[Coco] Convert Passive Matrix Keyboard to USB...

[Frank Swygert]

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2013 13:27:53 -0500
From: Allen Huffman<alsplace at pobox.com>

On Mar 30, 2013, at 10:38 AM, Frank Swygert<farna at amc-mag.com>  wrote:

> Found this searching for some Raspberry PI projects on Instructables. The keyboard part sounds like it will work with a CoCo keyboard.  Uses a Teensy++ 2.0 microcontroller<http://www.pjrc.com/teensy/index.html>  for the keyboard interface.

Link? Is it this one?

Converting a TRS-80 Model 100 keyboard to USB
(Last modified 3 Jul 2012)
http://www.seanet.com/~karllunt/M100_usb_keyboard.html

---------------------------

No, not that link, but it's a similar project. The guy on Instructables is using an RPi to replace a TI-99/4A motherboard... just using the original case and keyboard. Didn't know there was a similar project out there, but I'm not surprised. In a M100 though? That should be tight packaging!! The screen will still be a limiting factor, but with some custom software it should be a good little machine. The mid size tablets (7" screen) are probably more powerful/versatile, but the little virtual keyboards are hard to do much typing on, even on the large tablets (not the "real" computer tablets, I mean the iPad types). You really need a BlueTooth or some other add-on keyboard, which then limits portability and convenience -- may as well carry a NetBook or other small laptop. That's where the M100 really shined -- small and lasted a long time on common AA batteries, and had a decent keyboard to boot!

-- 
Frank Swygert
Editor - American Motors Cars Magazine
www.amc-mag.com