The 8bit Keyboard

I must confess, that when I first saw it, there was a flicker of the sadistic part in me that hoped the creator had already learnt to type at 120wpm with it.

This keyboard may seem extreme, but in my first decade as a programmer I had to load instructions or data into around a dozen different different computers through front panel switches. On most computers before 1980's there would be a row of switches with accompanying lights numbering one switch for each bit in a word (which might be 8, 9, 12, 16, 18, or even 60 bits wide). Setting the switches could be used to load an address into the machines address register with the press of another button and then setting the switches with the desired data bits a different button would load the data at the previously entered address.

Interacting with the switches was often needed to boot the machine or to single step the machine and debug where some code wasn't working by loading the values on the switches into the program counter (address of the next instruction for the computer to execute).

These early computers didn't have anything like a BIOS that could boot the machine into a usable state. The boot sequence would often look something like this:

(1) enter a few instructions into low memory, perhaps 3 or 4 instructions would be enough, this would be done with the front panel switches

(2) start the computer running these instructions (might require loading the program counter with the first instruction's memory location

(3) these instructions would issue a low level hardware operation by storing a value into a hardware I/O control register that would cause a card reader to read one 80 character card; this card would be the first of a small stack of cards always stored next to the card reader

(4) reading this card would load 80 characters into a consecutive memory locations, again somewhere in low memory this card's instructions would be a very primitive boot loader

(5) the last instruction from step (1) would be a jump to the instructions read off of the first card and this would start the boot loader; the boot loader would issue additional hardware instructions to read the rest of the small stack of cards; these additional cards would be a full blown loader capable of loading and linking the program to be run

(6) after the boot loader on the first card read in the full loader from the remaining cards the boot loader would jump to the beginning of the full loader and the full loader would run, the full loader would read in the users program and then execute it

(7) usually, the program to be run along with its input data would be cards stacked in the card reader following the small stack comprising the boot loader and the full loader

Naturally, each manufacturer did things a bit differently. Sometimes punched paper tape might be used to hold the boot loader and the programs would be stored on reels of magnetic tape and sometimes no instructions had to be input at the front panel if defaults were suitable. Back then, understanding machine code in binary was necessary.

For ASCII encoding the MSB isn't going to get much action so technically they could have gotten away with 7 bits/switches instead of 8 bits/switches.

Although with 8 bits they could input UTF-8 unicode which is nice.

"Back in the day" large (formerly automotive-style) paddle switches were far nicer on the fingertips than submini toggles.

It's useless and I love it

Step one, take this and substitute sensors on the fingers of gloves (the actual sensors don't matter so long as they can record a bit from each finger. You could used MEMS IMUs these days, eh?) You have "key button" sensor on a thumb.

Step two, learn self-hypnosis.

Step three, using hypnosis give yourself the ability to use the "keyboard" automatically without conscious thought. That is, you think a sentence and your fingers & thumb "type" it into the computer. It's like touch-typing but much easier if you use hypnosis.

Could also make an eight-key keyboard with chorded input. Hold down the bits you want to set and then release. Once all have been released then you send the byte.

I am unreasonably upset at how large it is. You've got a golden opportunity to make the crkbd and other mini boards look massive.

These "because why not" projects are my favorite sort. I'd love to build something like this with four keys representing bit pairs (00, 01, 10, 11) where you could type bytes by repeatedly pressing keys. Bonus points for mounting it on the back of a phone for one handed typing.

Reminds me of the 8-bit guy's device he created for manually programming character lcd displays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZRL8luuPb8

Note that Engelbart's chording keyset was 8 bits: five bits on the keyset itself and three more on the mouse. Unfortunately it wasn't even as fast as a regular keyboard, let alone Plover or its proprietary antecedents.

I misread it as 8byte but it really is 8bit! Now that I'm in the stage of learning low level computer, I really like this kind of project.

This is awesome. It's like inputting in punch card style, but one column at a time.

Someone is aiming to claim disability via carpel tunnel of every finger.

Now they should make a MIDI keyboard and give a live performance.

I don't think that counts either as 8-bit or as a keyboard. Sure, it outputs 8-bit key codes, but the input is binary. And it has no keys.

It's more like an old-fashioned mainframe console. Pretty, though!