[Coco] The Continuing Saga of My 6809 Computer

[camillus Blockx]

Maybe I give it a shot , to extract the source/ asm code from the
unravelled series. I let you know when I got something.

I, m very interested in your project and would like to help, but my
knowledge in electronics is more like repairing things not developing. I do
can soldering and testing work.

keep me (us) posted...

cba

On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 7:57 PM, Kip Koon <computerdoc at sc.rr.com> wrote:

> Hello Everyone,
>
> It's been a little while since I've posted the current events of my 6809
> computer, so I thought I'd take some time and let you all know how my
> little
> creation is coming along.  If my calculations are correct as Velma would
> say
> in the Scooby Doo cartoons, I believe I can build a 6-chip 6309 based
> computer with 512KB of ram running 6809 Extended Basic using all 512KB of
> ram and a USB port!  That all depends on how quickly I can find a copy of
> the actual source code files for Coco 3's Color Basic, Extended Color Basic
> and Super Extended Color Basic as detailed in the Unraveled series all nice
> and neatly in one massive text file.  I've been trying to figure out how to
> easily remove the line numbers and object code from the left hand side of
> the listings.  I heard someone once telling me that he uses Excel for all
> his assembler programs.  I wonder how that would work.  Has anyone actually
> entered them into actual computer text files from the pdf documents?  I
> will
> of course need to merge them into one large file and then modify the Color
> Basic  Keyin and outchar routines to use the USB port.  I'm replacing the
> MC68B50P ACIA and MAX232N chips in Grant Searle's design with a USB
> prototype board from FTDI.  It's really a cool little board.  In a 24-pin
> footprint, FTDI has taken their FT245R surface mount USB chip and mounted
> it
> on a little PCB just big enough to accommodate the 24 header pins.  After
> installing the drivers on the PC and plugging in this little USB prototype
> board, the documentation says the PC drivers do all the configuring of the
> FT245R chip!  The USB prototype board needs only a 1 byte address location
> to communicate correctly with the chip which uses an interrupt output line
> to inform the MPU when it is time to service the USB chip.  Data is read
> from and written to the chip through a 256 byte FIFO buffer.  It's really a
> neat little prototype board!  I'd like to get the sources for HDBDOS and
> Drivewire only for the express purpose of integrating them in with the
> modified version of Coco 3's Super Extended Color Basic Interpreter.  I
> don't think they would be compatible as they presently are in the rom file
> as all the variable locations have changed.  The Super Extended Color Basic
> Interpreter will have to be modified to remove all the color graphics
> routines, and to take advantage of the USB port.  I would imagine it will
> use my MMU as it is since it's based on the Coco 3's MMU.  If I designed
> the
> MMU circuit correctly, the maximum amount of ram I'll be able to use in
> this
> current design will be 2MB.  I'd like to include the 2-bits in the $FF9B
> register to raise that to 8MB, but I'll need to find a less costly 32MB
> static ram chip than the one I found for over $200 and something a pop.
>  I'm
> using the CY7C130 Dual-ported Static Ram chip for my Dynamic Address
> Translator to enable any Coco 3 software that uses the MMU to function
> correctly.  It has been suggested that I include a video controller.  I
> would, but I need to figure out which one I could use.  I had looked at
> several on my laptop, but that data is gone as the primary hard drive is no
> longer recognized when I plug it up with my SATA to USB controller cable.
> If anyone is interested in helping me decide which video graphics
> controller
> chip to use that can do excellent VGA graphics, I'd be very much
> appreciative.  Once that is done, then all the graphics routines would have
> to be updated to utilize that chip,  I'd love to have the Color back into
> the Super Extended Basic Interpreter.  All the routines will have to be
> updated for the new chip.  Since I've changed from using a 6809 to using a
> 6309, I'd also like to update the entire Basic Interpreter to take
> advantage
> of all of the HD63C09P's capabilities, but that would basically mean a
> total
