Video Touch Pad (CX21) and Keyboard Controller (CX50) Support with ca65

[+bhall408]

Back in 1984, I picked up a CX21 Video Touch Pad and decided to see if I could use it with my 8-bits.

 

The result was a subroutine written for use with Atari Macro Assembler.

 

Following that, I decided to wrap that into a k: device handler, such that you could read the keypad using standard CIO calls (OPEN/GET/etc).

 

I'd recently found a hard copy printout of the original source, and have taken that and updated it to compile with ca65.

 

The result is posted to https://github.com/bhall408/atari800-touchpad-keyboard-controller

 

Also shared to Instagram and Twitter.

 

Scans of the original source, as well as modern source files/makefile/etc are at the repo.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

[_The Doctor__]

Be nice to see some programs in Basic as well as ML utilizing the driver. Perhaps a driver disk with such demos on it. Could be interesting, also might replace the humungous 'kidpads' of old-if little ones master smartphones they can master the video touch pad with or without an overlay

[+bhall408]

I must have had both BASIC and assembler examples back in the day, but they are lost now.

 

If someone had plans to use it and wanted an example, I could work one up, but I likely won't get around to it speculatively.

 

My next posted project will likely be my digital audio sample editor/playback app, and then a game or two after that.