Atari keyboard for use with emulators? (and other ideas)

[Mark Simonson]

One of the things that's less than ideal about using an Atari emulator (I'm using Atari800MacX) is the fact that I have to use the keyboard on my modern computer, which doesn't match the layout of the original 8-bits. It works, but some key mappings are awkward and hard to remember. It'd be cool if there was some way to have the exact same layout, either by remapping a USB keyboard to match or maybe even a custom-built USB keyboard using salvaged keys or something.

 

OR, maybe use a real Atari as input to an emulator somehow. I know, this would seem a bit pointless, since, if you have real hardware, you could just use it instead of the emulator. But emulators can do things the real hardware can't, like emulating many different machines, not just the one(s) you have. Currently, I'm able to use real Atari joysticks with Atari800MacX (using 2600-doptor II), but it'd be neat if the whole system (including any connected input devices) could be used with an emulator.

 

Has anything like this ever been done?

[ivop]

41 minutes ago, Mark Simonson said:

OR, maybe use a real Atari as input to an emulator somehow.

That would be the way to go IMHO.

41 minutes ago, Mark Simonson said:

Has anything like this ever been done?

Not that I know of, but it's a good idea. Boot from a cartridge, send keystrokes over the joystick port(s) to an Arduino, which emulates an USB keyboard (tons of libraries for that), and connect to the PC as a keyboard. With a proper cart, you don't need a display for the Atari, or anything else for that matter. Just a power supply.

[_The Doctor__]

If you have the real Atari you can run whatever it in on the real Atari...

 

You can configure the pc keyboard to follow the Atari Layout and use stickers for the key labels... They sold them in several Atari styles over the years, 400 800 and atascii graphics

[Mark Simonson]

Quote

send keystrokes over the joystick port(s) to an Arduino

@ivop Except then you couldn't use input from devices (joysticks, trackballs, tablets) connected to the joystick ports on the Atari with the emulator. I guess if you also have something like 2600-daptor II this would not be an issue (except for tablets, which apparently aren't supported by the 2600-daptor II).

[ivop]

27 minutes ago, Mark Simonson said:

@ivop Except then you couldn't use input from devices (joysticks, trackballs, tablets) connected to the joystick ports on the Atari with the emulator. I guess if you also have something like 2600-daptor II this would not be an issue (except for tablets, which apparently aren't supported by the 2600-daptor II).

Trackball, mouse, and tablet data cannot be send through an (emulated) USB keyboard. That would need a driver at the PC side. Joystick could be done though, as most emulators have a keyboard emulation of the joystick on, for example, the numeric keypad. A movement or trigger press can then be sent as those keycodes by the AVR.

Edited February 6, 2021 by ivop

[toddtmw]

I use these with my Eclaire XL and a small USB keyboard. Works pretty well and reasonably priced.

 

https://www.4keyboard.com/commodore-keyboard-stickers/591-2840-commodore-atari-non-transparent-keyboard-stickers.html#/21-key_size-11x13/32-background_color-black

 

[manterola]

What about sending keystrokes thru ethernet to the emulator? Fujinet?

[ivop]

14 minutes ago, manterola said:

What about sending keystrokes thru ethernet to the emulator? Fujinet?

That would need extra code on the receiver side, but could be done. Downside is the network latency. Playing games could be tricky