Arduino Basic PC With VGA Output

In my previous Instructable I have shown how to build a retro 8-bit computer running BASIC, by
means of two Arduino, and with an output signal in B&W for a TV screen.

Now I will show how to build the same computer, but with the output signal in color for a VGA
monitor!

You can input the variables and the BASIC program with a PS2 keyboard, and it generates the output
for a VGA monitor with a text resolution of 24 columns x 10 rows of 5x6 pixels characters, in four
colors. You can see it in action in the upper video. The program can then be saved on the Arduino
EEPROM, and you can still control the I/O pins directly via Basic dedicated commands.

This project can also be used to print simple text messages on the monitor, as shown in the third
picture in this page.

One Arduino is the "master", and it runs Tiny Basic Plus, a C implementation of Tiny Basic, with a
focus on support for Arduino. It also control a PS2 keyboard. The output is then sent via the serial
port to the second Arduino which generates the VGA output thanks to the VGAx library.

The idea to use one or more Arduino to create an old style PC running a dialect of Basic is not new
but, as far as I know, none of them has a color output. In some projects available on the net, people
used LCD displays, while in others, to allow the use of monitors, it has been used the TVout library,
which is B&W. Furthermore in many of these projects special shields or hardware has to be build.
Here you need just two Arduino, few resistors and the connector for the PS2 keyboard and the
monitor, as shown in the above pictures.

Step 1: Build the Arduino Master With TinyBasic and PS2 Keyboard

TinyBasic Plus and the VGAx library work for Arduino IDE 1.6.4.
First download it from the Arduino official web page. If you have a newer versions on your PC, the
best is to download it in .zip format and uncompress them on your PC. Click this link to download
the Windows version.

You need then the PS2keyboard library. You can find it at the bottom of this page. Just uncompress
it and copy the PS2keyboard folder in: arduino-1.6.4\libraries

Finally, in this page, download the file: TinyBasicPlus_PS2_VGAx.ino, uncompress and upload it
on your Arduino.

This is a variation of the standard TinyBasic Plus where i have added the PS2 library and modified
the code to accept the variables from it.

More details on TiniBasic Plus and tutorials can be found at this link.

If there are no problems, and compatibility issues, Tiny Basic is already running. You can test it
trough a serial monitor in your PC. For this purpose I use PuTTY, but many other programs are
available.

You have to set the correct COM port (it is the same you find in the Arduino IDE) and baud rate =
4800

Here you can already test some program in Basic just by typing them with your PC keyboard (NB
later on I will show how to connect the PS2 keyboard directly to the Arduino).

Try for instance:

10 PRINT "Hello, World!"

20 GOTO 10

RUN

You can then stop the infinite loop just by typing ctrl+c.

Note that this combination will not work for the PS2 keyboard.

In the next step I will show how to connect the PS2 keyboard to Arduino.
Step 2: Connect the PS2 Keyboard to the Master Arduino

I got all the informations and library from this Instructable.

Essentially you need to connect the folowing four pins:

 keyboard Data to Arduino pin 8,

 keyboard IRQ (clock) to Arduino pin 3;
 you need to connenct GND and +5V as well.

I got an old PS2 female connector from a broken PC motherboard. You can simply unsold it with a
heat gun.

In the picture shown in this step, you can find the function of the needed pins of the PS2 connector.
Step 3: Upload the VGAx Library and Code on the Second Arduino and Put
Everything Together

First download VGAx-PC.ino code at the bottom of this page and copy it on your PC in a directory
with the same name.

Download the VGAx library from this link on GitHub. The easiest way is to copy it in the Arduino
software subfolder named "libraries", to be immediately recognized.

IMPORTANT: this library works for Arduno IDE 1.6.4 but it is not fully compatible with elder or
newer versions.

Upload the VGAx-PC.ino in your second Arduino board (I tested it for the Nano version but the Uno
should work as well).

A warning for low available memory is normal. If you do not have other errors everything is ok and
you can immediately start to build your own 8-bit PC.

For this you need:

 two Arduino Uno Rev. 3 or two Arduino Nano 3.x (ATmega328)

 a DSUB15 Connector, i.e. a VGA female connector or a VGA cable to be cut.
 resistors: 2 x 68 Ohm and 2 x 470 Ohm
 a PS2 female connector
 wires
 facultative: a breadboard or a strip board

The schematic is reported at the top of this step. An example of a finished “console” is shown in the
introductive step.
Step 4: Optional: Using a PCB

You can also build this Basic VGA PC using a small PCB. You can take inspiration from the pictures
in this step or you can even print your own board.

I used two female header strips with 15 holes for the video output Arduino, while for the master I
used two strips with doble holes. In this way I can use the external ones to insert the contacts of other
projects componets, that can be driven directly with Basic code. I also added in the center to leftover
strips, one conncted to 5 V and the other for GND.

Step 5: Final Comments and Acknowledgments

My main aknowledgement goes to Sandro Maffiodo aka Smaffer, the creator of the awesome VGAx
library.

Many thanks also to the authors of TinyBasic Plus:

 Tiny Basic 68k ‐ Gordon Brandly

 Arduino Basic / Tiny Basic C ‐ Michael Field
 Tiny Basic Plus ‐ Scott Lawrence
Connect PS/2 Keyboard to Arduino

Hi everyone, this is also an Interesting project that brings 106 Inputs to your Arduino. Can't believe?
Follow the project and see how this happens with a PS/2 Keyboard.

OK First of all you need

 Arduino (UNO)
 PS/2 Keyboard
 PS/2 Keyboard connector

Step 1: Keyboard Conection

Following is the pin-out of the Connector. There are 4 wires coming from the keyboard and their
connections to arduino Digital pins are as follows.

 5V :- Arduino 5V out
 Ground :- Arduino GND
 Clock :- Arduino Pin 3
 Data :- Arduino Pin 8

Step 2: Code

First include this library to Arduino Software.

http://www.pjrc.com/teensy/arduino_libraries/PS2Keyboard.zip

#include < PS2Keyboard.h>

const int DataPin = 8;
const int IRQpin = 3;
PS2Keyboard keyboard;
void setup() {
delay(1000);
keyboard.begin(DataPin, IRQpin);
Serial.begin(9600);
Serial.println("Keyboard Test:");
}
void loop() {
if (keyboard.available()) {

// read the next key

char c = keyboard.read();

// check for some of the special keys

if (c == PS2_ENTER) {
Serial.println();
} else if (c == PS2_TAB) {
Serial.print("[Tab]");
} else if (c == PS2_ESC) {
Serial.print("[ESC]");
} else if (c == PS2_PAGEDOWN) {
Serial.print("[PgDn]");
} else if (c == PS2_PAGEUP) {
Serial.print("[PgUp]");
} else if (c == PS2_LEFTARROW) {
Serial.print("[Left]");
} else if (c == PS2_RIGHTARROW) {
Serial.print("[Right]");
} else if (c == PS2_UPARROW) {
Serial.print("[Up]");
} else if (c == PS2_DOWNARROW) {
Serial.print("[Down]");
} else if (c == PS2_DELETE) {
Serial.print("[Del]");
} else {

// otherwise, just print all normal characters

Serial.print(c);
}
}

}
Step 3: Testing

So we have finished our coding, Upload it to arduino and keep the Arduino connected to PC.Then
open the Serial Monitor on Arduino Software and Press some keys on the Keyboard connected to
Arduino and you will see It prints what you type on that keyboard.Comment your ideas.