That is pretty awesome. Thanks for sharing. 👍🏻

Maybe think about adding XT keyboard output if its possible. They are super rare.

Can it work with multi-keyboards (my keyboard is NKRO, and to achieve that it presents itself as multiple devices?

Also, old Amstrad keyboards used a proprietary protocol... could it be supported?

DerBaum wrote on 2022-09-03, 16:08:

Maybe think about adding XT keyboard output if its possible. They are super rare.

It should be relatively simple to do this. I'll maybe reach out to some local retro computer groups and see if anyone has an XT I can borrow.

Zup wrote on 2022-09-03, 16:48:

Can it work with multi-keyboards (my keyboard is NKRO, and to achieve that it presents itself as multiple devices?

I'm not sure currently, but if not it certainly could be made to. I'll grab an NKRO keyboard at some point to test with.

Also, old Amstrad keyboards used a proprietary protocol... could it be supported?

You read my mind - I have a PC1640 that really needs a new keyboard, so supporting Amstrads is a high priority for me 😀

rasteri wrote on 2022-09-03, 16:55:

DerBaum wrote on 2022-09-03, 16:08:

Maybe think about adding XT keyboard output if its possible. They are super rare.

It should be relatively simple to do this. I'll maybe reach out to some local retro computer groups and see if anyone has an XT I can borrow.

That would be great!
I own a Schneider Euro XT and i did not get a keyboard with it.
If you are in germany i would be happy if i could help you by borrowing the XT to you for your experiments for as long as you need it. (of course i will borrow it to everywhere but shipping would be expensive...)

DerBaum wrote on 2022-09-03, 17:04:

I own a Schneider Euro XT and i did not get a keyboard with it.

I was going to say... how did you not get a keyboard with a EuroPC?! But then I googled and I never realised there were desktop versions. Nice looking computer!

Does it speak normal XT keyboard protocol? I know some Schneider computers were based on Amstrad ones

rasteri wrote on 2022-09-03, 20:05:

Does it speak normal XT keyboard protocol? I know some Schneider computers were based on Amstrad ones

I actually dont know... I tried a AT Keyboard and it did not work.
So i assumed it needs a XT Keyboard (idea based on the XT name).

I just see pictures of working Euro XTs with the original keyboard. Maybe its special...

EDIT:
I just found this website wich shows it with another (probably generic) keyboard
https://oldcrap.org/2022/02/12/schneider-euro-xt/

OH NO i just saw the Varta Battery... I have to dig it up and remove it as soon as possible...

DerBaum wrote on 2022-09-03, 20:14:

I actually dont know... I tried a AT Keyboard and it did not work.
So i assumed it needs a XT Keyboard (idea based on the XT name).

Looks like it's based on the FE2010A, so yeah probably needs an XT keyboard.

I'll hit you up if I can't find anything local by the time I want to do XT keyboards.

This is pretty awesome. I just wish it did game controllers converting to a normal gameport.

very nice, this will be super-useful once it has serial support as it will be truly universal

carlostex wrote on 2022-09-14, 05:53:

This is pretty awesome. I just wish it did game controllers converting to a normal gameport.

If this design works well then I might consider adding analog joystick support to a future revision. I wonder if it would be possible to fake the analog joystick without digipots by using careful timing...
(would still require a new board design though, maybe I do a "HIDman pro" later 😀 )

keropi wrote on 2022-09-14, 06:55:

very nice, this will be super-useful once it has serial support as it will be truly universal

Thanks! PS/2 to DB-9 and DIN-5 adapters are plentiful so I don't think it'll even require a new board

keropi wrote on 2022-09-14, 06:55:

very nice, this will be super-useful once it has serial support as it will be truly universal

Thanks! PS/2 to DB-9 and DIN-5 adapters are plentiful so I don't think it'll even require a new board

Just a intresses question, how will the power be designed for it? will it just be taking power from keyboard slot? unsure as I guess a serial interface might not be able to power it and will that be enought to power usb devices?

tabm0de wrote on 2022-09-27, 06:34:

Just a intresses question, how will the power be designed for it? will it just be taking power from keyboard slot? unsure as I guess a serial interface might not be able to power it and will that be enought to power usb devices?

Serial mice were powered from the serial port, but that was a bit hacky (it used data pins as power pins) so I'll probably just power everything from the keyboard port.

