[Coco] msg from John Turner this morning

[Gene Heskett]

On Saturday 26 August 2017 20:36:58 RETRO Innovations wrote:

> On 8/26/2017 6:21 PM, Steve Strowbridge wrote:
> > A few things came from this, first, the amount of work needed to
> > "process" the files, Jim said there was a quicker/easier way to do
> > it, but I'd screw up trying to explain it.
>
> It appears John Turner Sr. is
>
>   * loading each project into EAGLE,
>   * Running the CAM process to create gerbers
>   * Running the scrpits in EAGLE to create BOMs and VALUE txt files
>   * Zipping up the gerber files
>   * Zipping them up inot a 7z file
>
> It's all fine, but:
>
>   * There's no need for John to do all that
>
> I am suggesting someone let him know one of us can do it.  In hist
> last TEXT file, he notes:
>
> "25th August 2017:
> *****************
> Well, I  have to admit - this is turning out  to  be  FAR  more
> TEDIOUS,  TIME-
> CONSUMING,  and FLAT-OUT BORING than I had expected. I have
> absolutely  NO  idea
> why  my Son was so fascinated  with  this  stuff.  I  shall still 
> endeavor  to
> persevere  and do my best to get around to uploading and releasing
> every  single
> one  of his files, designs and what-not... but it  is  probably going 
> to  take
> months  to accomplish this. I thought I'd be able to do it in weeks...
> not going
> to  happen. Loading up,  resaving,  generating  gerbers  and boms.  I 
> was  NOT
> prepared  for the amount of work this entails, but I promise to keep
> at it until
> everything  has been uploaded and shared far and wide.  "
>
> He's going to burn out, if there are hundreds of projects, as John Jr.
> noted:
>
> 1) Several Multi-Pak replacements.
> 2) Several Static RAM upgrades for ALL CoCo Models.
> 3) Multiple Cartridge and EEPROM Paks.
> 4) A Universal MIDI Interface.
> 5) An HD Floppy Controller fully compatible with the original Tandy 
> controller.
> 6) A Serial ATA Interface for hard drives.
> 7) MFM and SASI/SCSI Interfaces, including  Drive  Emulators  via
> FLASH  cards.
> 8) Universal Stereo Interfaces and recorders.
> 9) A 512K CoCo 1 and 2 upgrade, compatible  with  the  Jr  & Jr 
> Banker  Board.
> 10) A flash and an SRAM based clone of the LowerKit (the fonts can 
> be  changed
>      from the CoCo during operation).
> 11) A 2-Megabyte DAT for Dynamic and Static Ram.
> 12) RamZilla Replicas.
> 13) NoCan Replicas.
> 14) And hundreds of other designs.
>
> As well, I think we should ask JOhn Sr. to prioritize:
>
> Interesting and very useful:
>
> 5) An HD Floppy Controller fully compatible with the original Tandy
> controller.
> 6) A Serial ATA Interface for hard drives.
> 7) MFM and SASI/SCSI Interfaces, including  Drive  Emulators  via
> FLASH  cards.
> 8) Universal Stereo Interfaces and recorders.
> 9) A 512K CoCo 1 and 2 upgrade, compatible  with  the  Jr  & Jr 
> Banker  Board.
> 10) A flash and an SRAM based clone of the LowerKit (the fonts  can
> be  changed
>      from the CoCo during operation).
> 11) A 2-Megabyte DAT for Dynamic and Static Ram.
> 12) RamZilla Replicas.
> 13) NoCan Replicas.
> 2) Several Static RAM upgrades for ALL CoCo Models.
>
> Less interesting and/or less useful:
>
> 1) Several Multi-Pak replacements.
> 3) Multiple Cartridge and EEPROM Paks.
> 4) A Universal MIDI Interface.
>
> Who knows? :-)
>
> 14) And hundreds of other designs.
>
> > Also, there may be some missing interpretation on John Turner Jr?
> > Did he just leave home, or has he left us completely as in passed
> > away?
>
> Yeah, in 2012, Jr said:
>
> "Who knows, maybe someday she will dump me and I'll return. "
>
> But, then John Sr. says:
>
> "So, here  I  sit,  missing  my  son,  and  deciding  to
> look through these files for nostalgia. His wishes  returned  to the 
> forefront
> of my mind, and thus I've done my best to prepare these files in a
> manner  that
> may make them useful to the CoCo and  Dragon  Communities.  "
>
> It's possible he's just not talked to his Dad in a while, but it
> sounds a bit more concerning.
>
> > Here is a link to the video replay, this segment was at the very
> > end, where Jim showed the current designs and kind of went through
> > them, Barry Nelson also added to the discussion and interpretation.
> > https://youtu.be/Ni9HNcLc7kI
> >
> > The audio podcast version of this episode will be published
> > tomorrow, but it's not as interesting to listen to as it is to look
> > at.
>
I assume I am not the only one who got the msg from John Sr.  And that 
more than just I have his email.  So based on the enthusiasm exhibited 
so far, a msg to John Sr. to skip the extra work, that this group has 
several folks who can do it so he doesn't need to try and make it 
production ready. I've even done some of my own much simpler designs and 
milled the boards on one or the other of my cnc mills.

OTOH, if he feels like its unfinished work, and he feels the extra stuff 
s/b be part  of the deal, then I would leave it up to him, as he may be 
doing it to "keep himself out of the bars".  I do a lot of stuff and use 
that phrase as an excuse myself.

But I don't think we would be 'out of line' to try and have a 
conversation emphasizing that we do have people that can do it.

In any event, we owe him a huge thank you for all of it, and that needs 
to be said.
> --
> RETRO Innovations, Contemporary Gear for Classic Systems
> www.go4retro.com
> store.go4retro.com


Cheers, Gene Heskett
-- 
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