[Coco] Christmas Wish Device

Robert Hermanek rhermanek at centurytel.net
Wed Dec 7 19:56:13 EST 2011 

I don't think my thought comes across too clearly, maybe because it is 
impossible for some reasons I don't understand.  But I'm not thinking of the 
cart RAM as something the coco could access directly, as in available to 
machine language instructions like "real" RAM  --instead it would be a 
device that needs to be controlled through i/o registers like a stereo pack, 
rs232 or anything else.  So in my example:

;memory address in cart being read/written here is 660510, so address bytes 
= 0 10 20 30
LDA    #0
LDB    #10
STD    MemCtrlHiReg

LDA    #20
LDB    #30
STD    MemCtrlLoReg

;address registers are now all set, so accessing the "value" register below 
will reference the memory address set up above

LDA    MemValReg     'load byte value at memory location 660510 on cart
INCA
STA    MemValReg     'and store it back in cart RAM

Advantages for me would be

1) immediately access any memory byte on cart up to highest address value a 
four byte address (in this example) could reference
2) wouldn't have to deal with reading/writing as blocks, therefore no 
buffers necesary

The only downside I can see is you would have to use 5 precious register 
addresses in this example... anyway, don't mean to go on and on about 
something I couldn't build anyway, just dreaming out loud.

-Robert

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Aaron Wolfe" <aawolfe at gmail.com>
To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2011 4:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Coco] Christmas Wish Device


