08 - Getting a Nabu computer? You need this!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Here's the link for the RS422 USB adapter that you will need with your NABU. I see many people ordering a NABU, so while you wait, get one so you can play. This adapter can connect your NABU to my server and load files.
DTECH USB to RS422 RS485 Serial Port Converter Adapter Cable with FTDI Chip
clickity click: www.amazon.ca/...
I know someone who wrote at least one game for the Nabu Network. I'll try and see if he has a copy of it and is willing to let it be used by people.
This would be insanely awesome.
!!!! Really? That's exciting!
You have all eyes on this comment! Encourage him!
I am just hopping into the comment chain to catch any updates.
@@DJSures It sounds like you might already be in touch with him. 😉
Bro.. i didnt know anything about the nabu until i saw adrian's digital basement's video.. and good ole youtube recommended your channel to me. I have watched all of your content on the nabu and even subscribed to see more. I love how laid back and relaxed you are while being informative. Keep it up man!
Thanks, and welcome! I pick up the camera and go. No time for editing :D I'll leave the fancy editing to the youtube pros
@@DJSures I love it!
ah this is excellent! I figured I could get something working but having a recommendation for what is known to work is very useful! Thanks for all of this!
I have one of those USB serial adapters for RS-422 and RS-485, used it at work. THANK YOU for pointing out to people that it is NOT a common RS-232 adapter.
I use the dtech 422 for so much stuff at work! I love that thing
Super reliable
Very cool. I don't have a Nabu yet but I have a lot of industrial stuff at work.
Amazing, I can’t wait to get mine up and running with a cable like that. GWSS sent me the din cable apparently all ready to wire in that adapter I got off Amazon
I've been taking the same route, but lost a week or so working through what seems to be a ground loop. I'd love to confirm my pinout, because right now mine only works if I disconnect TX- and leave GND connected.
I’m close to having mine download code to the NABU. Congrats on getting yours working!
Thanks!
Ordered my adapter from Amazon yesterday.
I am having a flashback to the day when my younger self hooked up his Atari 800 to a S100 Bus computer over the serial port to load and save his games to the dual 8 inch disk drives. Now I have a Nabu on the way and I am coming full circle.
Thanks for the link. I am in Canada.
RS-422 looks really cool! It seems one wouldn't need any voltage level convertor to interact with a microcontroller. I wonder if you can power an ESP32 from it directly with just a few passive components or if that can fry the port. I guess it depends on the maximum current it draws.
Hackaday threw up an article yesterday so I expect the NABU seller to be sold out by the end of this week. He may be already, the article (or maybe a comment on it) was saying he was about 1/2 sold and that was the 28th.
If you are lucky enough to have one coming, get the RS422 convertor (the DTECH item) but also remember to pick up the DIN-5 male connector while you are at it. Unless you just have piles of things like that to hand.
That was me who made that comment. I met the seller yesterday when I picked mine up, and we chatted for a bit. He has many many more, but is struggling to keep up with the order amount. I believe he said that he had at least 1000 even after the ones already sold as of yesterday afternoon, and after seeing his garage, I believe it.
Since you can change color, are you able to write any text out to the video? If you can, why not grab the PC (make a call, and then pop the stack in to HL or sim). And then convert each nibble into an ascii equiv and display it ?? The other idea (taking from below) would be to grab each nibble and set the color, pause, then display the next nibble. Think the lights and keyboard from Close Encounters movie :)
I could use a video on how to make one. I am such a noob in making cables and all. This is my first deep dive into a project like this
Okay! I will do that. My videos are quite lazy - hope you're okay with that. I'm not on par with the great youtubers like Adrian's basement and Ben heck
Ditto-more explanation on the cable might be handy. One critical piece of info that might be useful as people wait for their Nabus to arrive is what size DIN connector is it, and is there any special cable needed (mainly I’m thinking of RF shielding).
@@DJSures I want to say DJ, the work you have been doing to help resurrect this computer for hobbyists and tech nerds like myself, thank you for all the hard work you have put into this. You got me more interested in wanting to better my programming skills.
Because not all of the Nabu units were sold with keyboards from the listing Adrian Black put on his video, some of us won't have one. Would you be able to document the connections and protocol on that eventually?
