Sharp X68000 USB Keyboard + Mouse adapter (real USB protocol)

[Zuofu]

Hi all,

I made one of these for my FM Towns, and so I've decided to port the code which is similar to the X68000. Since the X68000 supports both keyboard and mouse through the same port (sort of like a ADB Mac), a single adapter can support both peripherals simultaneously. You can either use a simple hub with a wired KB+Mouse or use a combo wireless dongle (like the common Logitech devices). The biggest improvement over the PS2 only adapters floating around is true USB device support, especially important for wireless devices which almost never support the PS2 protocol through a passive adapter.

Requirements and Amazon links to buy the components are in the comments in the code. Feel free to modify this to suit your needs.

Code Select Expand

// Sharp X68000 to USB keyboard and mouse converter
// by Zuofu
//
// Supports true USB protocol (even through hub), so all types of USB keyboards and mice may be used.
// Combo devices (e.g. keyboard/mice combos with a single wireless receiver) are supported.
// Note that the X68000 keyboard has many more keys than a standard US 104 key, so feel free to adjust keymap
// to suit your needs (e.g. I don't know if software uses XF1-6 keys in a way that their shifted mapping is awkward
//
// Provided free of charge and without warranty by Zuofu, you may use this code
// for either non-commercial or commercial purposes (e.g. sell on eBay), but please
// give credit.
//
// Requirements
// -Arduino Mini Pro (3.3V/8MHz): https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B004RF9LB8 (or equivalent)
// -Mini USB Host: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01EWW9R1E (or equivalent)
//  note: above USB host board should have USB VBUS->3.3V connection removed and replaced with a connection from VBUS to RAW for full 5V USB compatibility
// -Mini DIN-7 connector: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00PZSCGPY
// -Some way to program above Arduino (typically a USB->Serial adapter)
// -Add USB Host Shield 2.0 library to Arduino (Tools->Manage Libraries...)
//
//  SHARP X68000 PIN CONNECTIONS:
//  Mini-DIN            Mini Pro
//  -----------------------------
//  pin1  +5V          RAW
//  pin2  MOUSE        D5
//  pin3  RXD          D1 (TXO)
//  pin4  TXD          D0 (RXI) - note this is technically over-voltage, can put a diode/resistor in series
//  pin5  READY        N/C
//  pin6  REMOTE      N/C
//  pin7  GND          GND
// 
//  References:
//  https://ixsvr.dyndns.org/ps2ms68k
//  https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=29060.0
//  Sharp X68000 Technical Databook (Blue book)

//Special keys default mapping:
//{FULL WIDTH} -> RIGHT ALT
//{HIRAGANA}  -> LEFT ALT
//{KANA}      -> PRINT SCREEN
//{ROMANJI}    -> SCROLL LOCK
//{CODE ENTRY} -> PAUSE/BREAK
//BREAK        -> F11
//COPY        -> F12
//UNDO        -> END
//CLR          -> NUM LOCK
//OPT1        -> MENU
//OPT2        -> RIGHT CTRL
//CTRL        -> LEFT CTRL

//The following requires holding down Left 'Windows/GUI'
//{SYMBOL INPUT} -> WIN + NUM /
//{REGISTER}    -> WIN + NUM *
//HELP          -> WIN + NUM -
//XFn            -> WIN + Fn

#include <hidboot.h>
#include <usbhub.h>
#include <SoftwareSerial.h>

// Satisfy IDE, which only needs to see the include statment in the ino.
#ifdef dobogusinclude
#include <spi4teensy3.h>
#endif
#include <SPI.h>

//Adjust this accordingly to your mouse DPI if you have issues, 4 is a good number for 300/600 modern mice, may need to increase
//if using a high-DPI 'gamer' mouse
#define MOUSE_DIVIDER 0x04

#define CTRL_SCAN 0x71
#define SHIFT_SCAN 0x70
#define HIRA_SCAN 0x56
#define WIDTH_SCAN 0x60
#define OPT1_SCAN 0x72
#define OPT2_SCAN 0x73

