The keyboard is a tool whose utility needs no introduction. Right now I using a keyboard to type this blog post. I find the keyboard to be an interesting device that deserves a look into how it works. By learning a little about the insides we can then plan to interface the keyboard with an FPGA and use it as an input device. I for one am really looking forward to learning how to drive VGA signals, and eventually making an FPGA based game that plays on a VGA monitor and uses keyboard as a controller. Until then, let’s start learning how to interface with the keyboard.

The keys on a keyboard have various purposes, with the majority being alphanumeric or symbol keys. There are also common modification keys, such as space, enter, shift, caps lock, backspace, etc. Many of the other key groups such as the F#, directional, and navigation keys serve special purposes within a computer system (i.e. Print Screen).

We will implement an FPGA keyboard interface that is simplified to process the alphanumeric & symbol keys, as well as the space, backspace, enter, tab, shift, and capslock keys. The keyboard used will have a PS2 connection, so we will need to implement a PS2 receiver circuit to receive scan codes from the keyboard when a key is pressed. We will then implement a keyboard interface circuit that processes the scan codes in a way that will make the keystroke responses natural and akin to how they would be in a simple text editor. Finally to test the keyboard circuit we will interface it with a UART transmitter to send the corresponding ASCII codes (converted from scan codes) to a PC serial monitor for viewing. This will allow us to type characters, words, and sentences, with the basic functionality of the text modification keys.

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