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by **guy** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:42 am

wyliecoyoteuk wrote:30 odd years ago, I did a combined Physics and chemistry course, run by the Nuffield Foundation, called "Physical Science", and actually achieved a pass at A-level.

Me too. Physical Science counted as two A levels but only took up one and a half courses worth of time. I also did a related maths A level, SMP Maths. Both aimed to teach understanding rather than fill you with facts. Brilliant courses, wholly unfashionable since the National Curriculum arrived in the '80s. No wonder our education system is failing our kids. <Snort of disgust /> Why, in my young day .... <wanders off brandishing walking stick and ranting about the evil bureaucrats who deliberately perverted Keith Joseph's draft National Curriculum when he retired and bamboozled his successor into signing off the pile of **** we have today />

by **Bazza** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 10:00 pm

Hi all...

I`d be grateful for any serious help here...

Further to my research I have a favour to ask ALL who have
a new or fairly new netbook, notebook and/or laptop AND
a USB keyboard.

I am given to understand that ALL recent portable machines
have legacy USB BIOS FIXED as enabled. My HP notebook
doesn`t show any legacy USB stuff at all except bootable
devices...

Would any of you having the requirements above be willing
to try a USB KB connected to your machine(s) and see if
you can get into your BIOS using this KB from a coldboot.

And would you give me your results no matter what those
results may be.

If this proceedure is TRUE in ALL cases then I finally have
my analogue input for MikeOS...

TIA...

by **towy71** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:53 pm

Can you send me a usb keyboard, I've only just moved up the these funny little round buggers

by **Bazza** » Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:50 pm

Well chaps, I tested my HP notebook with a USB to PS2
adaptor cable to see if it was detected at cold start to
access the BIOS and GOOD NEWS it does...

My adaptor cable is similar to this one...

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?s ... d=42606412

So it looks as though notebooks and laptops DO have
permanent legacy USB BIOS and now I have two PS2
ports to play with...

I`m gonna assume netbooks too - woohoo...

Just think, MikeOS with analogue I/O on netbooks eh! ;o)

by **ollie** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 10:39 am

Bazza wrote:So it looks as though notebooks and laptops DO have permanent legacy USB BIOS and now I have two PS2 ports to play with...

I`m gonna assume netbooks too - woohoo...

Just think, MikeOS with analogue I/O on netbooks eh! ;o)

So photos, screenshots, code, LXF article, etc to follow? Who'd have thought of that? :wink:

by **Bazza** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 2:05 pm

Hi ollie...

WHAT?

If only I were that clever... :-O

by **Bazza** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 11:50 am

Update... :)

Well good news chaps...

I now have two TTL level OUTPUTs through an external USB
keyboard, AND, keeping the KB fully usable, under SW control,
using MikeOS 4+... :-O

There are definitely 8 inputs, (4 toggled and 4 real time), of
which I only need 2, (+ 2), that can be accessed very easily
under SW control using MikeOS. The hardware mods are much
more difficult to do however but not insurmoutable for my usage.

Will keep you informed...

by **Bazza** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 1:02 pm

Hi ollie...

> So photos, screenshots, code, LXF article, etc to follow?
> Who'd have thought of that? ;)

Photos:-

http://homepages.tesco.net/wisecracker/public/KB1.JPG
http://homepages.tesco.net/wisecracker/public/KB2.JPG
http://homepages.tesco.net/wisecracker/public/TTL1.JPG
http://homepages.tesco.net/wisecracker/public/TTL2.JPG

8)

EDIT:

Real time KB access for the two caps shift keys for input.

There are NO interrupts needed for the assembly code...

AD86 assembly code first...

pushf
push ax
push dx
push ds
mov dx,0040h
mov ds,dx
mov al,[0017h]
pop ds
pop dx
mov [store],al
pop ax
popf
ret
store db 0c3h

Now the Mike BASIC code...