SoftwareSerial x68kSerMouse (4, 5); // RX, TX (RX unused)

//KEY CODE TO X68K---------0-----1-----2-----3-----4-----5-----6-----7-----8-----9-----A-----B-----C-----D-----E-----F
uint8_t keymapping[] = {0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x1E, 0x2E, 0x2C, 0x20, 0x13, 0x21, 0x22, 0x23, 0x18, 0x24, 0x25, 0x26,  //0x
                        0x30, 0x2F, 0x19, 0x1A, 0x11, 0x14, 0x1F, 0x15, 0x17, 0x2D, 0x12, 0x2B, 0x16, 0x2A, 0x02, 0x03,  //1x
                        0x04, 0x05, 0x06, 0x07, 0x08, 0x09, 0x0A, 0x0B, 0x1D, 0x01, 0x0F, 0x10, 0x35, 0x0D, 0x0C, 0x1C,  //2x
                        0x29, 0x0E, 0x00, 0x27, 0x28, 0x5F, 0x31, 0x32, 0x33, 0x5D, 0x63, 0x64, 0x65, 0x66, 0x67, 0x68,  //3x
                        0x69, 0x6A, 0x6B, 0x6C, 0x61, 0x62, 0x5A, 0x5B, 0x5C, 0x5E, 0x36, 0x38, 0x37, 0x3A, 0x39, 0x3D,  //4x
                        0x3B, 0x3E, 0x3C, 0x3F, 0x40, 0x41, 0x42, 0x46, 0x4E, 0x4B, 0x4C, 0x4D, 0x47, 0x48, 0x49, 0x43,  //5x
                        0x44, 0x45, 0x4F, 0x51, 0x00, 0x72, 0x4A, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00}; //6x

//USB keycodes for 'alternative keys' (holding down left-GUI) and their corresponding X68000 mappings
//Note that arrays must be the same size
uint8_t altKeysUSB[]  = {0x54, 0x55, 0x56, 0x3A, 0x3B, 0x3C, 0x3D, 0x3E};
uint8_t altKeyCodes[] = {0x52, 0x53, 0x54, 0x55, 0x56, 0x57, 0x58, 0x59};

                       
uint8_t rxbyte, last_rxbyte;
uint8_t mouse_left, mouse_right;
uint8_t leftGUI = 0;
int16_t mouse_dx, mouse_dy;

class MouseRptParser : public MouseReportParser
{
  protected:
    void OnMouseMove(MOUSEINFO *mi);
    void OnLeftButtonUp(MOUSEINFO *mi);
    void OnLeftButtonDown(MOUSEINFO *mi);
    void OnRightButtonUp(MOUSEINFO *mi);
    void OnRightButtonDown(MOUSEINFO *mi);
    void OnMiddleButtonUp(MOUSEINFO *mi);
    void OnMiddleButtonDown(MOUSEINFO *mi);
};
void MouseRptParser::OnMouseMove(MOUSEINFO *mi)
{
  mouse_dx += (mi->dX)/MOUSE_DIVIDER;
  mouse_dy += (mi->dY)/MOUSE_DIVIDER;
};
void MouseRptParser::OnLeftButtonUp    (MOUSEINFO *mi)
{
  mouse_left = 0;
};
void MouseRptParser::OnLeftButtonDown    (MOUSEINFO *mi)
{
  mouse_left = 1;
};
void MouseRptParser::OnRightButtonUp    (MOUSEINFO *mi)
{
  mouse_right = 0;
};
void MouseRptParser::OnRightButtonDown    (MOUSEINFO *mi)
{
  mouse_right = 1;
};
void MouseRptParser::OnMiddleButtonUp    (MOUSEINFO *mi)
{
  //Middle mouse unused
};
void MouseRptParser::OnMiddleButtonDown    (MOUSEINFO *mi)
{
  //Middle mouse unused
};

