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Keyboard and mouse — Parallax Forums

Keyboard and mouse

mukarrammukarram Posts: 16
edited 2006-06-06 13:09 in BASIC Stamp
Do you have any idea how I can connect a keyboard or mouse to my BASIC Stamp.....

Any help will be appreciated.....smhair.gif

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[b]Mukarram[sup]Emc[sub]2[/sub][/sup]Ahmad[/b]

Comments

  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,400
    edited 2006-06-05 02:37
    Mukarram,

    You can use several of the off-the-shelf co-processor chips, but for the newest solution the Propeller could do the job very well. No such pre-written BASIC Stamp interface has been done for these devices, but it's a matter of object integration (three of them: keyboard, mouse, UART) to interface it to a BASIC Stamp. It's a matter of time before somebody programs Propeller exactly for this purpose.

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.
  • RGuyserRGuyser Posts: 90
    edited 2006-06-05 08:47
    mukarram - i have seen a website about connecting a mouse. it can read x,y values and button clicks.. apparently a keyboard is much more difficult due to the abnormal protocol it uses.. there are some products that will interface it for you though. I think you can find this stuff by searching google 'bs2 PS2 keyboard' or similar.

    another easy option is a PS/2 to serial convertor. i think i saw one on ebay for $15-ish.. i found it by searching "serial keyboard". there is an appnote on using a serial 'keypad', just the numeric section of a full size keyboard. maybe that would help.. alternately, you can possibly find an old serial terminal(green screen, 25pin serial port, keyobard, ansi terminal) - this would provide a nice screen and keyboard... no lcd needed.. the problem would be size.. a good thing is that many of the terminals were very small, and probably have room inside for the stamp.
  • RGuyserRGuyser Posts: 90
    edited 2006-06-05 08:55
    addendum!

    by appnote i meant nuts n voltz article
  • aalegadoaalegado Posts: 66
    edited 2006-06-06 13:09
    I used a Pak VIa from AWC (http://www.awce.com/pak6.htm) in my first STAMP project. The Pak VIa is a "keyboard co-processor" that understands AT and PS/2 keyboard protocol and converts it either to standard ASCII or gives you the raw keyboard codes. Pak VIa requires three I/O lines from your Stamp for control and data I/O. My project was intended to "read" the output of a wedge-style barcode reader and so I used a keyboard to provide the input for testing. The prototype works as planned with the barcode reader.

    AWC also has a mouse-specific chip (the Pak XI) but I've no experience using it since I did not need one for the project.

    The only drawback I see with these chips is the cost ($30 for the Pak VIa and $25 for the Pak XI) but they do solve the hardware interface and data-conversion problems very nicely which is well worth it to me.

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    I wouldn't connect that if I were you...
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