> rewrite of the entire code base.  I figure on using a second USB port for
> communication with the Drivewire 4 Server on the PC.  Last night, I just
> successfully designed and implemented (compiled) my first schematic for the
> Xilinx XC9572 PLCC84 CPLD.  I let the software pick out which chip it
> wanted
> to use.  Thanks goes to everyone for suggesting this idea.  My first
> schematic for that chip is what I'm calling a 'Simple Address Decoder'
> since
> I'm not including any buffering of any of the MPU lines, yet.  The full
> schematic with the buffers included requires me to abandon the PLCC form
> factor and instead use one of the 100 pin or 160 pin case styles which I do
> not yet know of a source for to obtain the adapters needed to mate them
> with
> the breadboard panel, otherwise I would include full buffering on all
> signal
> lines to and from the MPU.  It's turning out that the cost for the XC95108
> is under $10 from UTSOURCE.NET.  I'm also having to order the CY7C130
> dual-port static ram chip and the AS6C4008 4Mbit chip for the 512KB of ram
> from the same site.  I buy 2 of each chip I need so 2 - CY7C130 chips are
> $8
> each, 2 - XC95108 chips are $15 each, and 2 - HD63C09P chips are $5 each.
> After I fix my laptop, I'll be ordering these chips to breadboard my design
> and then I'll be able to see how well I accomplished my overall goal.  I
> really like the Xilinx ISE package.  It has been an interesting learning
> experience.  For those of you who are not familiar with the ISE software
> package, I drew my schematic directly into the program which then
> implements
> the schematic (as ISE calls the compiling process) to produce the file
> needed for the programmer.  I'll have to figure out which file that is
> since
> there are a boatload of files generated during the compiling process.
> Originally, my ideal design included the buffering of all signals to and
> from the MPU, but at 91 pins at last count, I opted for a much simpler
> approach for my first 6309 computer.  As for software in EPROM, initially
> I'll be using SiMON6809 with the 6309 running in 6809 emulation mode.
> Eventually, I'd like to use a 6309 monitor program, but I haven't found one
> yet and believe me I've killed several hours on the internet looking.  If
> anyone knows of one or is interested in modifying Simon6809 to become
> Simon6309, I'd be very interested in obtaining a copy for this project.
> Like I mentioned earlier, I'm thinking about calling this first version the
> 6-chip 6309 512KB computer with one USB port, which is pretty impressive I
> think.  I'd also like to include the program to enable Basic to recognize
> and use all 512KB of RAM!  But hey, one modification at a time.  My best
> friend back home where I grew up always reminds me to make one change at a
> time. J Anybody ever make more than one change at a time to fix a problem
> only then to have to go back and figure out where you went wrong with the
> fix?  I have done it many times.  When I first started this project, I was
> trying to get a 6802 MPU with a 6846 RIOT chip combo working with 2K of ram
> and now I'm actually going to have a 6309 functioning with 512KB of ram in
> operation in the very near future.  I'm really excited about that.  As I'm
> still working on saving for a new motherboard to fix my laptop, it will be
> a
> little bit longer before I can begin to buy and breadboard this little
> Mighty computer.  Man, I love this stuff!  So, to recap, I'll be using an
> HD63C09P MPU chip running at 14.3181818MHZ divided by 4 internally, an
> XC9572 or XC95108 PLCC84 CPLD for the Simple Address Decoder, a CY7C130
> Dual-ported Static Ram chip for the Dynamic Address Translator, an AS6C4008
> 4Mbit (512KB x 8) static ram chip, and a 27C256  32KB EPROM programmed with
> an initialization routine for the MMU circuitry and then a modified version
> of Grant Searle's 6809 Extended Basic using a USB port instead of an ACIA
> chip for communication with the PC.  For software, I'll be using the
> SiMON6809 rom monitor (as it already is programmed to use the FT245R USB
> chip for communication all programmed into the same EPROM.  I'll use a dip
> switch to choose which one I use on powering up.  Well, please excuse the
> long windedness of this email.  Once I get started on a favorite topic, I
> can really keep on going with it.  Anyhow, you all take care and have fun
> '09ing!
>
> Kip
>
>
>
>
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