[Coco] MC-10 Questions...
farna at att.net
farna at att.net
Sat Aug 7 21:09:11 EDT 2004
You know, as I was thinking about that digital dash again, it dawned on me that since it's feasible now except for the size of the CoCo board, would an MC-10 work??? I know basic is similar. But does it have two joystick ports, and do the ports work like the CoCo ports? Anyone see why an MC-10 wouldn't work? Basically I need two ports that need to be real time (within a second) for a tach and speedo. All these ports need to do is count a signal then mathematically convert to mph and display a number. My engine turns around 2400 rpm @ 75 mph, so that would be 2400 rpm in high gear. Hmmm... that's 40 revolutions per second (2400/60). The tachometer would read something similar, maybe twice that speed. These calculations would have to be done simultaneously. The other gauges, fuel level, engine temp, oil pressure, and possibly volts (haven't figured out how to do that one yet, the other three are simple variable resistances that I know the ranges for) could be slower. The oil pressure will have a back-up warning light. The numbers displayed will have to be on a graphics screen to be big enough to easily see. I'd probably use a mechanical hour meter under the hood and forget mileage, unless I can find a stand alone odometer instead of an hour meter.
Heck, I've forgot how I measured resistance now!! I remember using the joystick D/A inputs, but that's all. Got the idea from a game that used a series of push buttons for a Jeapordy style buttons connected to one port. I think each button had a different resistance and the CoCo could tell which button was pressed. Might have to have the gauges work in 5 or 10 unit increments, but would be close enough.
Could the MC-10 do all this in close to real time??? Nothing has to be dead on, just close enough I don't run out of gas or get speeding tickets! Ultimately I'd intended to use a hot key to switch to graphic analog gauges for performance, and incorporate some trip computer functions (like at least avg. mpg and estimated distance on remaining fuel). I doubt the MC-10 could do the analog gauges, I'd be happy with a big digit speed and smaller digit gauges placed around the central speed readout. That would have to be a graphics screen too. I have to re-learn BASIC anyway, might as well be MC-10. Any doubts that the MC-10 could accomplish all this?? There are several on e-bay now...
I seem to recall that I got individual gauges worked out on the CoCo, and a display, but never did get to the point of having everything work together in close to real time -- quit before then because I couldn't find a reasonably priced display and a tube type TV just wouldn't do in the car I had. An early 50s Nash would have worked, replace the round "unipod" gauge (looked like a big headlight bucket staring at you over the steering wheel) with a 5"-7" rectangular tube monitor. But that's not what I had or have!! A 5"-6" LCD screen is what I intend to use, can find them for under $200 with NTSC inputs.
--
Frank Swygert
Publisher, "American Independent
Magazine" (AIM)
*Elite* publication for those
interested in all
aspects of AMC
history,performance,restoration,etc
.
(AMC,Rambler,Nash,Hudson,Jeep,etc.)
http:farna.home.att.net/AIM.html
(free download available!)
-------------- Original message from coco-request at maltedmedia.com: --------------
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: Coco Repack (farna at att.net)
> 2. Re: Bill Brady (Willard Goosey)
> 3. MAS/EDT (David J Bush)
> 4. Re: FD-502 drive and PC drive Question AGAIN. (Charlie)
> 5. Re: TC-9 (was Coco Repack) (Boisy G. Pitre)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 07 Aug 2004 06:10:30 +0000
> From: farna at att.net
> Subject: [Coco] Re: Coco Repack
> To: coco at maltedmedia.com
> Message-ID:
>
> <080720040610.11847.411472550008C6DF00002E4721603759640E029D0E00 at att.net>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain
>
> Mark, I do realize the programming the GIME in an FPGA is a big task. Hopefully
> that FPGA cna be wired in if someon blows a GIME, though from what I remember
> failures of the GIME are few and far between.
>
> I guess having a two or three FPGA, with a few support chips, CoCo compatible
> computer is a pipe dream. But to have it all on a small board as a hobby machine
> with a DECB ROM option would be quite an experimenter/project machine! I think
> it would be financially viable if development costs could be kept down. There
> would be some compatibility with the old CoCo in DECB for really simple things
> (buy an old CoCo to have a legal ROM, same as with the emulators, though we all
> know the ROM code is out there...), and NitroS-9 for more complicated tasks. It
> would bridge the gap between simple controllers like a PIC or Stamp and working
> with a "real" computer. PC compatibles are just to complicated and delicate for
> any real experimental work. There used to be bread board cards and such for the
> old XT and AT, but I can't see anyone doing something like that with a modern
> machine, especially when you throw in Windows. Maybe with an older version of
> DOS, but then you're wasting money on p
> ower you don't need. Buying an older computer used to be an option, but there
> aren't many good XT/AT machines out there anymore, and they are so damned big! I
> wish I did have the knowledge and skill to do more than offer suggestions, I
> would!! Maybe you less technically challenged guys could work something up one
> of these days. Development could even be done directly on the controller board,
> what a concept! I really do think there is a market for a simple hobby machine
> out there, though small.
