[Coco] OS9
Kip Koon
computerdoc at sc.rr.com
Fri May 20 03:42:46 EDT 2016
Hi Dave,
I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your Floppy/Hard drive controller board. I would like to get a PT68K-4 and/or an MM/1 someday.
In the beginning of my 68K SBC search on the internet, I saw both 68000 and 68008 projects. I originally wanted to breadboard a 68000 SBC, but then I saw 68008 SBCs which really interested me because there were typically less chips involved. I perused several 68K SBC sites some with 68000s and others with 68008s.
Then I found 2 sites that booted a version of linux from eprom or flash called uClinux. One was a 68008 design and the other was a 68000. I chose the 68008 version since it required fewer ICs and therefore a simpler design. The problem was most of his design was hand written so I was not sure if it was all there or not. Other designs used cplds which I have not learned how to use yet which of course cut WAY DOWN on the chip count.
Then I found a site called "My Attempts to Build a 68K SBC" about a little 68008 SBC on breadboard which looked exactly like what I wanted to build so I read thought the entire web site. I liked the way he explained how he went about wiring and testing each little section of his breadboarded 68K SBC design he was putting together.
I contacted Roger Hanson about his 68K SBC to learn if he had progressed further into his design as it did not seem finished if I remember correctly. He had gotten to a point which he could not figure out something so he was stuck. I think it was how to implement interrupts so uClinux was definitely out up to that point. Come to think of it, he did have a little monitor program running.
The uCLinux software suite is basically Linux without an MMU so it would run on 8-bit microprocessors and microcontrollers. One day, I found a guy who had successfully booted uClinux on a one chip microcontroller! It was an 8-BIT ATMEL chip!!! It took over 3 hours to get to the linux command prompt. He had written a 32-bit emulator that then executed the uClinux software. It was Wild! Maybe a bit impractical but very impressive to say the least.
Then in one of his emails to me he suggested going to retrobrewcomputers.org for one of their 680xx designs. Then I remembered the Mini-68000 board I had bought to build along with the Multifunction/PIC board which provides I/O and storage capabilities. They are 3U size boards so the I/O could not fit on the Mini-68000 CPU board.
The folks on retrobrewcomputers.org seem to be primarily interested in CP/M so the mini-68000 boots up with CP/M 68K after the initial testing software is successful. I must say though that new OSes seem to be creeping onto the scene like Fuzix which runs on the Mark IV Z180 based board. CP/M is certainly ok, but I really would like OS-9 68K or as I was politely informed - OSK. I think "OSK" loses some of its appeal and nostalgia. I prefer OS-9 68K, but then I always did like longer more descriptive titles for things. <Grin>
So now I am in the middle of populating the Mini-68000 and the MF/PIC boards. I paused on the breadboarding of the 68008 for now. I did successfully get a 68008 to free run as a CPU Test. It was really cool seeing my very first 68008 to come to life even if it was just blinking an LED with the entire data bus grounded. <Grin> I still would like to see uClinux run on that 68008 even if there is no storage. Well, that is where I am at this point. I'd like to hear more about your 68K projects. Please keep me informed. It would help me greatly in my 68K journey. Take care my friend.
Kip Koon
computerdoc at sc.rr.com
http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Kip_Koon
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Coco [mailto:coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] On Behalf Of Dave Philipsen
> Sent: Friday, May 20, 2016 1:22 AM
> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
> Subject: Re: [Coco] OS9
>
> Well, we're on a similar mission. I still have my old PT68K-4 board and the BIOS comes up fine but I still haven't got it to boot from a
> floppy much less a hard drive. I have the original OS9 disks for it and even a set of GWindows disks but by original floppy and hard
> drive/interface board are gone.
>
> Dave
>
>
> On 5/20/2016 12:08 AM, Kip Koon wrote:
> > Hi Dave,
> > Thank you very much for the heads up. I'll look for the book. It sounds very interesting. I don't expect to be able to do all this by
> myself. Look at how many people are involved with maintenance and updates for NitrOS-9! <Grin> I'd like to find out more about
> the QT from FHL Lvcian just told me about. Lvcian sent me a preliminary copy of the QT Manual for just the hardware and it is quite
> interesting. I'd like to see the schematic detailed in the manual updated with modern parts for things such as a 512KB Static Ram chip
> in place of the 16 - '256s and maybe a 256KB flash chip for the boot rom. Other areas of the schematic can probably get upgrades as
> well and still be compatible with the OS-9 68K software. Compatibility with the OS9 68K disks is paramount I would imagine. Maybe I
> just need to build the QT as well. It sounds like I'm talking myself into building some version of QT as well. We'll see. I need to get
> the Mini-68000 up and running first though since I have already started it. Thanks very much. Take care my friend.
