Wireless keyboard/mouse on the Chameleon

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Don't Panic. Please wash hands.
  • If I have a Logitech K400 (small keyboard which has a USB RF transceiver) and I use a USB2PS2 adapter, would this work on the Chameleon ?


    (I hook up the adapter to e.g. the keyboard input of the Chameleon, and stick the RF-USB transceiver in the usb end of the adapter above.

    Would it work ?


    Or -- what are my wireless kbd/mouse options which has been tested ?

  • So, basically -- if I want to use a keyboard with an embedded trackpad that uses a single usb-dongle as a receiver, only the keyboard will work. Right ?


    I know I could dig out one of those old logitech/microsoft receivers which has two ps2 connectors (one for mouse and one for keyboard) but I really want to use a store bought keyboard which is new :)


    Any tips will be of help. I just want to be able to use my Chameleon from the sofa and not having to have to have a long usb cable for the kbd+mouse :)

  • So, basically -- if I want to use a keyboard with an embedded trackpad that uses a single usb-dongle as a receiver, only the keyboard will work. Right ?

    Such an integrated receiver sounds like it's not a PS2 device at all, but a USB composite device. This will not work with the Chameleon.


    I know I could dig out one of those old logitech/microsoft receivers which has two ps2 connectors (one for mouse and one for keyboard) but I really want to use a store bought keyboard which is new :)

    "new" ist not always better. While those old wireless desktop sets did have their security issues, they will work nicely on a PS2-only device such as the Chameleon. Granted, the new models don't eat as much batteries, but with battery technology improved a lot in the past decades, you may find these old wireless ones to work nicely. On a side note, I have equipped pretty much any battery-operated thing in the house with Eneloop cells (electric toothbrushes, razor, telephones, remote controls, kid's toys, my wife's wireless desktop set). These are high-capacity and low self-discharge - ideal for this kind of application.

  • I am diving in to eBay to see if I find a nice receiver and kbd/mouse to use which utilises the PS2 for Chameleon compatibility.


    Just out of curiosity: Did you consider 2 USB ports for kbd+mouse instead of PS2 ports when you redesigned the chameleon v2 ? I am sure you did -- but I was just curious why it uses ps2 and not usb :)

  • The whole idea of the re-design was to get the unit back into production, not to add features. The second motivation was to reduce the price, which was possible with a combination of reducing included parts and a more automated production method.


    USB has it's drawbacks on latency due to it's complexity. However, we want to give the best-possible user experience, which is lag-free on actual hardware (and FPGAs are real hardware, not emulation). I'm sure it's possible to make a decently-fast USB host controller that hides most of that latency, but PS2 has considerably less lag.


    We will use USB for the C64 Reloaded MK3, but in addition to that, there will always be a low-lag interface for joysticks and keyboard. We really use the hardware we build, and I'd be p*ssed if I lose a life because the computer does not react as fast as I sent the control :-)

  • But, would lag on USB vs. PS/2 for keyboard and mouse usage causes gameplay lag which uses the joystickports anyway ? Maybe I misunderstood :)

    Not directly no. However once there is a USB connecter, users will not able to limit themselves to just keyboards. They want to connect trackballs, game-pads, usb joysticks or as discussed hybrid devices like keyboard and mouse combined. Not even considering USB-hubs, mass storage devices, CDroms, diskdrives and random webcams. Yes USB can get complex quite quickly. The FPGA can't do all those extra tasks, so an additional micro is necessary. To support a good subset of devices without getting lag, when it is in a separate micro is an interesting issue.


    In comparison PS/2 is a lot simpler. Four wires into the FPGA and a few small hdl entities. Done. No lag, no drivers, no complex software stack. And also important: fully design compatible with first edition of Chameleon (which we will still want to support with updates in parallel with v2).

  • The last reply was more than 365 days ago, this thread is most likely obsolete. It is recommended to create a new thread instead.