[Coco] WiFi CoCo (video)

[Allen Huffman]

I uploaded a five minute video showing how you can get a CoCo on the internet via WiFi.

I am using items shipped from Amazon (more expensive, but you can get them via Prime shipping, else get them much cheaper from China):

1. ESP8266 development board, $8.79 (or about $4 from China).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010O1G1ES/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2. RS232 to TTL adapter, $7.69 (there are also some for around $5 that should work. or $.67 from China!):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N42QW8X/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3. Some header pin (male to male) jumper wires, which I got in a kit from Radio Shack, but you could use something like this for $5 (or a buck if you didn’t need Prime shipping):

https://www.amazon.com/Foxnovo-Breadboard-Jumper-Wires-Female/dp/B00PBZMN7C/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1517371749&sr=1-4&keywords=header+jumper+wires&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011

I power the ESP module using a standard microUSB cable and USB charger, like used by Android phones or Raspberry Pi. The module can also be plugged to a PC/Mac and used as a serial device for uploading new firmware.

I hook it to the bitbanger port using a standard serial cable (in my case, I am using my Drivewire cable).

I also loaded the ESP module with special firmware that makes it look like a Hayes smart modem:

https://github.com/bozimmerman/Zimodem

This lets you dial in to the internet using things like:

ATDT”coffee mud.net:23”

You can also set it to auto-answer, and you will see “RING”/“CONNECT” when someone telnets in to you. It also has other commands for connecting to a WiFi base station, or retrieving a file via HTTP. Fun stuff. And the source is available so it could be modified to do more.

You can find this video on my Sub-Etha Software facebook page, though I’ll get it to my website soon:

https://www.facebook.com/subethasoftware/