PC

[Tinkerpete]

Dear developers,

About 2 years ago I bought the Odroid-Go and got to know you through it.
You are obviously able to realize cool hardware ideas very fast.

So I wanted to ask you if you are interested in realizing other cool ideas?

How about a native MSDOS-compatible Mini-PC? In the size of the legendary HP200LX (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_200LX). I think for many people that would be THE retro PC! There is an incredible amount of software available for this and with FreeDOS (http://www.freedos.org/) also a suitable license-free operating system. I imagine it in a transparent case and a VGA-suitable display. There should be a lot of people who have fun with such a device!

The device should have a clamshell design and could have the Odroid-Go style and be cheap.

I would like to help to work out the specifications.

www.steinlaus.de

[mad_ady]

Add a full serial and parallel port and a hayes modem and call it a party

You can run probably all dos games on the Go Advance! But through dosbox...

[Tinkerpete]

i know dosbox, but a native pc will probably consume much less power and i need a replacement for my hp200lx
And so with real hardware, that would be so cool!

[meveric]

old PCs use MUCH MORE power than an ARM board.
An old 386 or 486 CPU were build much differently back in the days and wasted huge amount of energy.
Especially with all the extra hardware needed like a graphics card, a sound card, etc.
Although there are limited cases where old 386 hardware was used in embedded systems they had very limited capabilities and are not a full pc.

[Tinkerpete]

If it's not smart to rebuild the PC hardware and emulation is the better solution, how about building something like the Odroid Advance, but with a clamshell design and a small but full keyboard? So that with DOSbox you would have a small PC? Or with Vice a small C64?

[meveric]

technically that's already possible with most of the already existing ODROIDs.
Put an ODROID in a custom made case and wire it up to a keyboard and monitor via USB and HDMI and you're done.
A DOS-PC Case is much bigger than a ODROID same for a C64, so just put it inside and empty custom made shell and connect everything and you're done.

[Tinkerpete]

That's correct. But at the same time, it's also the problem for many people who are more concerned with software and less with hardware. There are countless Gameboy variants, but almost no small cases with a keyboard. The Odroid-Go is a wonderful symbiosis of cheap production and excellent functionality. This is what I wish for with a keyboard! Small to put it in a big trouser pocket, hinged with a keyboard and a small VGA screen. The hardware of the Odroid-Go Advance also seems to be very good and since Linux, DOSBox and Vice could actually run on it. But the keyboard is an essential factor!

I have a GPD Pocket. But it's way too expensive! From an 'Odroid-Go Advance Keyboard' for about 100 $ I would probably buy 3! There are now many cheap Linux machines such as the Raspberry Pi. But where is a cheap machine with display and keyboard? You could do so much with it!

[odroid]

A small keyboard works well with the OGA something like this configuration.

ss_20200211_085338.jpg (148.39 KiB) Viewed 842 times

It is less than $15.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32823877761.html

[stmicro]

This Russian style blackberry must be great if it had a vga color lcd.

[mad_ady]

I personally question the ergonomics of small keyboards. They feel bad for gaming (keys are too close) and the strength of keyboards lies in being able to type with two hands...

[Tinkerpete]

I know these little wireless keyboards. I like them because of the size. But the upper solution then consists of two parts and you might have to couple first. I find that cumbersome and ugly.
With the Russian solution the keyboard is simply much too small and the device ugly.
In the first article I mentioned the HP200LX. On this one can be typed very well with two thumbs. I have written a lot of text on it. You always have it in your pocket. You can open it in fractions of a second, switch it on, it will always be in the program where you last worked and you can continue working immediately.

[meveric]

I personally question the ergonomics of small keyboards. They feel bad for gaming (keys are too close) and the strength of keyboards lies in being able to type with two hands...

That's why the Open Pandora/Pyra was invented
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora_(console)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DragonBox_Pyra

[Tinkerpete]

I own a Pandora! A very nice, now somewhat outdated device. But it cost me about 500,- Euro. So quite expensive. And the keyboard was not really good! No, I would like to have an Odroid Go Advance Keyboard for less than 100 Euro!

[SleepyGiant037]

A small keyboard works well with the OGA something like this configuration.
ss_20200211_085338.jpg

It is less than $15.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32823877761.html

How did you make the keyboard work on the OGA? I tried 2 keyboards and both did not work...

[SleepyGiant037]

A small keyboard works well with the OGA something like this configuration.
ss_20200211_085338.jpg

It is less than $15.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32823877761.html

How did you make the keyboard work on the OGA? I tried 2 keyboards and both did not work...

Some people already reported normal HID keyboards worked with OGA.
viewtopic.php?f=196&t=37918
You might need to check dmesg and evtest outputs to find a root cause.

[SleepyGiant037]

How did you make the keyboard work on the OGA? I tried 2 keyboards and both did not work...
[/quote]
Some people already reported normal HID keyboards worked with OGA.
viewtopic.php?f=196&t=37918
You might need to check dmesg and evtest outputs to find a root cause.
[/quote]

Is there a tutorial or something on how to do this? I'm new to all this and don't know how to check for dmesg or evtest outputs. I don't even know what to look for.

[mad_ady]

You'll first need to ssh into your go-advance (using a powered usb hub since it has only one port) . Then, as user root run:

Code: Select all

dmesg -w

Plug in your keyboard and make a note of the messages you get when plugging it in. Use CTRL+C to exit. Then run evtest (you may need to run apt-get install evtest before) and select the entry for your keyboard. Type on some keys and you should get output on screen.

[SleepyGiant037]

You'll first need to ssh into your go-advance (using a powered usb hub since it has only one port) . Then, as user root run:

Code: Select all

dmesg -w

Plug in your keyboard and make a note of the messages you get when plugging it in. Use CTRL+C to exit. Then run evtest (you may need to run apt-get install evtest before) and select the entry for your keyboard. Type on some keys and you should get output on screen.

After googling I found "Secure Shell" I also found that there are multiple programs that offer this. Is there a specific one that I need for my OGA? Or is OpenSSH (Biggest one according to Wiki).

As you might have gathered I am very new to this all and am trying to learn all this via this forum/internet. So please be patient if I am missing huge gaps of common knowledge in this field. I am trying to catch up!

[mad_ady]

You need a ssh client - such as putty (for windows), or ssh builtin for Mac

[SleepyGiant037]

You need a ssh client - such as putty (for windows), or ssh builtin for Mac

Okay, I downloaded PuTTY, how do I connect this to my OGA? USB to USB? Or do I need to connect my OGA to the internet in some way?

[mad_ady]

You need a usb - ethernet adapter or a supported wifi dongle.
Or you can hook up an android phone with a usb cable and enable tethering. Use a ssh client (like juice ssh) to connect to your go's ip (192.168.42.x - needs to be discovered).