I'm still working on getting HIDman's serial support working but when it's working you're free to use that as a base if you like.

XT support will be the next feature after serial.

It just requires a single cheap MCU (CH559) with basically no other components, and (mostly) works with USB game controllers too.

rasteri wrote on 2022-12-22, 18:20:

I'm still working on getting HIDman's serial support working but when it's working you're free to use that as a base if you like.

XT support will be the next feature after serial.

It just requires a single cheap MCU (CH559) with basically no other components, and (mostly) works with USB game controllers too.

Well, what do you think?

Calamitylime I think has xt working through the pi pico and his software.

Which do you think would be easiest and cheapest or better? Can we have the best of all worlds?

rasteri's would be cheapest, never used it but the BOM is smaller compared to my project.

XT keystrokes should be working but I would still expect a computer to throw a "keyboard error" on boot. I don't have an XT class machine to mess with but I have been keeping an eye out for one.

A similar project was done with matze's ps/2 to serial mouse converter, it was an all in one where the isa card has a com built in so one card did all the converting. I don't know if it was finished or not but it was interesting.

Being 32bit the Pico would be easier to develop for.

HIDman aims for simplicity and low price but uses an 8bit processor so development is kinda awkward (256bytes internal RAM!)

Do you have a link to that project?

Btw links for other’s reading:

USB to Serial Mouse using the Pi Pico!
Calamitylime’s

Another PS/2 Mouse ISA (ISA8) card adapter
Rio444’s

Re: HIDman - USB to PS/2 converter (Open Source) Rasteri’s

I should probably do a different thread doe the keyboard varient at this stage.

anyway, I know to expand my project any more it will need something to help manage the memory usage since I have not. I've just been letting it balloon and waiting for it to error

Hi Sphere478,

I don’t understand a little what you don’t like about working with your 386th and older hardware. And what do you want to achieve. Please explain in as much detail as possible.

Pi-pico is probably very cool and progressive. But it might not be the best choice. Its performance is very high, but all microcontrollers of the Cortex architecture have "floating" instruction execution time caused by pipelining and caching. This can cause difficulties when working with the ISA bus directly.

Rio444 wrote on 2022-12-23, 09:51:

Hi Sphere478,

I don’t understand a little what you don’t like about working with your 386th and older hardware. And what do you want to achieve. Please explain in as much detail as possible.

Pi-pico is probably very cool and progressive. But it might not be the best choice. Its performance is very high, but all microcontrollers of the Cortex architecture have "floating" instruction execution time caused by pipelining and caching. This can cause difficulties when working with the ISA bus directly.

I’m wanting one 8-bit isa card to use that will give usb and ps/2 ports for modern keyboards and mice.

It doesn’t have to interface with the isa bus directly.

I was figuring that it could just use isa for power and use a internal serial header for mouse or it could use isa and be like your device. I’m open. I think though that as far as keyboard goes that it must interface with the onboard keyboard port directly right? Then could be translated on the card its self to usb

Basically I want a all in one universal solution for modern keyboards and mice in a isa slot.

It would also be handy if it was easy to make or could be ordered assembled.

I defer to you guys about the controller what is the consensus on the best setup? Availability of parts in the future should probably be considered. For future people wanting to make this.

Btw, in the meantime, I wouldn’t mind acquiring one of your cards as this project will take some time. If it even gets off the ground that is.

I have a question.
Is there an adapter for usb to gameport?
So for plugging an xbox360 controller into a gameport port.

Just curious. I know adapters exist to go in the opposite direction but I don't see one going from usb to gameport.

CalamityLime wrote on 2023-01-05, 12:58:

I have a question. Is there an adapter for usb to gameport? So for plugging an xbox360 controller into a gameport port. […]
Show full quote

I have a question.
Is there an adapter for usb to gameport?
So for plugging an xbox360 controller into a gameport port.

Just curious. I know adapters exist to go in the opposite direction but I don't see one going from usb to gameport.

I like this idea.

It would in fact be quite handy also. I have xbox controllers on usb that could be used If I had such an adapter

CalamityLime wrote on 2023-01-05, 12:58:

Is there an adapter for usb to gameport?

RetroArduInput does this - RetroArduInput - Use USB devices on your vintage computrs

I may add it to HIDman as a stretch goal, but I'm concentrating on keyboards/mice for now

Sounds like a good thing to add to the “does everything” isa card

Currently I am a little over booked on projects, if someone wants to get the ball rolling and upload some progress, by all means 😀

Or in some time I can start on this. It will definitely have to be a community effort though. My contribution can be the drafting. The layout and schematic I’ll need suggestions/help for.