Project Flotsam: Retro-terminal control panel for my bartop machine

[jeremymtc]

Something funny happened while I was building my little bartop machine a few months ago. Before the control panel had been completed, I had been in the process of setting up the OS (Linux), transferring files and software, and had temporarily sat a keyboard into the control panel cavity to do some commandline stuff in the terminal emulator... The temporary keyboard setup and all-in-one form factor of the system transported me back in time to my reminiscences of early 8-bit home computing just as effectively as the machine has with arcade games.

I decided that a terminal-style keyboard control panel would be a fun add-on for the bartop, because what better way to enjoy emulation of 8-bit computer systems than with a dedicated, retro-styled, all-in-one box? Since the design of the cabinet allows for very easy control panel swaps with USB interface, I figured why not.



I ordered an inexpensive mechanical keyboard, a trackpad module with USB interface, and a small two port panel-mount USB breakout. The keyboard is a ten-keyless unit chosen for its compact dimensions, and the trackpad is a useful compromise between the need to have a pointer device for admin use and my desire not to have to rely upon an external mouse, as a mouse is a little out of keeping with the early computers that it's going to be emulating. The USB breakout is simply for conveniences sake, so that I don't have to reach around to the back of the machine to plug in USB thumbdrives and whatnot.



The panel itself is just a piece of 12mm plywood with cavities cut out of it using a jigsaw. The keyboard cavity was very simple to cut out; just a rectangle with a minor relief pocket to accommodate the cord where it exits the keyboard case. The keyboard is recessed about 8mm from the top surface to keep the keycaps at an ergonomic installed height. The trackpad cavity was a bit trickier, as I wanted it to be flush-mounted to the top of the panel, and the trackpad has a raised bezel around its work surface. Installation required pocketing the underside of the panel which I did by hand via chisel and dremel. Both are retained on the underside by simple plywood straps that screw to the bottom of the panel.



I went cheap and easy on the finish, reusing some of the leftover woodgrain vinyl and 12mm adhesive edge molding, same as what was used on the cabinet itself. It's not an object of beauty, but it doesn't need to be.



I found and installed a really cool piece of software, the appropriately named 'Cool RetroTerm', which is a linux terminal program with CRT shader functionality to emulate scanline, raster, and glow effects on my lowly LCD. This serves as the primary user interface for the machine in 'terminal mode' using bash. I whipped together a fun little wallpaper image to help add a little bit of fictional retro-computer flavor to the desktop; image below shows Cool RetroTerm running on top.



So far I've only installed VICE, DosBox, and a few Atari emulators, but I look forward to trying out some of the other systems from my youth that I didn't have a chance to play with extensively back in the day, like MSX, BBC, and Speccy.

[emphatic]

Not my thing at all, but very cool idea and nice execution. 

[pbj]

Looks very cool, I like it.  I keep toying with the idea of buying a Z80 based computer but it seems like an incredibly pointless purchase in a house full of pointless purchases.

View off that deck looks amazing, btw. 

[Ond]

For a very brief moment I thought "hey that bartop looks like another bartop I know" and then the penny dropped  .

Love that orange interface. I'm old enough to remember dumb terminals running orange displays back in the day. Great how your keyboard panel just drops in to the CP space too!

[jeremymtc]

Cheers fellas! 

@pbj - Totally, it was my past experience with a Z80 powered Zenith/Heathkit Z89 running CP/M that helped inspire this setup. I have a lot of respect for the folks that preserve and maintain those old machines, but I don't think I have it in me to be one of them. Emulation absolutely allows a much less involved, cheaper and easier way to scratch that same itch.

@Ond -     I've been alternating between amber and green monochrome depending on whim, but I think amber works best here. At one of my first jobs in the '80s we had what I think was a PDP/11 with one of the later DEC terminals out in the warehouse for inventory control, and it too had an amber tube.

@emphatic - Thanks man!

[pbj]

I’d like to see more photos off the deck.

 

Back in the 90s, we only had Lynx internet and we were so happy to find a text friendly porn site that hot linked to individual images we could download.  “See My Ugly Tennis Shoe” (SMUT) was a favorite with weekly updates.  Google has no trace of it now. 

Thirsty times.

[jeremymtc]

@pbj - Welcome to the jungle. Sid the duck decided to pop up for a cameo.