[Coco] The BIGGEST PROBLEM with (So-Called) NEW CoCo Hardware...

[Bill Gunshannon]

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From: Coco [coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] on behalf of Joe Schutts via Coco [coco at maltedmedia.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 5, 2017 8:45 AM
To: coco at maltedmedia.com
Cc: Joe Schutts
Subject: [Coco] The BIGGEST PROBLEM with (So-Called) NEW CoCo Hardware...

Hi Everyone,
I have been involved with the CoCo since the CoCo 1 came out after I switched over from an old Altair 8080 (I got tired of throwing switches). There has been a large uptake of (So Called) NEW hardware MOD's out there for the CoCo but there is a major problem with most of them. That problem is that most of these "NEW" Hardware MOD's require OLDER hardware than is available in many cases. Let me give you some examples.
1. Some people are making CoCo Video Adapters that use a VGA adapter for monitors while many of the newer TV's tend to require an HDMI adapter for their input. Why not design an HDMI adapter instead?
2. Others are making MIDI adapters that use the older (round 5-PIN Serial Port) adapters when more of the modern MIDI keyboards (especially the cheaper keyboards) are switching over to the NEWER USB-B adapters. Granted that the HIGHER END keyboards tend to stay with the older 5-PIN adapters. Why not make an adapter that uses BOTH connectors?
3. Others have made Hard Drive adapters that use the older SCSI or MFM or even IDE Hard Drives for storage. Has anyone tried to buy a "NEW" SCSI or MFM or even an IDE Hard Drive recently? Does anyone even know WHAT the "MFM" stood for? Not only are they getting harder and harder to find, but getting one that "ISN'T" Re-Conditioned is darn near impossible. Why not design a Hard Drive adapter that uses a SATA connector? At least it would be whole lot easier to find a NEW Hard Drive for it and probably cheaper too.
4. Then there is the OLD Serial Port "Printer" adapters. How many of you CoCo users out there STILL have an OLD Serial Port Printer? Why not build a NEW "USB" Printer Port adapter so we can use our Ink Jet or Laser Printers??? Does anyplace even sell fanfold paper anymore? Probably not. This is something I would buy in a second. Right now I have to send any file I want to print from the CoCo to my PC and print from the PC (which is a PAIN IN THE "You know where").
I'm sure others will find something I missed and add to the list. Let me know what you think of this...
Take care...
Joe...

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1.  VGA to HDMI adapters are readily available and homebrewing HDMI is difficult and expensive.

2. As far as I have seen MIDI connectors are still DIN.  USB is USB and not the same as MIDI.  There are
USB to MIDI cables, but they still expect DIN MIDI connectors on the remote device and they are for
connecting a PC and not connecting multiple MIDI devices together.

3. Both SCSI and IDE are readily available.  No one I know of is making ST-506 (what you called "MFM") 
hardware any more. There are IDE to SATA and IDE to CF adapters readily available so IDE is still practical
for an inexpensive interface.

4.  Putting USB on the COCO would be expensive and not particularly practical.  Of course, you can
print to anything automatically thru a PC using DRIVEwire, so that is already a done deal.

There is not likely to be much of a market for modern adapters that cost more than the computers
you plan to run them on.

bill