This repository provides the source, schematics, and Gerber files that converts the AT-keyboard protocol to the XT keyboard protocol. As XT keyboards are expensive (seriously, type in "PC XT keyboard" or "PC 5150 keyboard" in Ebay), this provides a cheaper alternative for someone willing to wait for PCB and parts. This circuit supports 101-key extended keyboards using the XT protocol, but older pre-386 systems may not know how to handle extended keys. The extended keycodes are based on a document from Microsoft that includes XT keycodes for compatibility.
As an experiment to test the MSP430 Rust/LLVM backend, the current source has been rewritten in Rust. All future development will be in Rust. The rewrite is not exactly semantically equivalent to the C source code; in particular, in the Rust version, the keyhandling Finite State Machine (FSM) returns immediately and I/O processing occurs in the main loop. In the C version the FSM is the main loop, and I/O processing is embedded.
This source requires the Rust nightly compiler for the foreseeable future. To obtain the nightly compiler and relevant dependencies:
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Visit the rustup website and follow the instructions to first get a stable compiler. I have only tested the GNU ABI version of Rust on Windows, but choose which version makes sense for you.
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rustupshould now be on your path. Obtain the nightly compiler with:rustup install nightly. As of before July 16, 2017, MSP430 support is enabled in Rust nightly. Switch to the nightly compiler by running:rustup default nightly. -
MSP430 needs a
libcoreinstalled that doesn't conflict w/ your host. Thexargoprogram allows a developer to maintain multiplelibcoresfor multiple archs simultaneously:cargo install xargo. -
Obtain
msp430-elf-gccfrom TI at the bottom of this page, and make sure the toolchain's bin directory is visible to Rust. As I understand it, the GCC toolchain is required because Rust is hardcoded to call the compiler driver to assemble if LLVM is not emitting object files itself; LLVM doesn't emit objects for MSP430 as of this writing. Furthermore, binutils will be required for the foreseeable future for the linker.
The current command to build is:
xargo build --release --target=msp430-none-elf. This command has changed
over time, so I provide a Makefile as well: make to build, and make prog
to program using a Launchpad, mspdebug, and Spy-Bi-Wire connections.
As Rust the language evolves, certain features in nightly may be enabled
which break old commits that once compiled. For example, a
ThinLTO bug in rustc ensured
compilation for targets using an external assembler- including MSP430-
was broken in nightly from August until January!
I can give approximate ranges for which nightlies work with which range of
commits, but because the functionality of the nightly I make no guarantees
that previous commits will compile; using the correct compiler
may not solve
all dependency version mismatches in libraries whose public APIs are in flux
That said, it was my intent when porting the code to Rust that tagged commits should be able to serve as an example of how to write bare-metal Rust applications using a variety of different code structures and varying number of external dependencies (see CHANGELOG.md). Previous versions should still be able to compile/function with a small to moderate amount of work (see "data layout" in Tags/Comparing Versions for an example).
The most up-to-date version of the firmware uses the
Real Time For The Masses (RTFM) Framework. RTFM has
underwent various syntax changes for both the
Cortex M and
MSP430 variants. However, due to
space concerns
with the most up-to-date version of the MSP430 RTFM implementation, AT2XT opts
to use an earlier syntax of RTFM. Using up-to-date RTFM syntax/features is
pending improvements in LLVM to convert runtime checks into compile time checks
that thus do not take up space in the final binary. To avoid dependency problems
for the time being, the variant of RTFM used is available
here under the
at2xt-pin branch.
Tags to previous versions are included to compare the overhead of adding various abstractions and making the source code look more like an idiomatic hosted Rust program. Some considerations when comparing versions:
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The MSP430 data layout changed between the time I started writing this firmware (June 12, 2017) and as of this writing (July 16, 2017). Recent nightly compilers will crash with custom provided layout up until commit c85088c. The data layout in
msp430.jsonbefore this commit should be:e-m:e-p:16:16-i32:16-i64:16-f32:16-f64:16-a:8-n8:16-S16. -
MSP430 became a supported target within Rust nightly in July 2017, and the target "triple" changed from
msp430tomsp430-none-elf. I switched to the internal target as of commit c0dc9b9, but the immediate commit prior c85088c shows how to generate an equivalent binary with the originally-used custom target.
For comparison purposes, I have kept the old C-based source code as well under
the legacy-src directory.
Currently, it is up to the user to set up their toolchain to compile the files for programming an MSP430G2211 or compatible 14-pin DIP MSP430. I recommend the former, if only because MSP430 is already overkill for this project and G2211 is a low-end model :P. However, I . When the C source was written, TI expected users to compile with Code Composer Studio (CCS). Today, a Makefile generic to all OSes and requiring only a command line should work, and will be available soon. Compile using -O2 or better.
The C source code itself should be easy to port to other microcontrollers,
except for the use of a __delay_cycles() intrinsic. I had no choice here, as
using the timer for a software delay can lock the keyboard FSM to a single
state.
Schematics are provided in DIPTrace ASCII format. PCB is provided using Gerber Files and an N/C Drill File.
It is my intention sometime soon to redo the schematic using KiCAD.