Mini USB keyboard?

[Retroid]

I was wondering about this as my wife was tapping away at her HP Palmtop (one of the older ones, you know, actually made useful because they have keyboards).

The GP32 has a colour screen, is faster, and supports a writable format (SMC). It also has a USB port... is there any way to hook keyboard support into it? Obviously I'd prefer not to have a full-size PC keyboard hooked up to it, but thanks to the PDA market removing most funcionality from their products by default (ie, no physical keyboard) they're out there. There's bound to be a suitable keyboard out there which uses USB at a reasonable price.

From what I've seen people do seem to be doing sort-of PDA utilities (Windups, as an example), which would give extra funtionality, and be a lot of fun for the emulators being released (LOAD"$",8) ^_^

I mean, I know just because I think it's an excellent idea doesn't mean anyone else will, but I think it's an interesting idea nontheless.

 

[Wonder Boy]

Yeah!...

...but better whith a popular and cheap keyboard/chatboard model :-D

...and to write things like:

RANDOMIZE USR 1300
X-D

also, small BASIC programs (and not so small and not BASIC language X-D with emulators could be done of Spectrum, Amstrad (already I know that not yet, but surely soon), Commodore 64, Amiga's AMOS jajaja X-D, ...

Good Bye!
;-)

- Wonder Boy -

 

[Retroid]

10 PRINT"You are in a maze of passages, all alike. Exits are north, south, east and west."
20 INPUT"What now"
30 GOTO 10

 

[Fash_FD]

LOL @ Retroid....A plug in mini keyboard would be kool-lets hope someone capilalises on this .

 

[Shrike]

if you do a quick readback on the topics there are a few problems arising from this idea...buuuuuut if you found someone smart enough you could get it done

 

[Retroid]

Yes, I've seen some of those posts. But I'd like to know if there's any way to add this support in a universal manner, so if we dig up a small enough keyboard with USB (or some other way to hook it up to a GP32) they can just be plugged in.

 

[Demonix]

Once its plugged in you'd need to write a driver for it... once the driver is written the code can be given to all the EMU developers (well ones which need a keyboard) and included in the EMU code.... this is where it gets all complex as if theres no standard keyboard and everyone has different ones the driver code may be different and so the EMU developer will need to add more and more code to support the different keyboards.

What would be nice is if someone creates a standard keyboard for the GP32 (GamePark are you out there? Hint Hint!) so it makes less problems and in the end everyone is happy....

 

[EvilDragon]

Hmmm... every PC supports USB keyboards even at the bios, so I guess there is a standard.
If you program that driver according to that standard, every normal USB keyboard should work.

 

[Shrike]

we need to find someone who knows drivers and can tell us what to do

 

[Demonix]

So its an update to the BIOS then?!

 

[jlebrech]

You could use the ext link at the bottom of the gamepark, what you could try to use is a ps/2 keyboard and strip it and put that big connector on.

 

[RTj]

Dev'rs EXT pin-out
It has the pin outs for the GP32 EXT port.

And DarkFaders site has a pic of a GP32 with a mobile phone cable stuck in its EXT port.
(mobile data cable i assume? :huh: A Sumsung cable i think it was, but i take it that the Samsung cable has the right plug for the GP32's EXT port).

Thing is though... are the pin outs on the EXT port suitable for a keyboard?? :huh:
Isn't the EXT port for connecting to a mobile phone? For the alledged internet connectivity... ??? :huh:

I reckon the USB port is the best option...

A GP32 with a little keyboard and maybe even a little C++ compiler on it? To program on the GP32 FOR the GP32 ??? Now that would rock!

Additional note: is it coincidence that the GP32 uses Samsung chips too ????...