7800 Keyboard

[Tempest]

Does anyone know anything about the proposed 7800 keyboard add on?  The reason I ask is that I have prototype roms for Star Typer but they don't seem to work in emulators and I'm guessing that's because they're trying to detect the keyboard.  Did it plug into the joystick ports or the expansion port?  Could a repro be made?

 

I also have roms for the light and temperature modules, but those need equipment to work. Not sure if the 8-bit versions would work or not.  I need to try those with the emulator and see if they at least fire up.

 

BTW here are the roms for the games I was talking about.  I got them from Curt many years ago, but as they need special hardware I was never able to do anything with them.  I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I released them.  The Light and Temp modules need to be signed though, if someone could do that for me.

7800_Atarilab_lightmodule.bin atarilab-temp.bin Star Typer 6-2-84.a78 Star Typer 6-28-84.a78

[bikeguychicago]

There's this and this. I don't think much more exists on the web regarding the keyboard. It was supposed to plug into the joystick port vs. the expansion slot. Not sure if it used both joystick ports or just one. 

Edited April 12, 2022 by bikeguychicago

[The Usotsuki]

If an emulator can ever support it, then I have ideas for it... ?

[Tempest]

I posted the roms I was talking about if someone wants to get them working in an emulator.

[Danjovic]

Well if the protocol is known, an adapter for a modern keyboard can be created.

[+Mitch]

Here is the schematic that was on Curt's website. As far as I know the "ROM" for the keyboard module was never released.

 

Mitch

 

[+Mitch]

From Eckhard's old info page:

Type  RAM  POKEY  TV     Name

7800 Computer Keyboard modules:
7816    0   no    NTSC   AtariLab Light Module
7816    0   no    NTSC   AtariLab Temperature Module
7840    8   no    NTSC   AtariTerm (?)
                         (RAM at $4000-$5fff)
7816   16   no    NTSC   OSS / Atari 7800 BASIC
                         (RAM might be at $8000-$bfff)
7832   16   no    NTSC   VideoWriter

 

Mitch

[gambler172]

Here is the atari temp file, I own

atarilab-temp.a78

 

[gambler172]

Well...i have the Temp and Light equipment. So if I get the a78 files...I could check them

[Danjovic]

7 hours ago, Mitch said:

Here is the schematic that was on Curt's website

Thanks.

I see the keyboard provided a Tape in and Tape out ports!

 

It looks like the connection with the console was done through P1, while P3 would connect with the keyboard membrane.

It may be a long shot, but I guess that the protocol uses the UDRL lines to transfer nibbles and the fire button as a clock line.

Have anyone disassembled the binaries to check?

 

 

I could not figure out the function of P2. Maybe a connector to other Atari peripherals?

 

 

The  microcontroller is an early PIC micro, probably an OTP device. Found one picture on the internet.

 

Link to datasheet family (https://en.wikichip.org/w/images/8/89/PIC_series_microcomputer_data_manual_(1983).pdf)

 

Edited April 12, 2022 by Danjovic

[Tempest]

4 hours ago, gambler172 said:

Here is the atari temp file, I own

That's the same one.  It's not signed either, just the extension was changed.  I need someone to run the signing program on those two bin files I posted.

[+Defender_2600]

2 hours ago, Danjovic said:

I see the keyboard provided a Tape in and Tape out ports!

 

These are the prototype photos that were on Curt's website :

 

 

 

 

[Danjovic]

2 minutes ago, Defender_2600 said:

These are the prototype photos that were on Curt's website :

So the P2 is an SIO port...!!

[Trebor]

13 hours ago, Tempest said:

The Light and Temp modules need to be signed though, if someone could do that for me.

7800_Atarilab_lightmodule-signed.bin

atarilab-temp-signed.bin

[gambler172]

2 minutes ago, Trebor said:

7800_Atarilab_lightmodule-signed.bin 16 kB · 1 download

atarilab-temp-signed.bin 16 kB · 1 download

and niw an a78 file, so that I can check

[+Muddyfunster]

I don't know enough about the hardware side to make any useful contribution, but I would like to say that keyboard is very cool, even it if it just a non-working prototype.

[Trebor]

1 minute ago, gambler172 said:

and niw an a78 file, so that I can check

7800_Atarilab_lightmodule-signed.a78

atarilab-temp-signed.a78

[+Defender_2600]

19 minutes ago, Danjovic said:

So the P2 is an SIO port...!!

 

In fact SIO port! The idea was to make the 7800 compatible with Atari 8-bit peripherals, including floppy disk drives. For the same reasons the SIO port was included on the 7800 Expansion Module (XM).

[Trebor]

Appears there needs to be an item corrected with the Star Typer dumps. 

While checking the signature for both files, they each yield the same result that a signature fix cannot correct:

 

Read $2000 bytes of cartridge data.
Invalid byte at $FFF9, low nibble should be 3 or 7!

 

[Tempest]

20 minutes ago, Trebor said:

Appears there needs to be an item corrected with the Star Typer dumps. 

While checking the signature for both files, they each yield the same result that a signature fix cannot correct:

 

Read $2000 bytes of cartridge data.
Invalid byte at $FFF9, low nibble should be 3 or 7!

 

Here are the .dat files Curt sent me as well, maybe they can help?  Or are they the exact same as the rom files?

7800_Star_Typer_6-02-84.dat 7800_Star_Typer_6-28-84.dat

[Tempest]

I can get the Light Module to go to the second screen but I can't pass the checks obviously.  I can't seem to get the Temp module to go past the title screen though.

[gambler172]

Hi Guys

Cause I own the Atari Lab equipment, I checked Atari Lab Temp

Bad news....when pressing button, nothing happens.

And now the good news.

Checked Atari Light... I hooked up equipment, like described and evetything woeks very well...Light

Projects and I could also use the Temp cable, which also worked.

So my question...why should I use the Atari Lab Temp, when the Atari Light can do everything?

Here a photo of my hooked up equipment

So I have an Atari Lab for the 7800 now.

Thanks a lot.

Now I would like to know, what is wrong with Atari Temp and the Writer files.

[gambler172]

3 minutes ago, Tempest said:

I can get the Light Module to go to the second screen but I can't pass the checks obviously.  I can't seem to get the Temp module to go past the title screen though.

The Light Module works great with my system

I can use every equipment, I have for the Atari 8 bit computers

[Tempest]

8 minutes ago, gambler172 said:

The Light Module works great with my system

I can use every equipment, I have for the Atari 8 bit computers

Great!  Can you take some nice pictures of it running?  Are the experiments the same as the 8-bit version?

 

It's possible the Temp module wasn't completed or even working.  I have no idea how far along any of these got.

[+Defender_2600]

1 hour ago, Muddyfunster said:

I don't know enough about the hardware side to make any useful contribution, but I would like to say that keyboard is very cool, even it if it just a non-working prototype.

 

"...Since Atari Corp canceled development on all peripherals for the Atari 7800 PRO System, its unknown why GCC didn't market the keyboard themselves.   The unit is finished, the software is ready as well. .
."

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20200831200403/http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/7800/7800keyboard.html