[Coco] Coco4..Who needs it? I do.

[Carlos Santiago]

I believe that it is time for a more advanced Coco. The coco3 is  
great, but there are some features and capabilities that could be added.

For example, if a new Coco was developed with a newer, faster, or  
different processor. It could still run all the legacy software in an  
emulated mode. Furthermore, the new coco could be integrated into an  
FPGA. This would allow some really cool features to be added. Here are  
some ideas:

1. Higher resolution graphics with more colors and support for VGA  
monitors.

2. Network connections (ethernet and Wi Fi).

3. Additional I/O such as USB.

4. A PS/2 or USB  keyboard with key mappings for the Coco.

5. New peripherals including a USB mouse, digitizer pad, USB keys and  
hard drives.

6. The multipack interface could be integrated into the system along  
with the floppy controller.



  I would like to see an effort similar to the work that Steve Bjork  
is working on but with a real goal of have working hardware in the  
next 3 to 6 months. This may be a tough goal, but with the right  
people involved, I think it maybe possible.

Consider this:

A motherboard that can be installed into a PC chassis that includes  
the following:

A high performance Processor (hardware or emulated in an FPGA)

Standard memory DIMMs with SDRAM (DDR1 or DDR2).

An FPGA with the enhanced graphics and I/O capability.
	-Support for all standard Coco1,2,3 graphics modes.
	-Hires graphics (320x200, 640 x 480, 800x600, etc) with 256 or more  
colors.
	-USB controller and hub.
	-IDE interface.
	-Multipack emulation.
	-Standard Coco 6bit sound.
	-Enhanced Sound controller with multiple channels.
	
Slots for the ROM packs and/or additional I/O cards.
VGA output .
CoCo joystick interfaces.
USB interfaces.
IDE interface for a hard disk.
User selectable setup for system to boot directly into disk basic or a  
different OS from the hard disk.
PC keyboard and mouse support with Coco Keyboard mappings.

Carlos Santiago