super project - so is there no possibility of powering wireless mega drive controllers from retrobit/kkrikz etc? That would be a big feature for me

kreats wrote on 2021-02-21, 07:15:

super project - so is there no possibility of powering wireless mega drive controllers from retrobit/kkrikz etc? That would be a big feature for me

Device is fused to 200 mA. 8bitdo adapters are claimed to consume ~100mA. Should work fine as long as as you are not using IBM Model M at the same time (the device is fused to 200 mA for safety).

SITUATION REPORT

I'm starting to receive the parts!

I now have 150$ worth of AT-Male-to-PS/2-Female and AT-Female-to-PS/2 -Male cables!!!
...GOT... TO... RESIST... THE... URGE... TO... MAKE... A... LONG... CHAIN... OF... STUPID..!

Design updates:
1. I had weeks-long thought regarding picking right fuses. I've reduced the fuse rating to 200 mA (1) to make the thing safer for the precious retro-rigs, (2) to simplify sourcing of parts, (3) to be closer to 100-200mA that PS/2 is designed for. Sadly, Bluetooth dongle guys might experience issues... kind of forgot about you, sorry 😔 Still the rig should support a single dongle just fine. If you overload the port- the fuse shall pop and then restore itself upon disconnecting. You may always bypass the fuse, if using two dongles is critical for you.
2. Updated USB report to aforementioned 200mA. Should be more OTG compliant.
3. I fixed the USB boot issue. It seams that it was not my device that crashed, but the keyboard! Some computers send trash to USB when initializing, which confuses the keyboard LED states. I just hacked in USB cooldown timer to 50 millisec, which fixed the issue. You might see random LED blinks during startup, but the keyboard shall be able to chew through those.

UPDATE: The wires are uncompliant and have burned both my prototype and keyboard!
I think I smell a dispute!

Arrgggh crap! What do you think caused it? Do they have incorrect pinouts?

wtf!!! hope all works out in the end!

Pierre32 wrote on 2021-02-21, 20:57:

Arrgggh crap! What do you think caused it? Do they have incorrect pinouts?

The wiring is all over the place. Seems to be wired backwards.

keropi wrote on 2021-02-21, 21:00:

wtf!!! hope all works out in the end!

Thanks

Volo wrote on 2021-02-21, 19:09:

You may always bypass the fuse, if using two dongles is critical for you.

Remember me saying that? I was wrong - DON'T REMOVE FUSES!
They saved my device from reverse polarity!

Some Chinese genius has made the wire mirrored:

Oh no! Well I do hope you can get the proper cables sourced and I do hope you can get your money refunded on these cables.

I made that mistake when making myself a PS/2 to USB converter for my mouse. I accidentally inverted GND and +5V. The mouse got fried instantly. It was a nice old Microsoft optical mouse. Dang.

Oh wow, new low. Massively miswired adapters.

Cheers,

SITUATION REPORT

This message is REALLY overdue. It seems that there is a bit of bad omen of fate following this project. Constant adjustments and corrections are to be made expanding the production time (thank God, I did not pursue the crowdfunding route):

1. I think I’ve found an alternative way to produce the wires. Those shall be of higher quality (with copper conductors) and a bit longer (10 inches instead of 6).
2. I might have to drop the AT-to-PS/2 optional converter-wire, as I can’t find the proper option (those are gray, and ugly, and cheap, and ugh!). Still looking.
3. I have all parts… except SNES ports, which were lost by mail and the tracking is now marked as “Parcel is still in transit - Shipment cancelled”, whatever that means. I need to re-order those.
4. PCB are in stock and look gorgeous. All parts are in my hands, except SNES ports.

P.S. Sorry for inconvenience.
P.P.S I you find the converter wires I tried to use originally – AVOID! Even if they are wired properly – they do not fit the standard socket!
HOW CAN YOU MESS UP A PS/2 WIRE???

Thanks Volo. This is certainly throwing some supply chain dramas at you, and I appreciate your persistence. The PCBs are looking great!

Regarding AT/PS2 adapters, I can get one here pretty easily so personally I'm not fussed if you don't end up offering them.

hang in there man!
that's the hardships of creating something, it never goes perfect first time - especially when you have to mess with more than just what you can design and control...