> In the end, it's hard to get around the fact that the 6809 uses 16
> bits for addressing.  No matter what happens behind the scenes, your
> machine instructions are always going to be using 16 addresses and
> manipulating the same 64k of address space.
>
> You could definitively write a sort of PEEK and POKE for basic, or a
> routine in asm, that allowed a virtual 32 bit address space, mapping
> locations onto a CF card via the SuperIDE, or some new hardware if it
> were created.  It really wouldn't be difficult to do.  The "super
> poke" would then just load the sector containing the desired 32 bit
> location into the 64k space somewhere, much like LPEEK and LPOKE use
> the GIME to map chunks of ram into the 64k space.
>
> To take your example and change it to such a design:
>
> LDX #AddrHi
> LDY #addrLo
> JSR    SuperPeek  // SuperPeek grabs byte at virtual address
> indicated by X,Y and returns value in A
> INCA 'increment that value
> JSR   SuperPoke  // SuperPoke stores value in A at virtual address X,Y
>
> This could be done right now with the superIDE and a couple fairly
> small asm routines.
>
> -Aaron
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 7, 2011 at 3:58 PM, Robert Hermanek
> <rhermanek at centurytel.net> wrote:
>> I guess I like the idea of some kind of memory, could be flash or RAM 
>> chips
>> in a cart, whatever is easiest since persistence isn't necessary...
>>
>> And I'd like to be able to use it as directly as any other memory 
>> addresses
>> in the computer (understanding of course that whatever peek and poke 
>> style
>> routines I created might have to fiddle with I/O registers a bit.)
>>
>> Simplest explanation is: from code I'd like to be able to take a byte 
>> value
>> like 65 for the letter 'A' and store it at memory location 2000000 if I 
>> feel
>> like it. you know...
>>
>> LDX #AddrHi
>> LDY #addrLo
>>
>> STX MemCtrlHiReg
>> STY MemCtrlLoReg
>>
>> LDA MemValReg 'load value from cart RAM
>> INCA 'increment that value
>> STA MemValReg 'and store it back in cart RAM
>>
>> ...etc. Don't want to think about disks. Or blocks, or anything, just 
>> want
>> lots of memory locations. And yeah there would be no reason to use flash,
>> better would be 4 megs of onboard RAM chips right inside the cart, since 
>> a
>> 32 bit address give you access to what, 3 billion+ memory locations...
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Aaron Wolfe" <aawolfe at gmail.com>
>>
>> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2011 2:26 PM
>>
>> Subject: Re: [Coco] Christmas Wish Device
>>
>>
>>> Sorry if I'm being dense (its a specialty of mine), but what is the
>>> purpose of using compact flash etc as a "ramdisk" if you can already
>>> use it as a regular disk with actual decb and os9 commands? And what
>>> is the purpose of having more than 512K of ram, if not to use it as a
>>> ram disk?
>>>
>>> There is some possibility the superIDE could be used in the way
>>> desired, but I'm not sure. You could certainly treat is as a linear
>>> blob of 256 byte sectors without a filesystem.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, Dec 7, 2011 at 2:21 PM, Paulo Lindoso <paulo.lindoso at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> As far as I read the documentation, it acts as a disk device, but the
>>>> rest
>>>> of the community can jump in to help!
>>>>
>>>> Your idea is in a way much more interesting, specially if accompanied 
>>>> by
>>>> some sort of RAMDisk implementation mixed up with RAM extension... One
>>>> could probably put ALL CoCo stuff in the "RAMDisks" and "transfer" them
>>>> to
>>>> RAM with simple DECB-like or OS-9-like commands... It would be very 
>>>> cool.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>> Paulo.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Dec 7, 2011 at 5:02 PM, Robert Hermanek
>>>> <rhermanek at centurytel.net>wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I'm not familiar with the SuperIDE but I know it has a CF slot, right?
>>>>> Is
>>>>> the CF card exposed in some direct fashion via registers/etc like I
>>>>> described below, or do you have to access it through disk controller
>>>>> functions as a disk device?
>>>>>
>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paulo Lindoso" <
>>>>> paulo.lindoso at gmail.com>
>>>>> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>>>>> Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2011 11:36 AM
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Coco] Christmas Wish Device
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> As for my wishlist, I have already ordered from Cloud9 my SuperIDE
>>>>>>
>>>>>> interface which will hopefully fulfill my "quick 'n' dirty" two-way
>>>>>> method
>>>>>> of exchanging files to and from my Mac... :)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Second on the list would come the RAM cartridge Robert suggests...
>>>>>> Excellent idea! Actually made me want to dig out my electronics 
>>>>>> skills
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> work out an initial hack... Shouldn't be too difficult... Let me see 
>>>>>> if
>>>>>> my
>>>>>> memory is still worth anything.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Third on the list... I plugged my Coco3 (128K) on the Video/Audio 
>>>>>> input
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> a standard LG LCD-TV. Image is cool, but somewhat blurry, probably 
>>>>>> due
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> resolution issues... Any ideas on how to improve that?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> That's my wishlist... :)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>> Paulo.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Wed, Dec 7, 2011 at 3:19 PM, Robert Hermanek
>>>>>> <rhermanek at centurytel.net
>>>>>> >**wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If I new anything about electronics I would build this myself. Since
>>>>>> I'm
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> just a bonehead software developer, I'll post my idea. There's a lot
>>>>>>> of
>>>>>>> talk about super IDE, coco net, blue tooth, this is all cool stuff.
>>>>>>> I'd
>>>>>>> love something simpler, just a RAM cartridge.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'd like a cart that I can plug in, then plug flash memory into the
>>>>>>> cart,
>>>>>>> then access the flash memory as RAM via a few I/O registers. In my
>>>>>>> mind
>>>>>>> the simplest thing would be setting an "address" using 4 bytes 
>>>>>>> giving
>>>>>>> access to a 32 bit space, then when the "address" registers are set,
>>>>>>> either
>>>>>>> writing to the flash by setting a "value" register, or else reading
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> current value at your chosen address by reading the "value" 
>>>>>>> register.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> And that's it. I could plug a 1 gig CF or SD card into this thing 
>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>> have all the "RAM" I could ever want. I've done similar things like
>>>>>>> trying
>>>>>>> to access a drive through my TC^3 as a block of memory, but then
>>>>>>> you're
>>>>>>> jumping through disk controller hoops. It would be much more fun to 
>>>>>>> be
>>>>>>> able to just set the "address" registers and access the flash card 
>>>>>>> as
>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>> continuous block of memory... and it wouldn't even have to be flash,
>>>>>>> since
>>>>>>> that's persistent--maybe some kind of true RAM chips in the cart 
>>>>>>> would
>>>>>>> be
>>>>>>> better?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Somehow I doubt I'll find this in my stocking this year...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> -Robert
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> Coco mailing list
>>>>>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> http://five.pairlist.net/**mailman/listinfo/coco<http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> ------------------------------**------------------------------**-
>>>>>> Paulo Lindoso
>>>>>> paulo.lindoso at gmail.com
>>>>>> http://about.me/pbal<http://**email.about.me/wf/click?c=**
>>>>>> e86tqVWFYsEogZdu8cwmbpAZwRtFkP**jZS8Z3nwSDfjU%3D&rp=**
>>>>>> TDQggGXPgxMn1%2FQoMR%**2F7Bsr00fO9wne%**2B4zDSBQ93vWI1BH%**
>>>>>> 2FOlrnU7zrQ0H0iAWgQyYyB6YfryJh**LcifwbBLZ98yd6yex7cp06Yzq3Q1Sp**
>>>>>>
>>>>>> lHrq%2FIu7OFPSwv8LqPdUbWL&u=**njPbVRRXSvmg3PMz9cXBSg%2Fh0<http://email.about.me/wf/click?c=e86tqVWFYsEogZdu8cwmbpAZwRtFkPjZS8Z3nwSDfjU%3D&rp=TDQggGXPgxMn1%2FQoMR%2F7Bsr00fO9wne%2B4zDSBQ93vWI1BH%2FOlrnU7zrQ0H0iAWgQyYyB6YfryJhLcifwbBLZ98yd6yex7cp06Yzq3Q1SplHrq%2FIu7OFPSwv8LqPdUbWL&u=njPbVRRXSvmg3PMz9cXBSg%2Fh0>
>>>>>> >
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Coco mailing list
>>>>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://five.pairlist.net/**mailman/listinfo/coco<http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Coco mailing list
>>>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>>>>
>>>>> http://five.pairlist.net/**mailman/listinfo/coco<http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> Paulo Lindoso
>>>> paulo.lindoso at gmail.com
>>>>
>>>> http://about.me/pbal<http://email.about.me/wf/click?c=e86tqVWFYsEogZdu8cwmbpAZwRtFkPjZS8Z3nwSDfjU%3D&rp=TDQggGXPgxMn1%2FQoMR%2F7Bsr00fO9wne%2B4zDSBQ93vWI1BH%2FOlrnU7zrQ0H0iAWgQyYyB6YfryJhLcifwbBLZ98yd6yex7cp06Yzq3Q1SplHrq%2FIu7OFPSwv8LqPdUbWL&u=njPbVRRXSvmg3PMz9cXBSg%2Fh0>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Coco mailing list
>>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Coco mailing list
>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Coco mailing list
>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>
> --
> Coco mailing list
> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>

More information about the Coco mailing list