Geoff's VT100 Terminal Kit Supports ANSI Graphics
Turn a PS/2 keyboard and VGA monitor into an ANSI-compatible serial terminal.
Dedicated hardware terminals let users connect to other computer systems. Today it is common to use software that emulates different protocols for communication. Geoff's VT100 Terminal Kit from Peter Hizalev turns a PS/2 keyboard and VGA monitor into a dedicated hardware terminal. It speaks VT100 and ANSI and could connect to microcontrollers or mainframes by using TTL or RS232 signals.
If this kit is from Peter Hizalev, then why does it have Geoff in the title? The answer is because Hizalev based his design on one from Geoff Graham. Hizalev's design is smaller (4 x 1.5 inches), with a few feature differences. For example, this PIC32-based VT100 terminal kit does not have composite video output, only VGA output. And the VGA output is running at a proper pixel clock, which should make it compatible with a wide range of monitors (and LCD panels.)
"This is ANSI compatible video terminal implemented on the PIC32 microcontroller. It has a serial interface with TTL or RS232 signal levels, input from a standard PS2 keyboard, and output to a VGA monitor. There is also a USB interface that supports serial over USB and acts as a USB-to-serial converter. The firmware emulates the ANSI terminal and has extensions for graphics."
You might not need to access a mainframe with VT100, but you could communicate with a microcontroller over serial (UART). Then add some ANSI codes to create some vintage style graphic interfaces.
When powered up, the display font is an 8x16 standard for VGA. Using an attached PS/2 keyboard, you can configure it to support a screen buffer with either 24 or 30 lines. The VT100 Terminal supports baud rates from 40 to 1M bps.
Hizalev open sourced his design files. The KiCad schematic, PCB, and the PIC32 firmware are available in the Geoff's VT100 Terminal GitHub repository. Alternatively, you can buy a kit on Tindie, which includes the PCB, preprogrammed microcontroller, passive components, and interconnects for $52. You can also get just the PCB for $18.