[Coco] CoCo keyboard connector

[George Ramsower]

  Quite a few years ago, I experimented with a coco on this matter of many switches/inputs without an add-on board. Using OS-9, I renamed /T2 to /Term, eliminated the driver for the keyboard and video and used a Kimtron terminal on /T2 as the console. This freed up the PIA used on the keyboard. I was limited on the inputs as the matrix driver is now gone. I think the original driver for the keyboard can be used to expand the possibilities. 
   My thinking was that this may speed up the computer as a bonus but, I couldn't see any difference in speed. I'm sure Nitros9 could be done the same way, today. I left the keyboard in place so I could boot OS-9. Once the OS got to the OS BOOT screen, the screen ceased to function and the memory became part of RAM for the OS. All /term I/O went to the com port which was a deluxe RS-232 pak.

  That was a LONG time ago. Can't remember the details of the building of the boot disk or what, if anything I had to do about joysticks and the cassette port.

George

HEY, Gene!

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: haywire666 at aol.com 
  To: coco at maltedmedia.com 
  Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2012 12:40 PM
  Subject: Re: [Coco] CoCo keyboard connector



  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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