[Coco] COCO DTV

[Joel Ewy]

ben jimenez wrote:
> Hello,
>
> well, the C64DTV was meant as an example. I've seen and read about COCO users packing the COCO into an AT case or even using an old computer to run the emulator. My ideas was to create something that looked like a joystick but was a full running COCO that could be connected to a tv with standard audio video cables. I would like to see some type of flash memory card reader that would allow users to save thier programs and such to it so they could share with their friends. With all the gadgets out there today for music,games,education; Creating an item that could be programmed using the COCO basic language would be a neat idea. I was told about the FPGA chip and thought that that could work. I know there is allot more that would need to be done, I'd be willing to help out any way I can. 
>
>   
Hey, Ben,

You may or may not have noticed the discussion a few weeks ago about
next generation CoCo compatible systems.  It was going pretty thick for
a while there -- enough to slightly bug some of the more skeptical on
this list.  But Mark McDougall has done some significant work towards
implementing a CoCo 1/2 in FPGA: 

http://members.iinet.net.au/~msmcdoug/pace/platforms/pace-p2/coco1_cvbs.jpg

And James Daggett has worked on implementing the GIME functionality of the CoCo 3 in an HDL for FPGA.  And much of the Next Gen CoCo talk has been about what kinds of built-in peripherals would be supported -- including removable flash media, etc.  I don't think that the joystick form factor is a high priority for the guys working on it now, but once the logic is there, you're one (big) step closer to what you have in mind.

I set up a wiki page at coco25.com where people can post their fifth-generation CoCo ideas, and hopefully evolve them towards a real, rigorous specification.  But there's no reason that some of those features can't end up as peripherals on a real CoCo 3, or a CoCo 3 System On a Chip (SOC), which would be an inevitable step on the way to Next Gen CoCo.  Email Allen Huffman if you want an account to edit the Wiki:  http://www.coco25.com/wiki/index.php/CoCo_Next_Generation

My humble opinion is that MMC/SD would be a nice replacement for the floppy drive.  Especially if you can use an embedded microcontroller that presents a register and command set to the CoCo that looks just like the CoCo's FDC.  The controller could buffer sectors (or maybe even tracks) and write its data as a CoCo floppy disk image on a FAT file system on the MMC.  That way it could be removed and stuck into a PC card reader for convenient file transfer.  Maybe the controller could provide some extra registers where the CoCo could select from multiple sets of disk images.  And front panel controls would also be nice, if they didn't overly complicate matters.

JCE


> jdaggett at gate.net wrote: It is a nicity if you want to limit the Cocos to a game console on SoC.  I guess 
> there could be a market for this. I for one would not want a Coco3 SoC that was 
> just limited to games. Instead a small embedded SoC that would be useful for 
> may other things that just games. 
>
> Right now there are a few pieces that could be close to doing a alpha version of 
> Coco1/2 in a FPGA. An Alpha version  of a Coco3 SoC in an FPGA is at least a 
> year away. Doing any in an ASIC is beyond the capabilities of any on this group. 
>
>
> james
>
> On 14 Feb 2007 at 9:02, ben jimenez wrote:
>
>   
>> Hello List,
>>
>>
>> Any one familiar with the C64DTV? I was wondering if anyone has
>> thought of making one for the COCO? I have talked to a few people who
>> say some of you in this group might be interested in something like
>> this. I would like anyone who would like to know more about this to
>> feel free to contact me. Thanks.
>>
>> Ben Jimenez
>> CA, USA
>>
>>
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