[Coco] Homebrew CoCo Games

[Nick Marentes]

On 13/12/2015 12:04 AM, Francis Swygert wrote:
> I like the idea of a sound chip with an output jack on the cartridge. Just plug in headphones or a computer speaker(s) and let the chip generate all the sound, no CPU overhead at all.
> I still think an Arduino cartridge would be great. Maybe with some flash ROM for a program as well. A ROM cart with an Arduino (or some other small controller) interface would be nice. I suppose it would be possible to have a couple header connectors that something like an Arduino Nano would plug into, then bring the pins out to another row of headers that could be wire wrapped to, with the appropriate lines going directly to the CoCo... maybe jumpers to switch some lines between the CoCo and external access.  I'm not sure such a cart would be real useful though.  Frank Swygert

The audio from the sound chip is routed back into the CoCo via the SND 
IN pin of the cartidge edge connector and mixed in with the CoCo 
generated sound  to be played together via the monitor (mixed with 
composite video or the RGB audio out).

A seperate audio jack is only necessary if the audio we want to hear is 
stereo and that depends if the sound chip chosen has a stereo output. A 
chip like the GI AY is only mono.

Going Arduino defeats the purpose of a low cost ROM board for a 
programmer to distribute software (games) in a secure medium... as was 
always the case with game ROM Pak's.

Adding Arduino is for a different project goal completely.

Nick