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Hardware/Software review on coco.randomrodder.com

random_rodder — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:53:44 +0000

Hey everyone, I just uploaded a review of Cloud9′s HDB-DOS/DriveWire ROM Pak. Here’s a tidbit:

The usual commands for RS-DOS work in HDB-DOS -- as far as I have played with it. The manual claims each mounted ‘drive’ has access to 256 disk images -- I did not test this as I have no images set up in this manner. All I have done is insert disks and load and run programs, making vague mental notes about load times, which were quick enough for me. NitrOS-9 load times for DriveWire 4 were very quick, and I’ll discuss that in another article.

The first thing I loaded was a demo called ‘TRIBALLS’. The image loaded and executed without a hitch. And, as you can see by the included images, they displayed quite nicely on a 15″ LCD via Roy’s VGA adapter. The first image is just two reflective balls generated by the demo.

And here’s the video I attached of my CoCo3 playing MIDI files thru the server PC using Aaron’s DriveWire 4 Java applet.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP7CeIfkPyA

This redefines cool folks, if you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend it. I’ll try to post a vid later this week of me getting on one of the BBS’s I’ve been frequenting.

There are more reviews in the pipeline as well, not the least of which is Roger’s MicroSD Drive Pak and his Serial Pak.

Later,

Brian

Edit -- guess I should have included the link…

CoCo-to-PC Serial Cable Instructions

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:26:19 +0000

Composite Artifacting Sample NTSC

Potatohead — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:05:31 +0000

All 256 byte patterns, composite mode artifacting, 640 pixel mode, palette entries are 0, 16, 32, 64.

Effective resolution is 160x200x~256

Versatile Serial Pak for the CoCo and Dragon

admin — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:18:26 +0000

COCO3.COM 6551-BASED CARTRIDGES All compatible with the 16K CoCoNet EPROM (enhanced Disk BASIC) Many variations of a base “serial pak” model can be customized on demand, or ordered by a formal name. You can have the serial port header facing inside the case or outside the case, a Tandy Communications ROM or the CoCoNet ROM, a bluetooth module or a MicroSD memory module, and other customizations on request. By mixing and matching these components, you can turn a lot of neat or serious ideas into reality.
Formal Product	Pak Style	Retrofit Module	Addresses	Available
Deluxe Wireless RS-232 Pak	Internal header, pak case, Tandy Telecomm ROM & CoCoNet ROM included	A7′s EB301 bluetooth module	$FF68 – $FF6B (65384-65387)	Not available until ‘A7′ resumes sales of their EB301 bluetooth module.
TTL Serial Pak	Internal or external header, pak case, Tandy Telecomm ROM or CoCoNet ROM	None	$FF68 – $FF6B (65384-65387)	Yes
2GB MicroSD Drive Pak (aka Plug and Play Pak) Thousands of floppy disks and hard drive images possible in a little game-pak sized cartridge.		128mb-2gig MicroSD module	$FF6C – $FF6F (65388-65391)	Yes
USB Serial Pak		uSB-CE5 USB to Serial Adaptor	$FF68 or $FF6C	Soon

One device that can plug directly into the 2×6 header is A7′s EB301 bluetooth module. In fact, in a Deluxe Wireless Pak, the header and module are mounted inside the case. The other device to arrive soon is the 2 GIG memory module which will be used as a simultaneous Disk BASIC and OS-9 drive system.

All pak models use the 6551 ACIA to communicate with either a bluetooth radio module or 2 GIG MicroSD drive module. The image below shows an external style serial pak with an EB301 module plugged in. A regular Wireless Pak would have this module inside the case.

The photos suggest that this is a SparkFun EB301 when it’s actually a product of the A7 corporation.