TheC64 + tang_nano_20k_c64: How to send the menu open command?

[vanfanel]

Hi there!

I don't know it someone had tried before, but I connected the TheC64 keyboard to the TangNano20k+misteryshield20k, and it woks perfectly well.
(TheC64 is a full size C64 replica running an small GNU/Linux system with the VICE emulator on top: https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/THEC64)

...So my dream of gutting a TangNano20k+misteryshield20k inside TheC64 is near.
However, since the C64 has no F12 key, there's no way to enter the core menu.

Is there a couple of pins somewhere on the TangNano20k or on the misteryshield20k that I can use to attack a switch to them so I can enter the core menu with that?

Thanks!

[vossstef]

Hi @vanfanel ,
the F12 key is something special in the Fpga companion fw. you will need a customization in that. never tried before but you can transfer the two tn20k button state into the fw. hope my c64 is doing that already and ifnot will add.that. bigger part is to modify fw that one of the two received buttons is equivalent to F12. All maybe possible. btw one of the buttons is already in use to swap joyports and other one if i recall unused. sorry for the short answer but rather busy at the moment.

[vanfanel]

Hi @vanfanel , the F12 key is something special in the Fpga companion fw. you will need a customization in that. never tried before but you can transfer the two tn20k button state into the fw. hope my c64 is doing that already and ifnot will add.that. bigger part is to modify fw that one of the two received buttons is equivalent to F12. All maybe possible. btw one of the buttons is already in use to swap joyports and other one if i recall unused. sorry for the short answer but rather busy at the moment.

Many thanks for the response! Not in a hurry at all, don't worry :)
Isn't it possible to use a couple of pins on the companion board? It has 8 pins (which I don't know what they do, to be honest, and I can't find any information on what they do).

[vossstef]

@vanfanel , you could also use one of the spare FPGA pins that i don't use for the DS2 interface for a Key F12 button. But the issue of forwarding the pin press into the firmware will remain. There is some work to do...

[harbaum]

Does that keyboard have a different key you could re-purpose? Maybe some rarely used one? Or a long press on restore or the like? That could be done inside the FPGA Companion firmware and would not need any special support on FPGA side.

[vanfanel]

Does that keyboard have a different key you could re-purpose? Maybe some rarely used one? Or a long press on restore or the like? That could be done inside the FPGA Companion firmware and would not need any special support on FPGA side.

The keyboard doesn't have any special keys I know of, other than being a plain C64 keyboard.
But a key that has not much use on a C64 is the "pound" key, which on GNU/Linux produces scancode 0x27, according to XEV:

KeyPress event, serial 39, synthetic NO, window 0x1600001,
    root 0x400, subw 0x0, time 83083999, (-627,102), root:(244,550),
    state 0x10, keycode 20 (keysym 0x27, apostrophe), same_screen YES,
    XLookupString gives 1 bytes: (27) "'"
    XmbLookupString gives 1 bytes: (27) "'"
    XFilterEvent returns: False

I think the key should be remapped to the "pound" symbol before being used for menu toggling however?
(It has a "pound" symbol on it)

[vossstef]

Hi @vanfanel ,
please consider to make use of this tiny extra Keyboard for the F12 Key topic . Some users found that helpful for A2600.
https://github.com/vossstef/A2600Nano/issues/7

[harbaum]

Ah ... yes, of course.

And one could actually make a little firmware for a pico (or pico zero) that implements a hid keyboard with just F12, the cursor keys and the return key as a 'mistery menu controller'. This would be super cheap but also flexible.

[vanfanel]

Thanks for thinking this alongside me, guys!
But the solution may be a tad easier.
On GNU/Linux, as I said, the "pound" key sends keycode 20 (keysym 0x27, apostrophe) right now.
Ok, I just have to remap that to F12, and presto! It has to work like that!
So.. where is the keyboard mapping file? I guess that's part of the companion programming, right?

[vossstef]

@vanfanel ,
for the C64 the mapping is already (ST and Amiga too) part of the core nowadays.
I think the special F12 handling is part of the compansion fw as not forwarded (pressed to core).

[vanfanel]

@vanfanel , for the C64 the mapping is already (ST and Amiga too) part of the core nowadays. I think the special F12 handling is part of the compansion fw as not forwarded (pressed to core).

So it's impossible to define keycode 20 (keysym 0x27, apostrophe) as F12 in the core?
There are other keys in the TheC64 keyboard that need adjusting too.
I may do it if it's possible and you tell me where can it be done :)

[vossstef]

@vanfanel ,
please have a look to hid.c and search for
// F12 toggles the OSD state. Therefore F12 must never be forwarded
to get an idea

Maybe you compile for your own purposes a modified Version and try it.

[vanfanel]

@vanfanel , please have a look to hid.c and search for // F12 toggles the OSD state. Therefore F12 must never be forwarded to get an idea

Maybe you compile for your own purposes a modified Version and try it.