POKE 156 65500
POKE 80 65501
POKE 82 65502
POKE 30 65503
POKE 186 65504
POKE 64 65505
POKE 0 65506
POKE 142 65507
POKE 218 65508
POKE 160 65509
POKE 23 65510
POKE 0 65511
POKE 31 65512
POKE 90 65513
POKE 162 65514
POKE 240 65515
POKE 255 65516
POKE 88 65517
POKE 157 65518
POKE 195 65519
POKE 195 65520
begin:
CALL 65500
PEEK c 65520
PRINT c ;
PRINT " " ;
IF c = 3 THEN GOTO cleanexit
GOTO begin
cleanexit:
PAUSE 20
END

by **ollie** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 11:16 am

Woohooo!!!
Where there's a will there's a way. It's just encouraging to see people thinking outside the box, something that today's education systems don't encourage.

by **Bazza** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:13 pm

Hi ollie...

Well that is just one thing...

I`ve got Arduino working on MikeOS and have successfully
got a 7 bit level analogue display AND 8 bit digital, "floating
point" readout in CGA TEXT MODE 3... ;)

BTW if you didn`t know MikeOS does NOT support floating
point at all, so how did I succeed in doing that then?

It displays 0.00V to 5.10V in 0.02V "steps"... ;o)

There`s always a way... ;oD

Also how did I get, 7 bit, (127 real plots), inside an 80
character CGA TEXT MODE 3 line?

There`s always a way... ;oD

Believe it or not MikeBASIC IS powerful even with its very
limited statement set.

I`m luvvin` it ATM as it is stretching my mind laterally... :)

by **Bazza** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 1:16 pm

Further update fellas and fella-esses...

MikeOS I/O on NON parallel and serial port machines.

From a previous upload here I succeeded in obtaining two
POKEable TTL level OUTPUTS via a random keyboard, well........

I now have two REAL TIME PEEKable NON-TTL level inputs
using the same random keyboard. When I have finished the
ludicrously simple external TTL level INPUT converter board
I will post photos, etc, on here, then I will release the whole
as a general project for MikeOS...

Note, NO ICs will be used at all, only bipolar transistors!

These I/O ports do NOT require IN and OUT assembly code,
BIOS INT(errupt) calls for INPUT or special coding techniques
at all...

It can all be done from MikeBASIC... ;o)

by **Bazza** » Thu Apr 01, 2010 2:04 pm

Hi chaps and chapesses...

(Mainly for Mike... :)

This idea is intended for MikeOS to extend its power
greatly... ;)

I now have the two bit TTL level REAL TIME digital INPUTs
via a USB keyboard. In the prototype form this is SOOOO
simple as to be almost babyishly easy...

I will post photos on here over the Easter Break sometime.

The keyboard was just a random choice from CPC I bought
in January purely for this use AND CAN STILL be used as
a keyboard too...

CPC part number:- CS11427

CHEAP!

What a novelty to program your own keyboard to take
in analogue signals and also have the potential of PWM
"analogue" output too eh!

All good fun... :D

by **Bazza** » Sun Apr 04, 2010 9:59 pm

by **Dutch_Master** » Sun Apr 04, 2010 10:16 pm

Nice soldering there Bazza

A diagram would be helpful I think

by **Bazza** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 9:59 am

Hi DM...

> Nice soldering there Bazza ;)

Cheers ;o)

> A diagram would be helpful I think ;)

You`ll have to wait until I have finished it as a general kids
level project for detailed explanation, BUT........

Just looking at the photos should be enough; both prototype
stripboards contain a TOTAL of 7 x resistors, 2 x transistors,
1 x zener, 1 x 2.5mm stereo jack plug, 1 x 3.5mm 4 way jack
plug, 2 x 3 way terminal blocks, 2 x reed relays and 1 x PP3
battery connector and coloured connecting wire. The FINALISED
units will ADD 2 x transistors and 4 x resistors, and 2 x resistors
WILL be REMOVED.
WOW; high-tech eh!

The KB internal mods contain 1 x 2.5mm jack socket, 1 x 3.5mm
4 way jack socket and coloured connecting wire only.

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