Hi there,

As i'm very intrested in new hardware initiatives for the MSX i followed a lot of stuff comming to this site & forum.
Last weekend I bought a ESE MSX System 3 (OCM) and plugged my USB keyboard in it but nothing happend so I start reading about the OCM and saw that the USB connectors are for development only.

A few weeks back ago I saw the Nowind USB interface for the MSX and I was realy enthousiastic about that one.

After a night sleep I came up with an idea, but cause I'm not a developer I'm not able to build/program it and don't know if it is possible at all.
My idea is this : Create a piece of code that we can implement in the OCM that the USB port is used as a Nowind Interface, this way you can hook up your OCM to your PC and use the functionality from the Nowind on the OCM.

For the developers of Nowind there is a bad side and a good side to it. The bad side is that OCM users wont buy a Nowind Interface, but the good side is that lots of OCM users will use the Nowind software and cause there are a lot of people using the OCM as a developers platform, the chance is that those people can also work on the improvement of the software what makes the Nowind Interface a realy good supported Interface.

I like your thoughts on this idea (is it a good idea, is it bad and why, is it possible)

I think that the main problems is the ESE MSX System 3 has no enough FPGA free space to implement the USB functionality

Since there are few empty spaces of OCM, a USB keyboard function cannot be added.
However, if a PS/2 keyboard function is deleted, it may be able to add.

But I do not make

I’d say it’s a much more efficient use of your and everyone’s time and money if you just buy a PS/2 keyboard . They’re not very expensive (I think I bought the keyboard that’s plugged in to my ESE 3 a couple of years ago), and I think most keyboards that are sold have a USB-to-PS/2 conversion dongle, too. Also, there are a ton of second-hand PS/2 keyboards around, you can just ask at work or at a school or university, I’m sure they can give you one for free , or else you can pay a visit to a local flee market or get one on Queen’s day (if you’re Dutch).

Maybe in a couple of years if PS/2 keyboards are not easy to find anymore, it is worth the effort to create USB keyboard support, but right now I don’t think there is a real need for it yet.

PS/2 keyboards are all over the place. AT keyboards are also, and they are the same thing except the larger DIN connector instead of mini-DIN. I'm currently using a LASER keyboard from 1987. I think PS/2 keyboards will outlive the human race

I dont want an USB keyboard to work on the OCM, I have my keybord now connected on the PS/2 connector and it;s working.

I was just wondering why the USB ports were on the device and thought about the idea to use them as an interface between the OCM and a PC, just like the Nowind Interface.











By the way, this the keybord i'm using. It's small and it has a blue backlight under the key's to make it match the color of the OCM

Have you tested with this computer with a game? Just try if you can move in diagonal direction (i.e. Aleste Gaiden) and shoot and jump at the same time? That would be nice to know...

No that doesnt work.

Saeba: that kind of stuff is a limitation of the PC keyboard - nothing new there. I heard some more expensive Logitech keyboards can actually catch multiple key events, such as moving diagonally and shooting/jumping at the same time.

Quote:

Have you tested with this computer with a game?

PS/2 of the problem is not the cause.

There are various kinds of PS/2 keyboards.
And as for many PS/2 keyboards, the grouping of some keys is carried out.
Since the group is not in agreement with 8 key groups of MSX, mismatching arises.
This problem is similarly generated by a USB keyboard.

A PS/2 keyboard does not include the specification of a grouping.
The grouping of the key is not carried out to some high-class keyboards.

As for the USB keyboard, the grouping is included in specification.
The problem of two or more keys occurs by all USB keyboards.

Wasn't that the reason why most PC arcade/action games of 90-s used Alt, Ctrl and Shift and arrow keys for controls?

I think even the cheapest keyboard does full decoding for Alt/Ctrl/Shift at all times.

Quote:

Saeba: that kind of stuff is a limitation of the PC keyboard - nothing new there. I heard some more expensive Logitech keyboards can actually catch multiple key events, such as moving diagonally and shooting/jumping at the same time.

I disagree. Of course the rollover limitation of the keyboard comes from HW design, but as I've heard some keyboards which work perfect in PC does not work in that way in OCM (by pressing the same 3-4 keys). I would need to test it by myself though.

In fact the keyboard (Logitech Y-SU45) I use in my PC (Debian) does not work in OCM and I don't know why. It keeps repeating chains of characters just after I press some of them. So something more should be related to the PS2 implementation.

www.pro-tect.nl/site/EN/shop_product/93

This kind of keyboard should work though:

Techweb