[Coco] 8 slot multi pak

[Mathieu Chouinard]

I wonder how much a Marty Feldman look-a-like will cost for this video ...

On Tue, Jan 17, 2017 at 4:03 PM, Salvador Garcia via Coco
<coco at maltedmedia.com> wrote:
> "Someone please tell me not to make a 16 slot monstrosity just to make use of those
> register bits….  lol…  :):
>
> I would never stand in the way of a man and his ambition <eg>
> Build it! build tit!
> Just, when you get it working, make sure to make a video of you with a crazed look screaming "It's alive! It's aliiiive!"
> Regards.
>
>       From: Zippster <zippster278 at gmail.com>
>  To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>  Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2017 1:45 PM
>  Subject: Re: [Coco] 8 slot multi pak
>
> There’s an issue with going beyond 4 slots on an MPI, software support.
>
> The arbitration scheme using *CTS and *SCS traditionally only supports
> for slots, so old software that uses these signals for selecting carts would mean
> you’d only be able to use the first four slots and stay compatible.
>
> Also, the *CART interrupt goes to the slot receiving *CTS, so autostart carts
> would be limited to the first four slots as well unless the arbitration scheme is
> extended.
>
> Now some things don’t use those signals, like the DACs on the Orch90, and items
> like that could go into extended slots without changing old software.
>
> A thought that occurs to me is that with the unused bits in the MPI register at $FF7F,
> the use of the *CTS/*SCS scheme can be easily extended to as many as 16 slots.
> In fact, it looks like the bit locations might have been chosen with this in mind.
>
> New software could easily support this, and perhaps old software can be patched,
> though at some point additional bus buffering may be needed.
>
> Thinking about it more, maybe this isn’t much of an issue.  You’d just have to choose
> what slots you use which carts in carefully depending on the software you’re using.
>
> Someone please tell me not to make a 16 slot monstrosity just to make use of those
> register bits….  lol…  :)
>
> - Ed
>
>
>
>> On Jan 17, 2017, at 12:47 PM, Michael Brant <brant.michael.l at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Jim, it was my understanding is that you were building the mpi with the
>> capability for 8 slots via 2 banks of 4.
>>
>> On Jan 17, 2017 1:39 PM, "RETRO Innovations" <go4retro at go4retro.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On 1/16/2017 10:40 PM, Brian Goers wrote:
>>>
>>>> What is the status of the 8 slot Multi pak.
>>>> How is the testing going?
>>>>
>>>>
>>> I am finishing the final PCB design to the 4 port unit (with some relays
>>> for power), but I am not aware of any 8 port testing.
>>>
>>>
>>> Jim
>>>
>>>
>
>
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