class KbdRptParser : public KeyboardReportParser
{
  protected:
    void OnControlKeysChanged(uint8_t before, uint8_t after);
    void OnKeyDown    (uint8_t mod, uint8_t key);
    void OnKeyUp    (uint8_t mod, uint8_t key);
    void OnKeyPressed(uint8_t key);
};

void KbdRptParser::OnKeyDown(uint8_t mod, uint8_t key)
{
  if (leftGUI){
    //if the GUI key is down, check the list of 'alternative keys'
      for (int i = 0; i<sizeof(altKeysUSB); i++)
        if (key ==  altKeysUSB[i]){ //found in list, so send keycode and break
          Serial.write (altKeyCodes[i] & ~0x80);
          break;
        }
  }
  else if (key < sizeof(keymapping))
    Serial.write(keymapping[key] & ~0x80);
}

void KbdRptParser::OnControlKeysChanged(uint8_t before, uint8_t after) {

  MODIFIERKEYS beforeMod;
  *((uint8_t*)&beforeMod) = before;

  MODIFIERKEYS afterMod;
  *((uint8_t*)&afterMod) = after;

  if (beforeMod.bmLeftCtrl != afterMod.bmLeftCtrl) {
    if (!afterMod.bmLeftCtrl)
        Serial.write(CTRL_SCAN | 0x80);
    else
        Serial.write(CTRL_SCAN & ~0x80);

  }
  if (beforeMod.bmLeftShift != afterMod.bmLeftShift) {
    if (!afterMod.bmLeftShift)
        Serial.write(SHIFT_SCAN | 0x80);
    else
        Serial.write(SHIFT_SCAN & ~0x80);
  }
  if (beforeMod.bmLeftAlt != afterMod.bmLeftAlt) {
    if (!afterMod.bmLeftAlt)
        Serial.write(HIRA_SCAN | 0x80);
    else
        Serial.write(HIRA_SCAN & ~0x80);
  }
  if (beforeMod.bmLeftGUI != afterMod.bmLeftGUI) {
    leftGUI = afterMod.bmLeftGUI;
  }

  if (beforeMod.bmRightCtrl != afterMod.bmRightCtrl) {
    if (!afterMod.bmRightCtrl)
        Serial.write(OPT2_SCAN | 0x80);
    else
        Serial.write(OPT2_SCAN & ~0x80);
  }
  if (beforeMod.bmRightShift != afterMod.bmRightShift) {
    if (!afterMod.bmRightShift)
        Serial.write(SHIFT_SCAN | 0x80);
    else
        Serial.write(SHIFT_SCAN & ~0x80);
  }
  if (beforeMod.bmRightAlt != afterMod.bmRightAlt) {
    if (!afterMod.bmRightAlt)
        Serial.write(WIDTH_SCAN | 0x80);
    else
        Serial.write(WIDTH_SCAN & ~0x80);
  }
  if (beforeMod.bmRightGUI != afterMod.bmRightGUI) {
    //right Windows/GUI key unused, since my keyboard doesn't have one
  }

}

void KbdRptParser::OnKeyUp(uint8_t mod, uint8_t key)
{
  if (leftGUI){
    //if the GUI key is down, check the list of 'alternative keys'
      for (int i = 0; i<sizeof(altKeysUSB); i++)
        if (key ==  altKeysUSB[i]){ //found in list, so send keycode and break
          Serial.write (altKeyCodes[i] | 0x80);
          break;
        }
  }
  else if (key < sizeof(keymapping))
    Serial.write(keymapping[key] | 0x80);
}

void KbdRptParser::OnKeyPressed(uint8_t key)
{
  //This callback unused
};

USB        Usb;
USBHub    Hub(&Usb);

HIDBoot<USB_HID_PROTOCOL_KEYBOARD | USB_HID_PROTOCOL_MOUSE>  HidComposite(&Usb);
HIDBoot<USB_HID_PROTOCOL_KEYBOARD>                            HidKeyboard(&Usb);
HIDBoot<USB_HID_PROTOCOL_MOUSE>                              HidMouse(&Usb);

