Re: Keyboard and Video interfacing

Abstract Dissonance wrote:
I was thinking about trying to do a project that involves a PC keyboard(and
maybe mouse) and possibly a PC video monitor.

Can someone point me in the right direction to get started? I'd like
basicaly to "sense" or "transform" information between the data paths of the
pc and these devices... the keyboard one is sorta like a data logger type of
thing but actually is something else.

I'm sure the PS/2 port for the keyboard/mouse is very easy to handle but
what I'm woried about is for USB keyboards... not sure if the protocol is
standardized... if so then it should be pretty easy to interface using a PIC
that supports USB?

The USB keyboard will be a pain, stick with the PS/2, that's real easy
to decode with any micro. Lots of sample code around etc.

What kinda signals come out from the graphics card to the video monitor? I
assume there are both analog and digital outputs since I've seen newer
graphics cards with D/V out. Would it be relatively easy to "sample" the
video output of a graphics card and transform it then sent it along its way
to the monitor?

Basically, forget it, it will be too diffcult. You are talking very
high speed sample rate ADC's, lots of memory, not to mention resolution
and syncing problems in the hundreds of MHz range. It takes a massive
custom ASIC device to do this.
It was very diffcult when I did it back in 1994 with 640x480 LCD
panels, and is now an order of magnitude harder. No one does it without
a special purpose design VLSI chipset these days.

On the other hand, if you simply want to drive a VGA screen direct (at
low resolution) from a micro or FPGA, that is pretty easy, and there
are several around who have done this and sell a module like this one:
http://www.dontronics.com/micro-vga.html
There are others too.

Dave :)

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Keyboard and Video interfacing
    ... keyboardand possibly a PC video monitor. ... PIC that supports USB? ... This might be of use for the keyboard side of things. ... I found that after a little searching too. ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
  • Re: Keyboard and Video interfacing
    ... maybe mouse) and possibly a PC video monitor. ... if so then it should be pretty easy to interface using a ... PIC that supports USB? ... This might be of use for the keyboard side of things. ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
  • Re: Supporting a PS/2 Keyboard
    ... I don't have any USB to PS2 ... The NOP keyboard ... One alternative then is to get the hardware guy to put a PS/2 to USB ... I assume that CE's USB HID driver supports a USB ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsce.platbuilder)
  • Re: Capturing USB data?
    ... USB hardware device that a USB Keyboard and Mouse ... device drivers in a different ring, ... Works on every OS platform ...
    (microsoft.public.vc.mfc)
  • Re: Supporting a PS/2 Keyboard
    ... I don't have any USB to PS2 ... The NOP keyboard ... I assume that CE's USB HID driver supports a USB ... interfacing directly to the PS2 connector through the supplied PB ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsce.platbuilder)