> >
> > Kip Koon
> > computerdoc at sc.rr.com
> > http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Kip_Koon
> >
> >
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Coco [mailto:coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] On Behalf Of Dave
> >> Philipsen
> >> Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2016 11:55 PM
> >> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
> >> Subject: Re: [Coco] OS9
> >>
> >> Kip, you may have a rather difficult task ahead of you. I bought a
> >> book once when I was playing around with OSK on my PT68K-4 computer.
> >> The book is entitled, "The OS-9 Guru / 1 - The Facts" by Paul S.
> >> Dyan. If you can find it anywhere it may be of help to you because
> >> it is specifically written for OS9 on the 68000. I don't think the
> >> author ever wrote the sequel. While I was fooling around with OSK I
> >> wrote a device driver or two and also some m/l programs. The 68000 is
> >> a very cool processor and in some ways it's a lot like the
> >> 6809 and in some ways it's not.
> >>
> >> I'll send you a snippet of a few pages from the book regarding the boot process.
> >>
> >>
> >> Dave
> >>
> >>
> >> On 5/19/2016 8:32 PM, Kip Koon wrote:
> >>> Hi Ed,
> >>> I'm building a 68008 68pin PLCC based 2 board set from
> >>> retrobrewcomputers.org. What system specifications does the 68K
> >>> OS-9
> >> require to operate properly to first boot up. I have not ever had
> >> nor used a 68K OS-9 system yet so this is going to be very interesting to me. Any and all information on OS9 and 68K is most
> welcome. Thank you in advance.
> >>> Kip Koon
> >>> computerdoc at sc.rr.com
> >>> http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Kip_Koon
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> -----Original Message-----
> >>>> From: Coco [mailto:coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] On Behalf Of
> >>>> Zippster
> >>>> Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2016 10:01 AM
> >>>> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
> >>>> Subject: Re: [Coco] OS9
> >>>>
> >>>> I emailed a bit with Lvcian back when he contacted the group, and sent him a set of floppies
> >>>> for 68K based OS-9 to help with his project. Thanks to John Linville I have originals. Thanks John! :)
> >>>>
> >>>> I wonder how his project is going?
> >>>>
> >>>> - Ed
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>> On Dec 18, 2015, at 1:39 PM, Camillus <camillus.b.58 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Well I'm a retired IT tech from the Belgium Railroad and live in
> >>>>> USA with my wife. I'm a proud coco owner since the coco I came
> >> out.
> >>>> ( Was my 3 rd computer after a Sinclair ZX81 and TRS80 Model I).
> >>>>> I'm also a hobbyist electronic and want to build a new world, but
> >>>>> alas didn't work yet...LOL
> >>>>>
> >>>>> So for your problem you can look in:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> http://www.colorcomputerarchive.com/
> >>>>>
> >>>>> and hopefully you find what you looking for. Of course all the OS9
> >>>>> goodies you gonna find there is most for 6809/6309 but If my
> >>>> memory ( what memory?? ) serves me right there is some 68K stuff too.
> >>>>> cb
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Sent from Mailbird
> >>>>> [http://www.getmailbird.com/?utm_source=Mailbird&utm_medium=email&
> >>>>> utm_ campaign=sent-from-mailbird] On 12/18/2015 1:23:18 PM, Lucian
> >>>>> <lvcianvltava at g.ucla.edu> wrote:
> >>>>> I apologize for the scant previous message -- i really didn't
> >>>>> think i would get any kind of response....
> >>>>>
> >>>>> My name is Lvcian. I work as an electronics technician for a
> >>>>> geo/cosmo-chemistry research group at UCLA. There three big SIMS
> >>>>> (secondary ion mass spectrometry) instruments in our facility in
> >>>>> addition to various other diagnostic auxiliary scientific
> >>>>> instruments--but the main instruments are all controlled by
> >>>>> 68K-series motorola VME computers. I recently decided to teach
> >>>>> myself as much about these computers as I can and have begun to
> >>>>> build a 68008-based single board computer to play with real time
> >>>>> operating systems.......this is how i came to find out about OS-9 and microware.
> >>>>> I would like to play/learn these vintage UNIX-like computing
> >>>>> environments .....but trying to do anything series aside from
> >>>>> being better informed and do a better job at upkeeping and maybe int he future upgrade the instruments i maintain.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> what kind of work do you do ?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Best Regards,
> >>>>> Lvcian
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> --
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> >>>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> >>>>> https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> >>>>>
> >>>>> --
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> >>>> --
> >>>> Coco mailing list
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> >>
> >> --
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> >
>
>
>
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