[Coco] 1mb and 2mb memory upgrades

[Francis Swygert]

On the 8mb upgrade.... I seem to recall the memory blocks were larger than the standard CoCo3 blocks, but I might be wrong on that. The pages linked with info give everything in binary, and I didn't take the time to convert (unlike some of you here, I never really learned to think in binary!!). The big question is, with relatively fast storage, is over 2mb really useful? It would be for OS-9 running multiple tasks, but in this day and age if you really have a need to run multiple tasks you need something other than a CoCo. With the CoCo mainly used for hobbys is there really a need for over 2mb? Or even over 512K (since most software will only utilize that much)? I can see where some hobby applications might benefit from running more than one task at a time (though I can't think of any examples right now),  but I'd think 2mb would take care of that (if 512K won't). 


Bottom line is just because it's doable doesn't mean it's practical. Of course it could be argued that using an ancient 8 bit computer for anything practical is impractical in itself (except as a learning tool or simple nostalgia). The ground work has been done, just need someone to make a board at this point, and modify Nitros9 (and maybe OS-9) to use the memory. Paul did mention some timing issues, but SRAM would alleviate that (but bring cost up) as it doesn't need refreshing. 

 
Frank Swygert 
Fix-It-Frank Handyman Service 
803-604-6548