[Coco] CoCo keyboard connector

[haywire666 at aol.com]

I'm trying to build a coco powered mobile robot.


This talk about the keyboard makes me wonder if I could use all the keys (since they are just momentary switches) to 
create a large horde of digital inputs for sensors for my project?


For my project, I need alot of hmmm... limit switches? To let the computer know for example,
the arm is all the way up or all the way down and so on. Thats going to take a very large amount of
inputs...


There could also be limit switches telling it the head is all the way left or right, bump switches around the motorized
base and so on...


As I recall, its a mess trying to solder to the keyboard connector though to try this?


Has anyone done anything like that before?


Steven



-----Original Message-----
From: hhos <hhos at st-tel.net>
To: coco <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Sun, Mar 4, 2012 1:12 pm
Subject: Re: [Coco] CoCo keyboard connector


> Hey, is there a tech manual online somewhere? I'm interested in how the
> CoCo keyboard connector works. I know it went to a thin mylar connector
> for the CoCo 3, but wasn't it a ribbon cable for the CoCo 1?
>

I haven't found any PDF tech manuals on-line for the CoCo's, which
surprises me.  There are certainly a lot of others that have been
documented on-line. I have a technical reference for the CoCo1/2/3. I can
send you some scanned schematics, if you wish?

> Are the CoCo keys just switches, that open/close contacts and it's read as
> an X by Y matrix of switches?
> -

Yes, they are just momentary contact switches in X/Y. They are laid out
the same as the CoCo3. I know there are schematics of that readily
available on-line. The CoCo1 doesn't have all the keys that the CoCo3
does, though.

HH


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