I'd like to maybe try to make a PCB or enlist someone to, so we can put in our own key switches and make a replica keyboard. Maybe have someone like JLCPCB or PCBway make a case too since they'll do metal / plastic (probably super expensive though to make plastic molds). Or have them 3D print a plastic case for us.
In the interim I was just going to hack on it with no input and maybe try to cobble together something in a USB to Nabu keyboard adapter out of an ATTiny or something.
Seems to be a fairly generic ascii keyboard with some slight quirks like sending an init code
So if I understand this
This methods all bypass the tv module which would usualy plug with 5din connector
Also how u are suppose to write software for this thing
Do u first hook into the network snd then u have an asembler there and then u automaticly upload ur asembled program to the network?
Ordered myself a couple of these last night. I'm actually still curious whether you could make two of the network adaptors talk to each other over RF, found out those can be had cheaper from Surplus Sales of Nebraska so I ordered another to mess with.
I just took a look at the manual. There states "A 4K byte ROM contains ... ... software which can communicate with the HCCA or a floppy disk to allow for bootstrapping". For me it seems that this thing is able to boot from a floppy. Am I right? And if so, how an end user will connect the floppy? May be an external one like C64 had? Seen the DIN adapter connector, I think that there one could connect an external floppy disk unit. I looked at the pinout and is not compatible with C64 interface but it might be a floppy unit that just like the keyboard and the Commodore floppy is a computer that receives and sends data over that serial port.
That way it can boot CP/M. Must see the commands that it is able to send and receive over that serial interface.
I hope to one day find or make an emulated Nabu floppy drive using a pi-pico and an sdcard or similar available microcontroller setup. Of course DJ will probably have done that by his next video!
@DJ Sures - we should open a discord to discuss these.
The FTDI based models with whichever USB connector you need would be the guidance? In my case I'm going USB-C. But I also ordered the NABU adapter, and plan on hacking on that a bit too.
I couldn't help wondering if there is a remote restart to use in automatic probing different addresses. Random thought of the day.
I have a feeling this will be epic. Apparently 1000 available, and looks like only 720 sold. Hopefully more available for parts/repair at some point.
*Only* 720 out of 1000. Looks like a good score to me!🤔
@@thejeffshow2399 I went and picked up mine in person, and had a conversation with him. He most certainly was NOT ready for the rush. The whole surge took him completely by surprise, and he is having a hard time getting them shipped out. He told me he had about 450 labels to print, some of those were for multiple units, but he can only fit about 40 units in his car at a time. I had suggested talking with UPS or Fedex about picking them up from him, so he is going to look into that.
@@thejeffshow2399 He bought them as overstock, I think he said in 1989 or thereabouts. He had some structural issues with where he was storing them, and the new storage location has some fairly low wife approval factor.
What is slowing him up the most right now is he is unpacking and testing each and every one before he sends them out. I am not sure if he will continue to do that much longer though.
Looks like my guess on which USB to RS-422 converter you're using was right! I have one on order as well as a different model just to give myself options. Any thoughts on internal RS-422/485 PCI cards?
Now that's a commitment! I'm sure they'll work fine!
You should send the current address as a Colourist to the video processor to get an idea of what it is. Nearest even address that matches the colour
Oh, now that's an interesting idea!
As a software dev with limited hardware knowledge. Can someone confirm the pinout order? I'm seeing two possible pinouts for 5-pin din connectors going form L-R with the pins going up being numbered: 1-4-2-5-3 and another being 1-2-3-4-5. Can someone confirm the order of the pins so I can get my cable ready?
I Created a video that i will publish tomorrow for you
Consider making a downloadable server in case people want to serve their own content.
Where are ordering this nabu computer ?, does anyone have a link ?.
Ebay. seller took them down but they'll come back up when he catches up on orders. I think there's 1500 left or something
Hope someone is making the connectors that go from the nabu to that adapter make things so easy plug and play for us noobs lol
Do you mind if I make a command line equivalent by porting your application to python? It might take a while, cause I'm busy with schoolwork but I feel like it'll be cool.
NNoIP(NABU Network over Internet protocol)!?
The Nabu's are gone!! (ebay anyhow)
The seller has many MANY more, but was flooded with orders and is struggling to get them all out. He is pausing sales until he can get caught up.
@@rkrenicki I hope that is the case. I put one in my cart and paused on checkout. The next morning they were gone.
anyone has an axtra nabu they want to sell?
Should make one program with rainbow screen haha.