[Coco] Remembering the Deluxe Color Computer....

[Mike Pepe]

Nick- thanks for posting the RMS data. I had the datasheets and I would have loved to get my hands on a set of them if they were ever actually made. I don't think they even had engineering samples of them. Seems like such a shame as I assume they must have done a lot of R&D on them.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com [mailto:coco-
> bounces at maltedmedia.com] On Behalf Of Nick Marentes
> Sent: Monday, June 20, 2011 1:23 AM
> To: CoCoList
> Subject: [Coco] Remembering the Deluxe Color Computer....
> 
>  > Sorry if I am incorrect on this, but the coco2 COULD do 40 column text on a
> > graphic screen (pmode4 I think). Didn't Telewriter and some other
> software  > (screenmaster or something) do this? I've been following the
> Deluxe coco  > thread with some interest. I'm surprised the Deluxe coco had
> a serial port  > but this mod never made it to the coco3.
> 
> 
> No, the CoCo1/2 had the dreaded 32 column VDG screen. (I hate the 6847!)
> 
> The 40 (51?) column screen was a bit mapped screen. Not a real text mode.
> You could make an 80 column screen from it (but the text would be near to
> unreadable).
> 
>  From a video display point of view, the CoCo 1/2 was pitiful and archaic
> compared to most of the competing computers of the time (not counting
> budget systems like the sinclair).
> 
> Thank God for the CoCo3 and it's GIME!    :)
> 
> Serial ports and Sound chips were put aside due to cost and the idea that
> under software, these could be had with the bit-banger equivalents.
> Also, opened the door for peripheral sales such as multipak, RS-232 card,
> Sound and Speech and Orchestra 90 cards.
> 
> I am curious to know if the Deluxe CoCo was destined to have the Motorola
> R.M.S. chipset which never shipped. It was to have VDG capability and much
> of the architecture of the GIME with more color and sprites. May explain why
> the Deluxe CoCo never came out if the video chip was too expensive and
> canned.
> 
> I wonder if the GIME ended up being a reduced R.M.S. chipset design which
> finally came out for the CoCo3.
> 
> Here is a link to my website of a document about the R.M.S. chipset.
> 
> http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/nickma/ProjectArchive/graphics/25
> 6mode/RMS_Chipset.jpg
> 
> and
> 
> http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/nickma/ProjectArchive/graphics/25
> 6mode/Hind_Sight.jpg
> 
> Nick
> 
> 
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