Doug Parker wrote:
> What does it take to 1) write a driver (NewtScript, C++, assembler, ?), and
> 2) patch it into the NewtOS. IIRC, MacOS used to use some sort of dispatch
> tables on interrupts kind of a thingy--I don't know what programming model
> the Newton follows.
1) would be easier than 2), but not by much. To write a driver that would go
alongside or replace the Newton keyboard driver in ROM would require a lot of
mucking about in the ROM to figure out the interfaces, function calls, etc
required. Much easier would be a standard NewtonScript package that one could
activate when they plug in a Stowaway that would read codes from the Stowaway
and either emulate Newton key presses or send the key events to the foreground
application.
Note that all of the above is pure conjecture.
> My other thought was to perhaps do the translation in HW through stamp or
> PIC programming. Program a lookup table to do the translation on the fly
> into the PIC: it comes in on one side of the PIC, does the translation
> lookup, and shoves it out the other side to the Newt. 1-2-3. Power comes
> from the serial cable(?). Does anyone else on the list play with PICs? My
> practical experience with PIC programming is nil.
Now that you mention it, I did have an MIT Miniboard... but I gave it back to
my friend. Also, a Miniboard only has one RS232 port and would be way
overpowered for this application. Unless the Miniboard could recieve
scancodes from the Stowaway using the Rx line and transmit to the Newton via
the Tx line...
All I used the Miniboard for anyways was using its default monitor program
(HEXMON) to control its motor controllers to control a remote wired pan-tilt
camera head. Info about that is on my friend Calum's page:
http://peach.mie.utoronto.ca/people/tsangc/video-ivcf-index.html
(scroll down to SaraCam v3)
-- Victor Rehorst - victor_at_newtontalk.net - chuma_at_chuma.org NewtonTalk list administrator - http://www.newtontalk.net Will help you with your list problems - as long as you're nice.-- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries List FAQ/Etiquette/Terms: http://www.newtontalk.net/faq.html Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/
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