Propeller ANSI / VT-100 Terminal
Firmware for a serial terminal add-on board designed for the RC2014 computer. It adds VGA video output as 80x25 text (720x400@70Hz) with ANSI / VT-100 terminal emulation, and USB keyboard input. Using a single Parallax Propeller microcontroller running at 80MHz.
Connections
- RC2014 bus
- USB Keyboard
- VGA
- Programming header (optional prop-plug compatible)
JP1 and JP2 can be used to disconnect the board from the standard RX and TX lines on the bus and connect to another serial port (for example to the secondary port of the dual serial board). Use the top pads to connect the RX and TX lines respectively.
The USB host driver supports keyboards only, no other devices are supported including hubs.
The programming header can be used as an auxiliary serial input, all characters received are sent to the RC2014 as they were typed by the user. Beware that the port levels are 3.3 volts only.
Firmware compile
The firmware can be compiled using OpenSpin and uploaded to the EEPROM either using the Prop-Plug serial adapter for in-circuit programming or a stand alone programmer.
Compile with the following command:
openspin -b -u vt100.spin
The compiler generates a file named vt100.binary that can be written to the EEPROM using a stand alone programmer.
In-circuit programming
The firmware can also be written to the EEPROM using a Prop-Plug serial adapter connected to the board using the programming header as illustrated on the picture above (be sure to connect the cables properly, the leftmost pin marked 3.3v is not used with the Prop-Plug adapter).