KbdRptParser KbdPrs;
MouseRptParser MousePrs;

void setup()
{
  Serial.begin(2400);
  #if !defined(__MIPSEL__)
    while (!Serial); // Wait for serial port to connect - used on Leonardo, Teensy and other boards with built-in USB CDC serial connection
  #endif
  x68kSerMouse.begin(4800);
 
  if (Usb.Init() == -1)
    //Serial.println("OSC did not start.");

  delay( 200 );

  HidComposite.SetReportParser(0, &KbdPrs);
  HidComposite.SetReportParser(1, &MousePrs);
  HidKeyboard.SetReportParser(0, &KbdPrs);
  HidMouse.SetReportParser(0, &MousePrs);
}

void loop()
{
  Usb.Task(); //Poll USB
 
  while (Serial.available() > 0) //Read from Keyboard serial port - to determine whether to poll mouse or not
  {
    last_rxbyte = rxbyte;
    rxbyte = Serial.read();
    if (rxbyte == 0x40 && last_rxbyte == 0x41) //MSCRTL Toggle H->L
    {
      uint8_t mouse_packet[3];
      uint8_t x_ovp, x_ovn, y_ovp, y_ovn = 0;

      //detect overflow conditions
      if (mouse_dx > 127)
        x_ovp = 1;
      if (mouse_dx < -128)
        x_ovn = 1;
      if (mouse_dy > 127)
        y_ovp = 1;
      if (mouse_dy < -128)
        y_ovp = 1;

      mouse_packet[0] = (y_ovn << 7) | (y_ovp << 6) | (x_ovn << 5) | (x_ovp << 4) | (mouse_right << 1) | mouse_left;
      mouse_packet[1] = mouse_dx;
      mouse_packet[2] = mouse_dy;
      mouse_dx = 0;
      mouse_dy = 0;
      for (int i=0; i < 3; i++)
        x68kSerMouse.write(mouse_packet[i]);
    }
  }
}


[ajacocks]

Do you have any pictures of the other side, showing how you soldered the USB host board?

Thanks!
- Alex

[HIggy]

Do you have any pictures of the other side, showing how you soldered the USB host board?

Thanks!
- Alex

Hi,

I am looking at this project now (I need  to post a Hi and my X68000 restoration!) There is some more info on his post about the FM Towns adaptor on this forum and extra info here:

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=80421.0

I have all the bits and programmed my Pro Mini.
Thus sounds a great device if I can get it to work.

[HIggy]

Quick update, I've got the adaptor working. I've not tried the Mouse feature yet.

I have taken photos of the wiring so I can do a guide.

It is all messy at the moment, I need to find or 3d print a project box.

[HIggy]

Here are some pics.
H.Pin = Header pin.
Mod H.Pin = Header pin where I have removed the plastic part so I can solder a wire to the lower section.



The picture above is is what you do before you place the Pro Mini on top.



 

I still can't get mouse to work. The Mouse takes the USB signals, they must work because the Keyboard works fine. Maybe pin '5' the output to the X68000 is not pin '5' on my Pro Mini? I can't see in the .ino code where the '5' is defined to check.
I could use a logic probe to see if anything is being sent by pin 5, but I've put it in a case now and it is difficult to attach a probe.
Hopefully @Zuofu will reply.

[HIggy]

Another update.

I have got the Mouse to work. The issue was the LED I added to reduce the signal voltage.
I've now used a Level Shifter I had in the drawer to correctly change the 5v logic TXD signal from the X68000 to the 3.3V Pro Mini.

[aotta]

Another update.

I have got the Mouse to work. The issue was the LED I added to reduce the signal voltage.
I've now used a Level Shifter I had in the drawer to correctly change the 5v logic TXD signal from the X68000 to the 3.3V Pro Mini.

