ISO: Keyboard/mouse for MIPS RC2030 workstation

[Josh Dersch]

And I've placed EPROM images at:

http://yahozna.dyndns.org/scratch/mips/

There is not a separate ROM set for the V50.

- Josh

On 5/15/16 8:18 PM, Josh Dersch wrote:
> I disassembled the RC2030 to get at the motherboard and spent some 
> time probing.  This is a multi-layer board, quite thick, so tracing 
> things down has proven difficult.  Two of the three extra pins on the 
> DIN connector for the keyboard are connected to a 74LS240, one as an 
> input, one as an output; these pass through the 74LS240 and are routed 
> through a pair of jumpers.  Past this point I'm having a heck of a 
> time figuring out what they're connected to -- it's nothing obvious 
> like the serial controller.  The third pin appears to be +5V.
>
> I also found this note in the MIPS PROM Monitor Reference 
> (http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/mips/PRM-01-DOC_PROM_Monitor_Ref_Jun92.pdf): 
>
>
> "keyboard: Determines the type of keyboard used: MIPS (default) for 
> the UNIX-style keyboard and AT for the AT-style keyboard (2030 and 
> RC3x30). Default is AT for 4000 systems."
>
> So it looks like there are a couple of different keyboard types; it's 
> possible that the UNIX-style keyboard uses all 8 pins, though that 
> seems unlikely.
>
> Another interesting note regarding the "console" variable when set to 
> "a" (though perhaps not applicable at all to the RC2030:
>
> " Enables all console devices. Do not use this value on a Rx3x30 
> system with a mouse attached to tty(0)."
>
> tty(0) is one of two serial ports on the rear.  That would seem to 
> indicate a serial mouse -- I don't know whether the note about RX3x30 
> systems means there was no serial option on the RC2030, or that this 
> option simply wouldn't cause an issue with a serial mouse on the RC2030.
>
> I suppose the easiest way to solve this would be to find an old 
> Logitech mouse and just try it.  I need to get the X software packages 
> loaded on this thing first...
>
> - Josh
>
>
> On 5/15/16 5:40 PM, Josh Dersch wrote:
>> On 5/15/16 5:16 PM, Al Kossow wrote:
>>> Is there still an os on the disk?
>> Yes, a kind listmember had archived the QIC install media for MIPS 
>> RISC/OS, I installed from that.  When I got the machine, the system 
>> disk was dead, and could not be coaxed back to life.
>>
>>> The MAME guys might be interested in simulating it if you dump
>>> the roms and the hd. It wasn't obvious from the picture in the
>>> picture if the V50 had an eprom as well. I'm gussing the intel
>>> 40 pin part by the keyboard is an 8031?
>> I can double-check this week and dump the ROMs.  I'll also look at 
>> the extra pins on the keyboard.  I'll note that the jack is labeled 
>> just "KEYBOARD."  There is nothing labeled "Mouse" anywhere on this 
>> thing...
>>
>> - Josh
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 5/15/16 5:13 PM, Al Kossow wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On 5/15/16 3:01 PM, Josh Dersch wrote:
>>>>> And it works perfectly.  So, it's a
>>>>> "standard" AT keyboard, but be careful which one you choose :).
>>>>>
>>>> What are the pinouts off the 8-pin connector?
>>>> I'm guessing the mouse uses the other pins.
>>>>
>>>> Digging on the web, this has been asked with no replies for at least
>>>> 10 years.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>