[Coco] CoCo 3 68000/RAM board project

[Andrew]

> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 07 May 2009 10:39:47 -0400
> From: jdaggett at gate.net
> Subject: Re: [Coco] CoCo 3 68000/RAM board project
> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> Message-ID: <4A02BA73.21591.786DE5 at jdaggett.gate.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
> 
> All
> 
> The CPU module containing the FPGA for the 6809 is laid out and needs verification. The 
> memory module is also done. It will be a 1Megabyte by 16 10 nS SRAM. Another board 
> could be done using SDRAM. Now the Main board and peripheral boards are left to design 
> and lay out. 
> 
> What I am doing is shrinking the size of the main Coco board down to 100mm by 80mm 
> size. Taking a fes of Sock's ideas also into consideration. The CPU  FPGA will be capable 
> of one 6809 plus room left over for a math coprosser or a second 6809.  The GIME FPGA is 
> also large enough to handle VGA desktop of 800x600 pixels at 8 bit color. That is able with 
> the 2Mbytes of ram. 1Mbyte for video desktop and at least one 640x480 hardware window. 
> Lower resolutions can have more windows. 
> 
> Coding status for the GIME chip is all the registers are done. Need to do the video section 
> with windowing, and the linear address generater for the video ram access. Also the 
> multipexor between the CPU and video addresses. 
> 
> As for the math coprosser, I have a cordic processor started. It eventually will handle all 
> division, multiplication and several trig functions. I have yet to dicide wthether it will be just 
> integer or handle floating point yet. That will depend on how much room is left after the core 
> of the cordic is left. 
> 
> james

James,

Personally, I would want to see the second 6809, 2 meg of ram, but with 
a limit of 320x400 with 256 colors (Mode X, more or less), and hardware 
sprites. If not a second 6809, then a music/sound chipset or something, 
which the CoCo has sorely lacked forever, barring the SSC and/or Orc-90 
(although I hesitate to call the Orc-90 a music/sound chipset - most of 
the functionality was in the software, the hardware being only a very 
nice set of DACs for stereo sound).

In short, I would like to see a new CoCo be a nice way to learn/do game 
development, and/or be available as some kind of multimedia SBC or such. 
Even so, you would be "competing" with the likes of the XGameStation (on 
the low end of processing power) and the BeagleBoard (on the high end) - 
both of which are fairly inexpensive.

I don't know - I guess it comes down for me to be able to see the CoCo 
do games as well as an original Nintendo or Sega - currently, I know the 
graphics capabilities are there (to a point), but the sound has always 
lacked - SunDog's game offerring showed what could be done (and recent 
efforts by Roger and others as well), but it never really took off 
before the end.

-- Andrew Ayers, Glendale, Arizona