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AT to XT Keyboard Converter

I suspect i'll have to volunteer for this.
I have a dozen or so kits left, so I have some re-programming to do anyway.
Send it back to me and I'll drop a new one off.

I've found that my crappy programmer sometimes is unable to reprogram devices. How can I test that the new code is installed?
 
Yeah I believe so. Using whatever generic winPIC program that everyone else uses (I forget the exact name, but it came with the programmer).
It's got a hex dump that shows the contents of what it read back from the part, so I'll verify that I at least see data changing.
 
If anyone in the Asia-Pacific area wants their PIC reprogrammed to the new version, I'll do it for free (you pay for return postage).

EDIT: These PICs work out at about $1.50 each. It will be cheaper for you if I simply send you a new PIC (you pay for packing/postage).
 
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AT2XT converter really works!

AT2XT converter really works!

I want to express my greatest respect and many thanks to those people who created this wonderful device! I have just made one using data from your Viki and this thread. It works fine with my XT, so now I can replace my old XT keyboard with a relative modern one. I like an XT keyboard and got very used to it since the very beginning of my computing in 1988, but the fact that its buttons eventually sieze working and I have to usassemble, clean them and pull its springs, became an inspiration to make the AT2XT converter.
Here are some photos of the device:
IMG_4307_small.jpg IMG_4305_small.jpg IMG_4298_small.jpg IMG_4299_small.jpg IMG_1620_small.jpg
I have made a couple of adjustments to make it fit into RJ45 patch plug box: got rid of an alternative DIN5 female connector in favor of PS/2 and rerouted the board to make it single side - so it is easier to mill it with CNC mill. However, I have set too small cutting depth, so I had to deepen some parts of tracks manually. I had some confusion with scheme from AT2XTKBD-sch.pdf file - the XT connector pinout is shown wrong, although the pin numbering is correct. PIC was flashed using JDM programmer.
After everything was assembled and checked I connected it to my XT, and it worked!
Once again - thank you very much, guys! You have done a great job! :thumbsup:
 
looks nice in that box, m0rda.

i think it's time i built myself a couple of these... i simply don't have enough XT style keyboards for the number of machines i have. can anybody reccommend a good (and cheap!) chip programmer that i can use for this, but also for regular ol' 28-pin EEPROMs? (other types would be nice too)

i've been programming ROMs when needed with my XT-IDE card, and you can imagine thats a pain in the @$$!! i'd like a nice little device that can sit on the desk and just connect via serial, parallel, or even better USB.
 
Hi! Well I am glad this worked for you! It makes me happy to see vintage computer and homebrew computer hobbyists enjoying our community projects!

Thanks! You've made my day!

I would like the AT2XTKBD and XT-IDE community projects to serve as a template for how we can work together on vintage-computer.com forums to make useful components to help ourselves and others.

Thanks to Erik and the Vintage-Computer.com crew and everyone who helped on the XT-IDE and AT2XTKBD projects! Woo Hoo!

Have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
Chuck(G) said:
I've never had much luck with WinPIC--I use a JDM programmer on an old P3 system running 2K and IC-PROG 1.06B. I guess YMMV.
Click to expand...

I think I'm screwed again.
I've used IC-Prog (1.06B) on my JDM programmer and have been able to program a batch of PICs with the 0.93 code a few months ago.
Now I'm trying to update them to 0.94 and I can't read any data other than 3FFF's off any of the PICs that I've programmed before. Can't erase them either.
Soo, I can't tell if I'm getting the new code in since I can't read them back, and they still work because they may still have 0.93 code in them.
I think my options are buy a batch of new PICs or buy a new programmer. aurgh!
 
Hargle, sorry to hear that you're having problems.

I know some people have tried a pile of programming programs with the JDM (WinPIC, PonyProg, etc.) before they found something that worked. IC Prog just happens to work for me and the box that I'm using.

Same system (OS and box) as before? Do you have the allowio.exe program installed?

It's also worth checking the voltage at pin 1 of the PIC (when it's in the JDM) to make sure it's +5V. Anything much lower will create problems.

If I had to look for a programmer today, I'd probably look for a good deal on the Genius 540.
 
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hargle said:
... Soo, I can't tell if I'm getting the new code in since I can't read them back, and they still work because they may still have 0.93 code in them.
I think my options are buy a batch of new PICs or buy a new programmer. aurgh!
Click to expand...

Is there any software for an XT that requires F7? if so load it up and see if the device
responds to the keypress. Then you'll know if the new version loaded or not. Alternately, is there a program that displays onscreen what key is pressed?
 
Thanks Tony, that's a really good idea to help verify the new FW is installed. I'll keep hammering on it, but I don't have much hair left to pull out. I might just go buy a dozen blank PICs and donate these pre-programmed ones to someone who can use them. Still probably cheaper than a working programmer...
 
Really strange things are happening with AT2XT microcode :) I used JDM and IC Prog (1.06B) runing on virtual machine in Core 2 and everything worked fine for progs that i have developed myself with MPLAB. When i tried to flash AT2XT 0.92 with it, it failed in a way described by hargle. Then i have set up Win95 under two Slot-1 PentiumII-233 box and set up direct port access in IC-prog's settings. Using it, i could successfully read and flash AT2XT prog.
 
m0rda said:
Really strange things are happening with AT2XT microcode :) I used JDM and IC Prog (1.06B) runing on virtual machine in Core 2 and everything worked fine for progs that i have developed myself with MPLAB. When i tried to flash AT2XT 0.92 with it, it failed in a way described by hargle. Then i have set up Win95 under two Slot-1 PentiumII-233 box and set up direct port access in IC-prog's settings. Using it, i could successfully read and flash AT2XT prog.
Click to expand...

I'm using an "Enhanced" JDM, which takes care of the reprogramming problem with the 12F629 and 12F675. I've also heard that the PICkit programmer does the job. At any rate, here's a few suggestions on fixing things Apparently, this all has to do with the order power is applied to the device. The problem is the sequencing. When the internal oscillator is used, the programming specs require Vpp to be applied before Vdd. You might also try this:

Or at least that's my experience with the 12F6x chips. I have successfully overrided this by putting a 9vdc on the MCLR prior to
pluggin the RS232 into the programmer, then unpluggin the 9vdc as soon as I hit the program button, effectively reviving all of my chips.
Click to expand...

It might be that another PIC would be more amenable to programming with the JDM, such as the 12F609. It should require no PCB changes, but it could also be that the 609 has the same issue.
 
this will be one (of many) weekend projects for me. Apologies to tony for taking so long on working on it.
I also figured out a quick-n-easy way to see if F7 is working. Pop into basic. F7 should display TRON on the screen when you hit it. Timely and effective!
 
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