AT Keyboard Interface with Morse Code Support V2.02

with Dot-Matrix LCD Display for Microchip PIC16F84

Table of Contents [Toc]

Concept
   How it works
   Specifications
   Supported Morse Alphabet
   Features
   Limitations
Project Resources
   Available PIC Assembler Code
   Schematic, Data Sheets, Pinout
   User-specific Customization

Concept [Toc] [Top]

This implementation contains the complete fetch and decoding of AT keyboard scan patterns as well as RS232 transmission of ASCII characters to the RS232 target device. It also features an interface to a dot matrix LCD display to visualize the characters typed on the locally attached keyboard.
Additional Morse port for pulse-width modulated (PWM) Morse code output. Further, there is also the ability to enable acoustic Morse code feedback through a Piezo beeper (parameterizable feature).

How it works [Toc] [Top]

Basically, it works in the same way as the AT Keyboard Interface V2.03, although this program does not support direct Ctrl-Hex and Alt-Dec entry, and no bi-directional communication between keyboard and PIC microcontroller. Further, there is also no RS232 data reception.

Morse code feature:
All legal ASCII characters specified within the Morse alphabet are translated to a 16 bit pattern through a look-up table. Within these bit patterns, two consecutive ones followed by a zero indicate a dash, a dot is encoded as single one followed by a zero.
The Morse code has different lengths for encoding, e.g. e = . b = -... 1 = .---- ? = ..--.. therefore 16 bits are necessary to support all of them. For instance, 'b' is encoded in 16 bits as b'1101_0101_0000_0000'. Subsequent zeros at the end within a pattern are considered as termination and are ignored. The Morse pattern is signaled as pulse-width modulated stream at the Morse port, active high.

Parameterization of Piezo beeper support (acoustic Morse code feedback) with constant BEEP_ENABLE within section 'Parameterization' in program code.

Customization of Morse code speed at assemble time (length of dot, length of dash, wait period in between dash and dot, wait period in between two characters) can be done using constants within section 'Constant declaration' in program code. No dynamic speed control during run time (not yet).

Since Morse code transmission needs some time for each character - especially numbers - multiple typed characters at the AT keyboard are stalled within the keyboard internal TX buffer whenever the PIC microcontroller pulls down the open-collector clock line (between keyboard and PIC) for stalling. With this scheme, up to 7 keyboard characters can be queued up without data loss (in my no-name 10$ keyboard). This queuing mechanism is maybe keyboard-dependent.

Translation from keyboard ASCII characters to Morse code is done using a look-up table. The look-up table for the ASCII to 16 bit Morse pattern conversion has been created using an Excel 97 work sheet (MorseTableGenerator.zip) and Visual Basic macros. The supported Morse alphabet is listed in this table below.

The 16 bit Morse code look-up table for Microchip PIC assembler has been
created automatically using an Excel 97 work sheet and Visual Basic macros.

Specifications [Toc] [Top]

Processor:	Microchip PIC 16F84
Clock Frequency:	4 MHz crystal
Throughput:	1 MIPS
RS232 Baud Rate:	9600 baud, 8 bit, no parity, 1 stopbit
Acquisition Methodology:	Preemptive, interrupt-based keyboard scan pattern acquisition, decoding to ASCII characters during normal operation mode activated by ready flag
Code Size of entire Program:	973 instruction words
Required Hardware:	AT keyboard, PS/2 connector, MAX232, HD44780 compatible dot matrix LCD (2x16, 2x20 or 2x40 characters)
Optional Hardware:	Piezo beeper with decoupling capacitor
Required Software:	RS232 terminal software

Supported Morse Alphabet [Toc] [Top]

Char	Morse code
A	.-
B	-...
C	-.-.
D	-..
E	.
F	..-.
G	--.
H	....
I	..
J	.---
K	-.-
L	.-..
M	--

Char	Morse code
N	-.
O	---
P	.--.
Q	--.-
R	.-.
S	...
T	-
U	..-
V	...-
W	.--
X	-..-
Y	-.--
Z	--..

Char	Morse code
0	-----
1	.----
2	..---
3	...--
4	....-
5	.....
6	-....
7	--...
8	---..
9	----.

Char	Morse code
"	.-..-.
'	.----.
( )	-.--.-
,	--..--
-	-....-
.	.-.-.-
:	---...
?	..--..

Supported Morse alphabet within this Microchip PIC project.

Features [Toc] [Top]

Uni-directional communication between microcontroller application and remote RS232 client.
Uni-directional communication between microcontroller and keyboard.
Bi-directional communication between microcontroller and LCD display.
Visualization of transmitted characters on local LCD.
Parametrizable LCD display width: constant 'LCDwidth'
Support for all keyboard characters typed with shift button active and inactive.
English and modified Swiss-German 'codepages' available (QWERTY and QWERTZ)
Caps Lock implemented
Num Lock always active
Possibility to implement short-cuts or user defined characters for 'Esc', 'Num Lock', 'Scroll Lock' and 'F1' - 'F12' keys.
Morse code translation and PWM output at Morse port, active high
Acoustic feedback through Piezo beeper, default enabled

Limitations [Toc] [Top]

Same as within AT Keyboard Interface V1xx.

Project Resources [Toc] [Top]

Available Microchip PIC Assembler Code [Toc] [Top]

Main File	Main Keyboard Decode Lookup Table	SHIFT Keyboard Decode Lookup Table	HEX Files
Latest version: morse_2x.asm	English 'codepage' (QWERTY) View: eng_main.html Download: eng_main.asm	English 'codepage' (QWERTY) View: eng_shif.html Download: eng_shif.asm	QWERTY 'codepage': morse_2x_eng.hex QWERTZ 'codepage': morse_2x_sg.hex
	Modified Swiss German 'codepage' (QWERTZ) View: ger_main.html Download: ger_main.asm	Modified Swiss German 'codepage' (QWERTZ) View: ger_shif.html Download: ger_shif.asm
The above programs need additional include files (modules) to get successfully assembled: m_bank.asm, m_wait.asm, m_rs096.asm, m_lcd_bf.asm Important: Due to bi-directional communication between controller and LCD display, the above programs only work if both components are connected and are working properly!
For those, who are not familiar with interfacing a PIC to the RS232 using a MAX232: RS232-Interface.pdf (9.7 kB)

Schematic, Data Sheets and Pinout [Toc] [Top]

AT Keyboard Specification (PDF, 189 kB)

Basically, the schematic of the AT Keyboard Interface with Morse Code Support V2.02 is the same as the AT Keyboard Interface V2.04: Keyboard_V2xx.pdf
The only additional features:

PWM Morse code output at PortA1 (RA1), active high
Acoustic feedback through Piezo beeper at PortA3 (RA3)

The 16 bit Morse code look-up table for Microchip PIC assembler as Excel 97 work sheet with Visual Basic macros: MorseTableGenerator.zip

You don't know how a dot matrix LCD is working? Have a look at my data sheets page.

Download ASCII Character Map: ASCII-Map.pdf

You can get the description of the various keyboard connectors <here>.

User-specific Customization [Toc] [Top]

For a high level view, please refer to the section 'How it works' above.
Basically the same customization as for AT Keyboard Interface V1.xx applies to this implementation.

If you apply changes to the existing code, you may need to change the ORG directives in order to realign the assembler code properly.

Last updated: 2004/12/30

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