[Coco] Re: [Color Computer] Is this a discussion about a new Coco?

[James Diffendaffer]

--- In ColorComputer at yahoogroups.com, Mark Marlette <mark at c...> wrote:
> At 05:45 PM 4/18/2005, you wrote:
> 
> James DifferentDander, (Too many James D's here)

Gee, imagine that... someone making fun of my name.  Guess I'm back in
the 4th grade.  I gotta hand it too you though... hadn't heard that
one before.

 
> The chip is Connect One's solution, go educate yourself and tell
them that 
> their chip price is too high and that you can do it cheaper. They will 
> laugh as I am. Go for it big talker.


Just based on a search on google perhaps you should look here... and
this was the first web page I clicked on:
http://www.beyondlogic.org/etherip/ip.htm

You can find code for microcontrollers to do some this on manufacturer
web sites.  I belive that includes Motorola and Atmel.  The 68HC08 or
68HC11 and a cheap chip can do the same thing for much less.

>  Our SuperIDE is more than just an 
> IDE device. I know you will say WOW, flash too! Again you have done
nothing 

Doesn't Digikey sell that Flash memory for under $3 in single quantity
of their most expensive part?  Under $1.50 for a cheaper one?  People
don't believe me?  Go to digikey and search on "flash 64Kx8 parallel
dip".  It will bring up the 512K parts.  BTW, 4MB parts can be had
under $3 single quantity.
http://www.digikey.com/

You want me to look for the clock chip too?
As far as upgrade from clockless to clocked version the chip, battery
and it's socket probably justify the difference in cost.

The "expansion bus"?  That probably just passes though the CoCo bus...
adds separate Read/Write lines and passes through a signal or two for
easier address decoding.  That would be what?  The first 8 bits of the
address anded together?  Or perhaps a couple fully decoded address
ranges?  Connectors do cost money... and that's a... 20pin(?)
connector so that's a couple extra bucks?

Bank switching Flash memory involves a writable latch to switch the
high address lines and you latch the output from the DIP on Reset to
set the default page.  You can find a simple design to bank memory
(1MB or RAM) off a Z80.  It just involves address decoding plus two
TTL parts and is on the web.  The same would work here but add a chip
 with it's output enabled during reset to set the default from the DIP
switches.

Writing to flash... on the old Intel chips it involved timing loops,
erasing the entire device and if you mess up the device was destroyed.  
Now it usually involves reading to see if the device is ready instead
of timing loops and you can erase in blocks.  Programming algorythems
vary by manufacturer but it usually involves a pattern of writes to
the device to trigger the write mode, erase mode or whatever.  The
data books have the algorythem to program the chip, all a programmer
has to do is duplicate it in machine specific code.

One thing that could be very expensive is the plastic cartrige.  If
they have a die made to do that... well... we were quoted $10000 just
for a small die and that was in 1998.  Somehow I don't think they are
paying for a die unless they found someone willing to do it cheaper.

FWIW, since leaving the Amiga market I've been consulting as a
software engineer for over 20 years including embedded systems.  

I'm not blowing smoke and I'm not just Trolling.
There is just nothing that special about your IDE interface for me to
think it's worth that kind of money.  But then my CoCo sits in a
storage unit most of the time.  Given the alternatives though I can
see why you outsell your competition.  






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