A few weeks ago, I talked about Sergey Kiselev's MSX2 compatible processor board project and the choice I made not to build the keyboard for reasons of overall system cost.
Not everyone will agree with this choice, but for me, the main thing is to be able to have fun in retro-computing without breaking the bank. In fact, I specially studied an adapter for this MSX board to allow the use of a standard USB keyboard:
As usual, after a few days of waiting, I received the PCB:
This board is not particularly easy to assemble by hand because of the two integrated circuits with very thin and close legs. But with a little patience and skill, here we are. First I powered this adapter and plugged in a USB keyboard. I was able to observe the lighting of the keyboard connection LED as well as its flashing each time a key was pressed on the keyboard. It seems to me to be a very good start since the reaction of the USB control IC corresponds to what is indicated in the datasheet. In principle, all that remains is to program the processor to provide the parallel code expected by the MSX board.
A small additional check was carried out to verify that this adapter board fits correctly on the OMEGA board:
Note that I chose a raised USB connector to allow easy insertion of the keyboard connector. My adapter looks perfect! In fact, I have to quickly program it because without a keyboard it is obviously impossible to use the OMEGA computer.
However, for some time I received a Carnivor cartridge to allow me to copy programs or games to it and finally test the proper functioning of the OMEGA board:
At least I have already been able to test that this cartridge fits correctly into the connectors of the OMEGA:
I may also have to find a joystick for this machine. Otherwise it will be difficult for me to really test the games ...
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