Ah, yes, that's promising. I see this line:
https://github.com/harbaum/FPGA-Companion/blob/dc5af8d6a0e69a1a1df5227406d4f1e999a6da47/src/hid.c#L131
...where it seems that the menu is toggled if the value in the buffer position is 0x45.
I understand that 0x45 must be the scancode for F12, right?
If I connect the TheC64 keyboard to a GNU/Linux system, the "showkey" command tells me that the "pound" key on the keyboard has scancode 0x0c.

However, after building the latest FPGA-companion core from latest GIT code, it doesn't work with the latest stable tang_nano_20k_c64 release (1.9.1) to complete this experiment.

Can you please point me to the exact commit in https://github.com/harbaum/FPGA-Companion/commits/main/ that corresponds to the FPGA-Companion release 1.2?

NVM: It should be the last one in March 3 here: MiSTle-Dev/FPGA-Companion@36982cc

[vanfanel]

@vossstef Well, latest commit from March 3 doesn't build:

/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/bouffalo_sdk/components/usb/cherryusb/class/vendor/net/usbh_asix.c:18:103: error: 'CONFIG_USBHOST_ASIX_ETH_MAX_TX_SIZE' undeclared here (not in a function); did you mean 'CONFIG_USBHOST_PSC_STACKSIZE'?
   18 | static USB_NOCACHE_RAM_SECTION USB_MEM_ALIGNX uint8_t g_asix_rx_buffer[CONFIG_USBHOST_ASIX_ETH_MAX_TX_SIZE];
      |                                                                                                       ^~~~~~                             
      |                                                                                                       CONFIG_USBHOST_PSC_STACKSIZE
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/bouffalo_sdk/components/usb/cherryusb/class/vendor/net/usbh_rtl8152.c:15:106: error: 'CONFIG_USBHOST_RTL8152_ETH_MAX_RX_SIZE' undeclared here (not in a function)
   15 | static USB_NOCACHE_RAM_SECTION USB_MEM_ALIGNX uint8_t g_rtl8152_rx_buffer[CONFIG_USBHOST_RTL8152_ETH_MAX_RX_SIZE];
      |                                                                                                          ^~~~~~~~~                             
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/bouffalo_sdk/components/usb/cherryusb/class/vendor/net/usbh_asix.c:19:103: error: 'CONFIG_USBHOST_ASIX_ETH_MAX_RX_SIZE' undeclared here (not in a function); did you mean 'CONFIG_USBHOST_PSC_STACKSIZE'?
   19 | static USB_NOCACHE_RAM_SECTION USB_MEM_ALIGNX uint8_t g_asix_tx_buffer[CONFIG_USBHOST_ASIX_ETH_MAX_RX_SIZE];
      |                                                                                                       ^~~~~~                             
      |                                                                                                       CONFIG_USBHOST_PSC_STACKSIZE
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/bouffalo_sdk/components/usb/cherryusb/class/vendor/net/usbh_rtl8152.c:16:106: error: 'CONFIG_USBHOST_RTL8152_ETH_MAX_TX_SIZE' undeclared here (not in a function)
   16 | static USB_NOCACHE_RAM_SECTION USB_MEM_ALIGNX uint8_t g_rtl8152_tx_buffer[CONFIG_USBHOST_RTL8152_ETH_MAX_TX_SIZE];
      |                                                                                                          ^~~~~~~~~                             
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/bouffalo_sdk/components/usb/cherryusb/class/vendor/net/usbh_asix.c: In function 'usbh_asix_get_eth_txbuf':
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/bouffalo_sdk/components/usb/cherryusb/class/vendor/net/usbh_asix.c:765:1: warning: control reaches end of non-void function [-Wreturn-type]
  765 | }
      | ^
At top level:
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/bouffalo_sdk/components/usb/cherryusb/class/vendor/net/usbh_asix.c:19:86: warning: 'g_asix_tx_buffer' defined but not used [-Wunused-variable]
   19 | static USB_NOCACHE_RAM_SECTION USB_MEM_ALIGNX uint8_t g_asix_tx_buffer[CONFIG_USBHOST_ASIX_ETH_MAX_RX_SIZE];
      |                                                                                      ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/bouffalo_sdk/components/usb/cherryusb/class/vendor/net/usbh_asix.c:18:86: warning: 'g_asix_rx_buffer' defined but not used [-Wunused-variable]
   18 | static USB_NOCACHE_RAM_SECTION USB_MEM_ALIGNX uint8_t g_asix_rx_buffer[CONFIG_USBHOST_ASIX_ETH_MAX_TX_SIZE];
      |                                                                                      ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/bouffalo_sdk/components/usb/cherryusb/class/vendor/net/usbh_rtl8152.c: In function 'usbh_rtl8152_get_eth_txbuf':
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/bouffalo_sdk/components/usb/cherryusb/class/vendor/net/usbh_rtl8152.c:2232:1: warning: control reaches end of non-void function [-Wreturn-type]
 2232 | }
      | ^
make[3]: *** [build_out/components/usb/cherryusb/CMakeFiles/cherryusb.dir/build.make:202: build_out/components/usb/cherryusb/CMakeFiles/cherryusb.dir/class/vendor/net/usbh_asix.c.o] Error 1
make[3]: *** Waiting for unfinished jobs....
At top level:
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/bouffalo_sdk/components/usb/cherryusb/class/vendor/net/usbh_rtl8152.c:16:86: warning: 'g_rtl8152_tx_buffer' defined but not used [-Wunused-variable]
   16 | static USB_NOCACHE_RAM_SECTION USB_MEM_ALIGNX uint8_t g_rtl8152_tx_buffer[CONFIG_USBHOST_RTL8152_ETH_MAX_TX_SIZE];
      |                                                                                      ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/bouffalo_sdk/components/usb/cherryusb/class/vendor/net/usbh_rtl8152.c:15:86: warning: 'g_rtl8152_rx_buffer' defined but not used [-Wunused-variable]
   15 | static USB_NOCACHE_RAM_SECTION USB_MEM_ALIGNX uint8_t g_rtl8152_rx_buffer[CONFIG_USBHOST_RTL8152_ETH_MAX_RX_SIZE];
      |                                                                                      ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[ 51%] Building C object CMakeFiles/app.dir/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/FPGA-Companion/src/u8g2/csrc/u8x8_cad.c.o
make[3]: *** [build_out/components/usb/cherryusb/CMakeFiles/cherryusb.dir/build.make:216: build_out/components/usb/cherryusb/CMakeFiles/cherryusb.dir/class/vendor/net/usbh_rtl8152.c.o] Error 1
make[2]: *** [CMakeFiles/Makefile2:727: build_out/components/usb/cherryusb/CMakeFiles/cherryusb.dir/all] Error 2
make[2]: *** Waiting for unfinished jobs....
[ 51%] Building C object CMakeFiles/app.dir/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/FPGA-Companion/src/u8g2/csrc/u8x8_capture.c.o
[ 51%] Building C object CMakeFiles/app.dir/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/FPGA-Companion/src/u8g2/csrc/u8x8_d_a2printer.c.o
[ 52%] Building C object CMakeFiles/app.dir/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/FPGA-Companion/src/u8g2/csrc/u8x8_d_gp1247ai.c.o
[ 52%] Building C object CMakeFiles/app.dir/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/FPGA-Companion/src/u8g2/csrc/u8x8_d_gp1287ai.c.o
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/FPGA-Companion/src/bl616/mcu_hw.c: In function 'usbh_update':
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/FPGA-Companion/src/bl616/mcu_hw.c:151:96: error: 'struct usbh_hid' has no member named 'report_desc'
  151 |       usb_debugf("report descriptor: %p", usb->hid_info[i].class->report_desc);
      |                                                                                                ^ 
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/FPGA-Companion/src/bl616/mcu_hw.c:153:57: error: 'struct usbh_hid' has no member named 'report_desc'
  153 |       if(!parse_report_descriptor(usb->hid_info[i].class->report_desc, 128, &usb->hid_info[i].report, NULL)) {
      |                                                         ^~
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/FPGA-Companion/src/bl616/mcu_hw.c: In function 'usb_host':
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/FPGA-Companion/src/bl616/mcu_hw.c:459:3: error: too few arguments to function 'usbh_initialize'
  459 |   usbh_initialize();
      |   ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In file included from /home/manuel/src/bouffalo/FPGA-Companion/src/bl616/mcu_hw.c:8:
/home/manuel/src/bouffalo/bouffalo_sdk/components/usb/cherryusb/core/usbh_core.h:276:5: note: declared here
  276 | int usbh_initialize(uint8_t busid, uintptr_t reg_base);
      |     ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Can you please point me to a GIT code commit that builds and works with latest stable tang_nano_20k_c64 release (1.9.1)?