Old keyboards typically use a lot more power than modern ones so I don't think that'll be a problem, but I've put a polyfuse on the board so that will hopefully prevent any nastiness. Certainly I wouldn't go using any sun-level-brightness RGB boards but a standard keyboard with three status LEDs will be fine 😀

Now that I think about it though, I will need to add voltage level translators for the serial port. Not a problem for power consumption, but it will mean a board respin. My plan is to do a second "HIDMAN AT/XT" version with DIN5 and DE9 connectors.

The case design is very cool!

I also started a USB keyboard/mouse converter accidentally at the same time 😁
Mine uses a Pi Pico, but I don't have a custom PCB or case.

Keyboard only: https://github.com/No0ne/ps2pico
Keyboard+Mouse: https://github.com/No0ne/ps2x2pico

rasteri wrote on 2022-09-27, 09:52:

Serial mice were powered from the serial port, but that was a bit hacky (it used data pins as power pins) so I'll probably just […]
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tabm0de wrote on 2022-09-27, 06:34:

Just a intresses question, how will the power be designed for it? will it just be taking power from keyboard slot? unsure as I guess a serial interface might not be able to power it and will that be enought to power usb devices?

Serial mice were powered from the serial port, but that was a bit hacky (it used data pins as power pins) so I'll probably just power everything from the keyboard port.

Old keyboards typically use a lot more power than modern ones so I don't think that'll be a problem, but I've put a polyfuse on the board so that will hopefully prevent any nastiness. Certainly I wouldn't go using any sun-level-brightness RGB boards but a standard keyboard with three status LEDs will be fine 😀

Now that I think about it though, I will need to add voltage level translators for the serial port. Not a problem for power consumption, but it will mean a board respin. My plan is to do a second "HIDMAN AT/XT" version with DIN5 and DE9 connectors.

Some recent Corsair keyboards do consume a lot of power (mainly for its RGB), that they made their keyboard connectors use USB 3.0 (so the keyboard can draw up to 900mA from the port instead of 500mA), despite most of the internal stuffs remain USB 2.0. Those keyboards will show signs of insufficient voltage when connected to USB 2.0 ports/hubs, or underpowered USB 3.0 ones, and can be a hit-or-miss to work in such environments. When connected to a USB 3.0 hub with a reliable 12V power supply, such keyboards will work stable even if the hub's connection to the host PC is only USB 2.0.

Gaming Keyboards, especially those equipped with LED, consume a lot more power for its own operation than normal ones, but not as much power for communication with the host, so if the keyboard is behind a sufficiently powered hub there would be less burden to the converter, but I don't think the converter could drive such keyboards directly.

Still, this looks like some interesting development... It might be helpful with PS2/USB KVMs (that can accept both PS/2 and USB keyboard or mice, and can output as either), as these KVMs still can't properly handle complex USB gaming keyboards/mice and only simple USB ones would work as intended.

TheNoOne wrote on 2022-09-27, 19:11:

The case design is very cool! […]
Show full quote

The case design is very cool!

I also started a USB keyboard/mouse converter accidentally at the same time 😁
Mine uses a Pi Pico, but I don't have a custom PCB or case.

Keyboard only: https://github.com/No0ne/ps2pico
Keyboard+Mouse: https://github.com/No0ne/ps2x2pico

I was checking those out 😀 before i asked in the forum 😀 i will make one just need to find a mouse to cut so i have the later ps/2 cables with colors and icons 😜

I could actually use the same tiny enclosure for the serial version if I made people use an RJ45->DE9 cable (which are very commonplace)

TheNoOne wrote on 2022-09-27, 19:11:

The case design is very cool! […]
Show full quote

The case design is very cool!

I also started a USB keyboard/mouse converter accidentally at the same time 😁
Mine uses a Pi Pico, but I don't have a custom PCB or case.

Keyboard only: https://github.com/No0ne/ps2pico
Keyboard+Mouse: https://github.com/No0ne/ps2x2pico

this is also nice, it deserves it's own thread IMHO

TheNoOne wrote on 2022-09-27, 19:11:

I also started a USB keyboard/mouse converter accidentally at the same time 😁

Your project was an inspiration 😀

Just ordered some PCBs ... Looking forward to giving this a try!