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October 2014

posted Oct 13, 2014, 11:56 PM by Dan Antohi   [ updated Mar 18, 2015, 10:54 AM]


20 Oct 2014

    Support for capturing the server machine's mouse movement has been added to the MCU firmware. The 'Interface 1bis' can use either the keyboard or the mouse of the server machine, but not both simultaneously, as input devices, by decoding the keyboard scan code sequences and mouse movement packets, which the server applet provides in the same format as a physical PS/2 device would do.
    
The relevant instructions sheet has been updated accordingly.
    
Changed software components:  MCU firmware, server applet, game launcher



14 Oct 2014

    RAM drive

    Like all  previous 'Interface 1bis' prototypes, version 4b/c was also intended, from the beginning, to have a on-board RAM drive, which is very convenient for running applications that need to store data frequently and fast, especially in view of the limited endurance of flash memory media to write operations, but only recently a suitable memory chip (23LCV1024-I/SN) became generally available. It can be retro-fitted to the interface's board in position 'U8', as shown in the picture. A wire link is required to provide back-up battery power.
    Operating system support was added for the RAM drive, which can be used, as device "r", in exactly the same way as the SD card, except for its smaller capacity, of only one 128 KB logical drive.
    With the memory chip installed, the interface's 'U' LED lights up when the RAM drive is selected and does not show anymore the  status of the USB link to the server machine.


    Reading the server machine's keyboard

    As an alternative to plugging-in an external keyboard into the interface's PS/2 socket, a facility was devised allowing the ZX Spectrum to accepts input from the keyboard of a server machine, connected to the 'Interface 1bis' via its USB port.
    The extended BASIC command:  CAT 0,"k"  turns this function on and off.  When on, a new window pops up on the server, to capture the keyboard input.


    Updated software components

    Operating system, MCU firmware, server applet, game launcher and DVO player.