I build the adapter following your picture and hints, and using the code posted by Zuofu, but only some keys works (and only with my "rapoo" wireless keyboard, i tested other two wireless keyboard but i got less or no responds), and seems like the buffer isn't read quick enough (i mean, i got the previous char i typed when i press a second buttons, and so on).
Did you made some adjustments to the code or you use it as is? Thank you for any suggestion!

EDIT: solved, no issue on code, changed cable and, most important, i understood the "block/scrl" usage! sorry for my incompetence on x68k matters!

[Sebastian77]

Here are some pics.
H.Pin = Header pin.
Mod H.Pin = Header pin where I have removed the plastic part so I can solder a wire to the lower section.



The picture above is is what you do before you place the Pro Mini on top.



 

I still can't get mouse to work. The Mouse takes the USB signals, they must work because the Keyboard works fine. Maybe pin '5' the output to the X68000 is not pin '5' on my Pro Mini? I can't see in the .ino code where the '5' is defined to check.
I could use a logic probe to see if anything is being sent by pin 5, but I've put it in a case now and it is difficult to attach a probe.
Hopefully @Zuofu will reply.

Hi HIggy, if I use a 5v Arduino instead of 3.3v do I have to do that "reset to 3.3v" wire?

Thanks!

[HIggy]

@Sebastian77 3.3v and 5v Arduino's run at different speeds. I kept to using a 3.3V model to ensure everything worked.

So sorry I can't really help, but if you   are trying it I guess it would be Reset to a 5V pin as you want all power the same voltage.

I would think the Arduino program would need modifying as 5v models are easy to get hold of so I would have thought they  would have used a 5v to start with.

Thanks

[Sebastian77]

Thanks for the reply HIggy !!!

[incrediblehark]

Has anyone built one of these and used with the zuiki x68000 keyboard and mouse? Would be a pretty good replacement if so

[bobrocks95]

Sorry for the necro, but I did some research and have ordered stuff to attempt to adapt this to the Arduino Nano.

Advantages are not needing the USB hat or serial programmer which lowers cost, and true 5V everywhere instead of mixing 3.3V parts, which is never good. Disadvantage would be needing a small dongle to get a female USB A port, though these are cheap on Amazon.

Will document my build when parts arrive.

EDIT 5/12- got it built today, don't have any floppies or my BlueSCSI to test with yet though. Code compiled just fine, hopefully the Nano was a good choice!

EDIT 5/16- Now that I can test it doesn't work and it seems like the Nano can't accept any input on its USB connector.  Quite a shame- I'll keep looking for a 5V board but this is getting annoying now that I have the system ready but can barely do anything with it...

EDIT 5/21- Giving an Arduino Uno and associated USB Host shield a try now.  Nano has the same junky 3.3V shield the original project used (it's really all you can find, I see why Zuofu used a 3.3V Arduino), supposedly the Uno-sized shields are 5V?

EDIT 5/24- Don't buy an Uno either! Apparently every single USB shield available on Amazon for it doesn't use the correct chips for voltage translation, so they don't work correctly. I should probably give up and add the original USB shield to the Nano if possible, and then just look into a voltage translator. Which I'm sure will be 40 cents + $7 shipping lol.

[rommaster]

I will continue keeping this old post alive as I am working (and struggling) to get this adapter working.

Being that I am a first time X68000 owner who just rebuilt the power supply and cleaned up my newly acquired system, I am also pretty eager to getting this working so I can connect up my keyboard / mouse and start using my new toy .

So, where I am is:
1)  I bought the USB host board: USB Host Board
2)  I bought the pro mini:  Pro Mini 3.3v
3)  I bought some bidirectional 3.3v<->5v level shifters to handled the TX signal from the X68k: Level Shifters
4)  I've got everything wired up per HIggy's pictures (thanks for those).  I've double and triple-checked wiring and believe I've got everything modified correctly on the host board and between the two boards.
5)  I've programmed my pro mini with the code provide above in the original post.  Board is programming properly

So, with all of this, I am still not getting any working results.  In my efforts to troubleshoot, it appears that the code is getting hung up on the if (Usb.Init() == -1) function in the Setup(). 

