[Coco] CoCo2 Strange Side Switches

Thu Dec 4 23:27:10 EST 2014

Only one photo at the link you provided.

> John Goerzen <mailto:jgoerzen at complete.org>
> December 4, 2014 at 11:03 PM
> Louis Ciotti<lciotti1 at ...>  writes:
>
>> Can you verify where each wire really goes?  from prior posts we know one
>> goes to the second pin down from the upper right.  Maybe some better photos.
>
> I opened it back up, and took photos from a more helpful angle.  I added
> them to the gallery here:
>
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/avmph8x7oykd222/coco-switches.jpg?dl=0
>
> I think IMG_4377 shows what's going on.  On the second leg down from the top
> on the big chip, they cut the leg.  Two wires are soldered onto the leg from
> the chip, and one onto the leg going into the socket (the one coming in
> underneath).
>
> On the smaller ship, it seems to be wired to the upper right.
>
> I wonder if any of this has impact on the fact that everything that comes
> out of it video-wise is brown.
>
>> I wonder if this is a mod that is just wired wrong...  Is this a CoCo 2b
>> with real lower case?  Seems like this would be the green border and the
>> true lower can mods
>
> I don't know what a 2b is, but I can say:
>
> My original CoCo that my parents bought for me in the 80s was model number
> 26-3127.  The one I just got off eBay is 26-3136a.  There is a photo of the
> back side of both in the set now.  The one with the cables hooked up is my
> original, and the one without the cables is the one I just god.
>
> Thanks!
>
> John
>
>> On Wed, Dec 3, 2014 at 11:53 AM, John Goerzen<jgoerzen<at>  complete.org>
> wrote:
>>> Luis Antoniosi (CoCoDemus<retrocanada76<at>  ...>  writes:
>>>
>>>> I would bet on the 2 more "famous" switches:
>>>>
>>>> 1 - reverse video
>>>> 2 - pause
>>> I went ahead and fired it up.
>>>
>>> And, well, they both seem to have something to do with video.  But it's
>>> very
>>> strange.
>>>
>>> This thing seem to only emit shades of brown.  The default screen is black
>>> on sort of tan instead of black on green.  The block cursor seems to
>>> color-shift slower, because I suspect it is mapping some colors to shades
>>> of
>>> brown.  It only shows three colors (near-black, medium, and light).
>>>
>>> The switches do impact it.  One switch makes the default screen darker, and
>>> depending on the position of the first switch, the second either does
>>> nothing, or makes a wavy region of darker background appear.  Stumped, I
>>> am.
>>>
>>> John
>>>
>
>
> Louis Ciotti <mailto:lciotti1 at gmail.com>
> December 3, 2014 at 12:10 PM
> Can you verify where each wire really goes?  from prior posts we know 
> one goes to the second pin down from the upper right.  Maybe some 
> better photos.
>
> I wonder if this is a mod that is just wired wrong...  Is this a CoCo 
> 2b with real lower case?  Seems like this would be the green border 
> and the true lower can mods
>
>
> John Goerzen <mailto:jgoerzen at complete.org>
> December 3, 2014 at 11:53 AM
> Luis Antoniosi (CoCoDemus<retrocanada76 at ...>  writes:
>
>> I would bet on the 2 more "famous" switches:
>>
>> 1 - reverse video
>> 2 - pause
>
> I went ahead and fired it up.
>
> And, well, they both seem to have something to do with video.  But it's very
> strange.
>
> This thing seem to only emit shades of brown.  The default screen is black
> on sort of tan instead of black on green.  The block cursor seems to
> color-shift slower, because I suspect it is mapping some colors to shades of
> brown.  It only shows three colors (near-black, medium, and light).
>
> The switches do impact it.  One switch makes the default screen darker, and
> depending on the position of the first switch, the second either does
> nothing, or makes a wavy region of darker background appear.  Stumped, I am.
>
> John
>
>> Luis Felipe Antoniosi
>>
>> On Wed, Dec 3, 2014 at 10:13 AM, Bill Pierce via Coco<coco<at>
> maltedmedia.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> John, without seeing where the switches are connected, it's impossible to
>>> know what they are for. They could be for anything from "Shift lock" to
>>> "Fire Nucleor missles", the latter most likely requiring software that
>>> samples the DNA of 2 individuals each holding their own switch... probably
>>> a Tandy product...
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: John Goerzen<jgoerzen<at>  complete.org>
>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> So I got a lot of random untested CoCo parts off eBay yesterday.  It
>>> included a CoCo 2 which seems to have been modified or something.  On its
>>> left side are two unlabeled switches:
>>>
>>> https://www.dropbox.com/s/avmph8x7oykd222/coco-switches.jpg?dl=0
>>>
>>> Anybody seen this before?  Any idea what it's about?
>>>
>>> I haven't plugged it in or anything yet, because I want to understand what
>>> these switches are about first (if possible).
>>>
>>> Obviously, my original CoCo 2 doesn't have these.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> John
>
>
> Luis Antoniosi (CoCoDemus) <mailto:retrocanada76 at gmail.com>
> December 3, 2014 at 10:17 AM
> I would bet on the 2 more "famous" switches:
>
> 1 - reverse video
> 2 - pause
>
>
>
> Luis Felipe Antoniosi
>
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 3, 2014 at 10:13 AM, Bill Pierce via Coco 
> <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>
> Bill Pierce via Coco <mailto:coco at maltedmedia.com>
> December 3, 2014 at 10:13 AM
> John, without seeing where the switches are connected, it's impossible 
> to know what they are for. They could be for anything from "Shift 
> lock" to "Fire Nucleor missles", the latter most likely requiring 
> software that samples the DNA of 2 individuals each holding their own 
> switch... probably a Tandy product...
>
>
> Bill Pierce
> "Today is a good day... I woke up" - Ritchie Havens
>
>
> My Music from the Tandy/Radio Shack Color Computer 2 & 3
> https://sites.google.com/site/dabarnstudio/
> Co-Contributor, Co-Editor for CocoPedia
> http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
> E-Mail: ooogalapasooo at aol.com
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Goerzen <jgoerzen at complete.org>
> To: coco <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> Sent: Wed, Dec 3, 2014 9:23 am
> Subject: [Coco] CoCo2 Strange Side Switches
>
>
> Hi,
>
> So I got a lot of random untested CoCo parts off eBay yesterday. It
> included a CoCo 2 which seems to have been modified or something. On its
> left side are two unlabeled switches:
>
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/avmph8x7oykd222/coco-switches.jpg?dl=0
>
> Anybody seen this before? Any idea what it's about?
>
> I haven't plugged it in or anything yet, because I want to understand what
> these switches are about first (if possible).
>
> Obviously, my original CoCo 2 doesn't have these.
>
> Thanks,
>
> John
>
>

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