[vossstef]

@vanfanel , i am doing very big changes to both SDK and FPGA-companion bl616 section at the moment to add WIFI functions and i tested now almost daily againt an unpublised SDK locally stored.

Hopefully the build instruction over here: https://github.com/harbaum/FPGA-Companion/tree/main/src/bl616 are good enough to understand what to do.
You need to use again harbaums SDK repo location if you cloned some weeks ago.

My latest code uses usbh_hid_get_report_descriptor(usb->hid_info[i].class, report_desc[i], 128); and that means native Cherry 1.4.3 is needed. Your SDK need to be latest version out of the harbaum repo location as it includes additions i did for latest native USB stack.

Following SDK's will not work anymore !

https://github.com/CherryUSB/bouffalo_sdk
https://github.com/vossstef/bouffalo_sdk.git
https://github.com/bouffalolab/bouffalo_sdk

only this one:
https://github.com/harbaum/bouffalo_sdk

[vanfanel]

@vossstef I am using:
https://github.com/bouffalolab/toolchain_gcc_t-head_linux.git
https://github.com/harbaum/bouffalo_sdk.git
to build:
https://github.com/harbaum/FPGA-Companion.git

Latest GIT code in https://github.com/harbaum/FPGA-Companion.git DOES build correctly, but does not work with the latest core in https://github.com/vossstef/tang_nano_20k_c64/releases

What I need is a version of the source in https://github.com/harbaum/FPGA-Companion.git that works with the latest release in https://github.com/vossstef/tang_nano_20k_c64/releases