have ready-to-use AT2XTKB keyboard adapters (including short DIN cable). PM me if you are interested.
 
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