I think this is the case as I've added some additional lines in the code to turn on "LED_BUILTIN" before and after the Usb.Init() command and anything before will properly turn on / off the LED for however long I want (with Delay), but any attempts to turn the LED on after Usb.Init() will do nothing.

Just figured I'd see whether anyone has any suggestions as to how else I may be able to test whether the USB host board is communicating with the Pro Mini or not...

[HIggy]

@rommaster - sorry can you clarify please.
I am reading 5) you programmed with provided code, but have you tried it with your actual X68000?
I am not sure if you have it working and now it is not because you added some code? Or you added code to try and get it working.

I would say if it programmed ok with provided code and wiring is ok, it should work. I've built 3 so far.

Got the traces cut? Set your Pro Mini voltage jumper? Testing with hardwired USB keyboard?


I've had issues in past programming Arduino when Library versions change and you need to use an older one. But if it compiles ok, you should be good.

[rommaster]

OK, so I do have an update after more testing last night.

The issue was that nothing would work when connected to the X68k until I connected the 2nd ground on the pro mini board (circled in red in the attached image) to the corresponding pin below on the usb host board.  I also cannot find the image, but in all of my searching around last night, I had found a reference for the USB Host pinout and this pin is listed as another GND.  Silk screen on my board does not show this.
 
This 2nd ground requirement is actually noted in the "circuitsathome" writeup of the shield on their website CircuitsAtHome Shield Manual.

"GND Ground return.  There are two GND pins on the shield, for proper operation both need to be connected to the MCU board."

Really appreciate the quick response HIggy and happy to report that I've got things working perfectly now .
 

[HIggy]

@rommaster glad you got it working. It's a great device. On the last one I built I did take new photos because of now using a Level Shifter instead of that LED.

I do need to upload them. I had ideas of writing a guide, but not got around to it.

I also modded an existing Pro Micro 3D print enclosure. I need to add that to Thingiverse now I have an account.

[MartinW]

I'm interested to hear if anyone who has built this adapter has any issues with unmapped keys. Notably the backslash? I recently acquired an original X68000 from Higgy (thank you very much sir!) and I visited again yesterday. One of the things that I did was check his keyboard against mine to ensure it wasn't just my keyboard (they're the same Logitech MK270, mine is just Logi branded as it's new).

The issue I have is that backslash and underscore do not output anything on the X68000 side. I need these for doing stuff in DOS. Digging into the code I can see that underscore has just not been mapped. That's fine, I'm going to change the map anyway. The underscore is more of a brain teaser!

We have 3 unmapped keys:

Code Select Expand

     IN     OUT
\ = 0x64 = 0x00 = Unmapped
# = 0x31 = 0x0E = \|
` = 0x35 = 0x5F = ひらがな

So, at this point I'm not concerned about where the keys are - I strongly suspect the code was written for a US layout (anyone confirm if US layout works OK for these keys?). Scancode 0x64 being unmapped is fine, explains the lack of output, 0x35 produces no output, but frankly I wouldn't have a clue if the 'ひらがな' key should produce any? For now I'll say that is also fine, but 0x31 should be outputting 0x0E which should be a backslash and I'm getting nothing. That's what's making me scratch my head.

My next task is to hook up a logic analyser to the inputs and outputs to see if it's the adapter or the X68000 but that's a challenge in itself on such a tiny board

I read my input scan codes from a small bit of SDL2 code that just prints them and I got the X68000 codes from this website: https://gamesx.com/wiki/doku.php?id=x68000:keycodes both appear to be correct.