Hi Volo, thanks for keeping us updated. I got a question (sorry if you already explained it): Is the firmware in the adapter somehow user-updateable in case a bug is found later? or is this bug-free 100%? 😀

aha2940 wrote on 2021-03-29, 06:13:

Hi Volo, thanks for keeping us updated. I got a question (sorry if you already explained it): Is the firmware in the adapter somehow user-updateable in case a bug is found later? or is this bug-free 100%? 😀

Yes, the device is absolutely bug-free!
Mwa-ha-ha!!!😅 Huh?🤣 Mwa-a-ah! 😭😭😭

No, the device was never bug-free! 😢 Think of it as well-tested NES game. It works, while you don't do anything weird or unanticipated to it.
The thing has been in use almost daily as PS/2-to-USB converter and runs fine. I fixed most bugs I could find in a year, the ones that are left more are quirks, not bugs. For example:

1. I have a genuine SEGA SJ-6000 6-button controller. It is dead and does not work with my VA2 Genesis, but it works with my device... Which is weird and confusing.
2. Non-standard keyboard keys (volume controller, browser button, etc.) may not work as intended, as keycodes vary from brand to brand. My device is designed to mimic Microsoft molten keyboard-taco-thing.
3. On some PCs the thing may blink keyboard LEDs weirdly when USB-host is initializing. I believe it to be of a host problem.

I think those are more traits of character than issues. Debugging those shall reduce compatibility or produce even more issues, so I decided to leave those in.

The device has wired ISP port and is not fused to prohibit re-flashing.
On the other hand, If there are game-breaking bugs - it means I've done my job badly... And I've had plenty of time to do it proper.

Volo wrote on 2021-03-29, 22:05:

Yes, the device is absolutely bug-free! Mwa-ha-ha!!!😅 Huh?🤣 Mwa-a-ah! 😭😭😭 […]
Show full quote

aha2940 wrote on 2021-03-29, 06:13:

Hi Volo, thanks for keeping us updated. I got a question (sorry if you already explained it): Is the firmware in the adapter somehow user-updateable in case a bug is found later? or is this bug-free 100%? 😀

Yes, the device is absolutely bug-free!
Mwa-ha-ha!!!😅 Huh?🤣 Mwa-a-ah! 😭😭😭

No, the device was never bug-free! 😢 Think of it as well-tested NES game. It works, while you don't do anything weird or unanticipated to it.
The thing has been in use almost daily as PS/2-to-USB converter and runs fine. I fixed most bugs I could find in a year, the ones that are left more are quirks, not bugs. For example:

1. I have a genuine SEGA SJ-6000 6-button controller. It is dead and does not work with my VA2 Genesis, but it works with my device... Which is weird and confusing.
2. Non-standard keyboard keys (volume controller, browser button, etc.) may not work as intended, as keycodes vary from brand to brand. My device is designed to mimic Microsoft molten keyboard-taco-thing.
3. On some PCs the thing may blink keyboard LEDs weirdly when USB-host is initializing. I believe it to be of a host problem.

I think those are more traits of character than issues. Debugging those shall reduce compatibility or produce even more issues, so I decided to leave those in.

The device has wired ISP port and is not fused to prohibit re-flashing.
On the other hand, If there are game-breaking bugs - it means I've done my job badly... And I've had plenty of time to do it proper.

Thanks for the answer, I think this should be more than enough. Hopefully it will be ready for shipping soon!

Pierre32 wrote on 2021-03-28, 19:46:

Thanks Volo. This is certainly throwing some supply chain dramas at you, and I appreciate your persistence. The PCBs are looking great!

Regarding AT/PS2 adapters, I can get one here pretty easily so personally I'm not fussed if you don't end up offering them.

Thank you for your feedback and interest!

keropi wrote on 2021-03-28, 20:49:

hang in there man!
that's the hardships of creating something, it never goes perfect first time - especially when you have to mess with more than just what you can design and control...

Thank you for your support!

SITREP

Finally I received SNES connectors:

The connectors are dremeled to size and send to PCB people for final assembly

Also the wires are here:

I checked the connections - they are workable. Wires are of surprisingly good quality and a pleasant to plug. I'll buy a crimper and start crimping.

Shall keep you updated.

Nice 😀