[Coco] FPGA the future of coco?

[farna at amc-mag.com]

Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 06:29:39 +1000
From: Nick Marentes <nickma2 at optusnet.com.au>

That's what the FPGA CoCo3 has. It just needs to someone to pick up the
project where it's stalled.

I keep saying this but... the most cost effective way to create a
"CoCo4" or at least a "CoCo3+" is to tap in to an existing FPGA design
so as to eliminate the need to design/build a new board.

The MIST board is a good option and has a wide market potential since it
taps into various other markets to achieve a wider cost distribution
than a design which relies on the weight of the small CoCo market alone.

Nick


On 14/09/2014 4:25 AM, Al Hartman wrote:
> I would just like to see a Coco 3 version of a Replica I. A
> reproduction of the Coco 3 that has VGA output, uses PS/2 or USB
> keyboards, 512k on board minimum, real RS-232 (Deluxe RS-232 Pack
> compatible), all the other ports, and has a cartridge port for
> backward compatibility with Coco Hardware.
>
> Possible enhancements could be an ethernet port, stereo sound (Speech
> and Sound Pak compatible), hi-res joystick interface (CocoMax),
> SD-Card port, parallel port, 80-column Wordpak compatibility, and
> anything else appropriate for an old 8-bit computer.
>
> We need something that will run existing software, not a new
> incompatible platform that few will code for.
>
==================================================

What you guys said! The MIST board is $260 USD. There are a couple others
-- http://www.fpgaarcade.com/ (if it will emulate an Amiga 1200 it should
emulate an enhanced CoCo3),
https://hackaday.io/project/1347-FPGA-Computer%2FEval-board (a work in
progress), and the MCC-216 (though it has more limited ports, but looks to
be $80!! See the e-bay store link). There is no CoCo core for the MCC-216,
but it will emulate an Amiga 500 (68000 processor) so should work well
with a CoCo3 core. It uses an Altera Cyclone 3 FPGA with 16k gates. Don't
know if there is a 6809 core that will work, but due to cost that might be
the best way to go. The MCC is geared more toward recreating the original
hardware experience, not enhancing, but some enhancements would be
possible. Biggest problem for some would be no cartridge ports, but with
all the popular add-ons in the FPGA the need for the c-port from a user
prospective is negligible. For an experimenter it would be a necessity.
Cost has been the biggest hurdle. The DE-1 currently used sells for about
$150, so it's not expensive. People pay that much for a used CoCo3 with a
floppy controller and drive or two, and it will replace all that with the
SD card storage and Drivewire.