[MartinW]

OK, after some time with the logic analyser I've confirmed that ` is correctly mapped to, and sending "ひらがな" (Hiragana?) but that just doesn't print anything on screen. \ is indeed unmapped and sending 0x00 | 0x80, but # is also doing then same when it should be sending 0x0E | 0x8E. That's a bit of a mystery when SDL says the scan code from the USB keyboard is what it should be, so next step is to try and get the analyser on the input data and see what is actually arriving at the arduino for that key. Interesting and frustrating in equal measures. Me and logic analysers don't get on desperately well.

Once I can work out why the key that should be mapped isn't sending anything then I'm going rearrange the keycap to match the UK layout as best as I can.

[MartinW]

After also sniffing the USB side with a logic analyser, it turns out, the issue is simply that the code was built for a US keyboard and those of us in the UK need to change the key map slightly if you want to be able to type a backslash or an underscore (pretty essential if you want to do anything within DOS). I had a feeling this was going to be the case but I wanted to debug it instead of just guessing.

To get the backslash on the key to the left of Z (should be labelled as backslash on UK layouts), ensure within the 'keymapping' array that `keymapping[64]` is set to 0x0E. Originally it is 0x00.You can leave it on 0x31 as well, it won't hurt since we don't have that key and will never be able to send it. Similarly, for the underscore, I just put it where the hash key is for now (pound key if you're in the US). For us in the UK that's unused and just to the left of the ISO shaped Enter key. Make `keymapping[32]` set to 0x34, again, originally this was 0x00.

There can't be many UK keyboard layout users around here doing more than playing games from the menu

I have also changed my layout so that the top row, shifted, is more "correct" (the left and right brackets are where they are marked on the keyboard) but that's a little more involved than just changing values. I want to get the layout better if I can but once I have I'll make the modified code available here or on GitHub. I'd also like to get auto-repeat working but that needs thinking about since the USBHost 2.0 library doesn't support that out of the box. It's probably possible to fake it but I need a break.

[HIggy]

Great work Martin. And it's great the Forum has someone that knows software onboard

When I designed the USB Arduino case I thought it might be handy in the future to be able to extract the PCB if updated code became available, rather than glueing everything in place!

[MartinW]

To anyone that's interested, I've just sent a new version to @HIggy. This has every key on a UK keyboard mapped exactly as it's printed on the keyboard - so it also solves the case where ( is on 8 rather than 9 for example, and all the others where a key would need to be shifted on x68k and not on PC and vice versa.

Provided we don't find any issues with it, please let me know if there is interest for doing the same to the original US layout? I have a US keyboard, I just haven't yet tested it with the Arduino based adapter on the X68000.

I'll also share the modified code on GitHub during the week.

[MartinW]

https://github.com/Guddler/x68Key

One thing: @Zuofu if you are here, are you OK with this being modified in this way and put on GitHub? Or if anyone knows them and are able to check, please do so. I'm happy to pull it from GitHub and just put the code in this thread if that is preferred, but it's getting a bit big for that really. I have given all credit in the README and left all the original comments intact.

I think this is fully working (for UK layouts) now. All the details are in the README but I implemented auto-repeat and the adapter now receives the repeat rate from the computer as per the values that are written to SRAM using switch.x. It would appear this only happens on boot / reset, but the adapter should be able to handle it being sent at any time.

Please treat it as beta - I've been using it myself and played a few games but it hasn't had extensive testing. Issue tracking is open on GitHub if anyone has any issues (with the code, not the hardware).

As for the US layout, I'm going to struggle for the moment as I've just discovered that my wireless US keyboard doesn't work with the adapter. Hopefully this code should still work with the original layout (named layout_us.h now) but you'll get auto-repeat at least. I want to spend some time with the system really, as it's new to me, but if I can maintain momentum then I have something else planned anyway which would probably resolve the non working keyboard.

[EDIT] Repo is back up and auto-repeat is temporarily removed via compiler directives until I resolve the issues properly. Feel free to uncomment line 91 and test it if you like but the keyboard does lock up (among other things) from time to time with auto-repeat enabled.