Keyboard Interface problem

[tofro]

Daniel,

Running Minerva with the ABC Keyboard Interface will very likely not work with that setup (at least not without patching Minerva with the very same Patches the ABC keyboard ROM has).

I think you had mentioned above that QL with the ABC Keyboard has a Gold or SuperGold Card - Simply use SMSQ/E, then - This is even better than Minerva and is prepared to support the ABC keyboard interface out of the box (even if I guess nobody has tried that for decades...)

Tobias

[Chr$]

Thanks, yes that's an option.

The non standard ROM may cause issues with my vDrive, which I've plugged in to the custom 'beast' and it doesn't seem to initialise. I'll check the connectors' cleanliness and try that again. It may also cause an issue with my TDI/Trump/Qubide card if I were to use that instead of the old QL-HDD MFM card for mass storage (in case the ISA-CF thing doesn't work from my other post).

Ideally I'd like a system with modern quiet reliable mass storage, vDrive/Microdrive support and the benefits of being able to use the better keyboard and desktop all-in-one setup. I suppose life is full of compromises. If I need to ever use the vDrive/microdrives I could use those via another QNET'd QL using FSERVE.

[Chr$]

If anyone is ever interested in comparing the ABC/Falkenberg (or whatever it is, there seem to be a number of names) Keyboard interface ROM with the other more conventional ROMs, here is v3.11 (English) as a zipped bin file. It was on a 27512 Eprom.

[Derek_Stewart]

Hi Chr$,

I will have a look at the Falkenberg code and disassemble it.

The ABC Electronik keyboard interface connected to the the QL via the rom port. There is an updated driver & source code for the ABC interface on the Minerva Utils disk.

I think the confusion is that Jochen Merz may of written the driver code for both Falkenberg and ABC keyboard interfaces.

[Chr$]

Thanks Derek, I'd be interested to know which conventional ROM it's based on.

I'll have a look at that ABC_KBD_bin. But I am still correct in thinking there is no way to run Minerva with the ABC k/b interface? I don't understand why the Utils disk has a driver for it.... unless I can actually run the Minerva ROM and then that code to be able to use the k/b interface?

There's also no way to run a Tetroid TDI card at the same time as the ABC interface as that renders the ROM slot inactive by using the same mem location (the Qubata part). So, although I like being able to use a better keyboard, I can't have Minerva or mass storage (apart from the existing MFM HDD, which sometimes fails) at the same time.

[Pr0f]

From what I remember in the Minvera source code - you can 'chain' in other keyboard drivers or programs that process the keyboard queue, and it is maybe this mechanism that's being used?

[Chr$]

It would have to be part of the ROM though, surely, otherwise there would be no getting past the F1/F2 at boot.

[Derek_Stewart]

Hi,

I had a look at the driver code uploaded, there looks to of been slot specific hardware code.

I can not remember the exact reason for the keyboard rewrite in Minerva. I think the original code did not work correctly with Minerva.

The source code on the utilities disk, Lau totally altered the driver code.

The improved driver is romable, so replace the existing ROM with the Minerva ABC ROM. Or there is LRESPR version as well.

[Pr0f]

but Minvera times out, so that may get past the F key prompt

[Chr$]

Hi,

I had a look at the driver code uploaded, there looks to of been slot specific hardware code.

I can not remember the exact reason for the keyboard rewrite in Minerva. I think the original code did not work correctly with Minerva.

The source code on the utilities disk, Lau totally altered the driver code.

The improved driver is romable, so replace the existing ROM with the Minerva ABC ROM. Or there is LRESPR version as well.

Where can I find the Minerva ABC ROM? On Dilwyn's site In the text file that outlines the changes I see that for 1.78 on it says "ABC keyboard handling routine improved". So does that imply that anything after that would make the ABC k/b card work?

I didn't even know that it times out if F1/F2 etc aren't pressed, but have noticed that behaviour sometimes and wondered what was going on! Actually my BBQL used to instantly respond to F1 and now it doesn't seem to and may well be timing out to get past it (it's got Min1.98 and a TDI).