>
>
> --
> Frank Swygert
> Publisher, "American Independent
> Magazine" (AIM)
> *Elite* publication for those
> interested in all
> aspects of AMC
> history,performance,restoration,etc
> .
> (AMC,Rambler,Nash,Hudson,Jeep,etc.)
> http:farna.home.att.net/AIM.html
> (free download available!)
>
>
>
> -------------- Original message from coco-request at maltedmedia.com:
> --------------
>
> > Message: 7
> > Date: Fri, 06 Aug 2004 18:27:21 -0500
> > From: Mark Marlette
> > Subject: Re: [Coco] Re: Coco Repack
> > To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
> > Message-ID: <4.3.2.7.2.20040806180807.02c911b0 at pop.cpinternet.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
> >
> > At 10:45 PM 8/6/2004 +0000, you wrote:
> >
> > The 63B09 = 2MHZ, 63C09=3MHZ and 63D09=4MHZ.
> >
> > James has quite a project just to do the GIME in a FPGA. Lets not overwhelm
> > the project and make it not happen. The paragraph below is a HUGE task!
> > Remember this is a hobby for most. To do the software, hardware and test
> > takes quite some time. Better yet how many people would step forward and
> > help out on it? How about put up the $$$ to buy one????? I have over $5k
> > out on the SuperBoard project, that doesn't include my time. Love of the
> > machine or stupidity...... :)
> >
> > It is quite a simple task to make the memory map for the GIME, it is ALOT
> > harder to perform all of the functions that is behind each bit. The MMU is
> > simple as well. Interrupt and timer functions are a bit more complex and
> > not documented the best. The video with all the compatibility modes is
> > something else as well. No doubt something to be proud of, the GIME is the
> > machine. I have been in direct contact with the creators of this beast and
> > it is AMAZING to me that nobody has an internal document of it. I also do
> > believe if they had it, I would have it as our conversations went.
> >
> > Mark
> > Cloud-9
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 01:03:17 -0600
> From: Willard Goosey
> Subject: Re: [Coco] Bill Brady
> To: coco at maltedmedia.com
> Message-ID: <200408070703.i7773Hq2028340 at virgo.sdc.org>
>
> >Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2004 18:50:26 -0600
> >From: Frederick D Provoncha
>
> >I've always wanted a copy of The Wiz. Anyone know where I might be able
> >to find one? What do people think of it? Was it a good program? How did
> >it compare to other terminal programs?
>
> I've got Wiz Pro, never really used it. It came with a "special"
> serial port driver, and that really turned me off, since I didn't want
> to have a boot disk just for one program. KBCom and OSTerm work fine
> under OS-9LII.
>
> It sounds technically interesting, as it maps modules in and out of
> its memory map as needed. But it's all Icode, and I don't know if
> could keep up with reasonably fast bit rates on a CoCo.
>
> Willard
> --
> Willard Goosey goosey at sdc.org
> Socorro, New Mexico, USA
> "I've never been to Contempt! Isn't that somewhere in New Mexico?"
> --- Yacko
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 12:52:14 +0000 (UTC)
> From: David J Bush
> Subject: [Coco] MAS/EDT
> To: coco at maltedmedia.com
> Message-ID:
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> I finally realized there was no CoCo 320-pixel wide screen
> display before the CoCo3. EDT used a 5x8 region for its
> fonts plus spacing, so the display was just 51 columns across
> on a 256H pixel screen, not 53. Sorry about the bad
> information.
>
> The MAS screen display of the listing did not use any special
> fonts, so it was just 32 columns wide, and each line was up
> to 80 characters long. Assembled screen output was definitely
> difficult to read. But I'm very glad I still have a copy and
> a manual. Just as one example of its power, here is some code
> from the manual which generates no ML code, only messages to
> the screen. It lists out a solution to the "Towers of Hanoi"
> problem, given the number of disks on pole 1 at the start.
> MAS can handle an input value up to 38, assuming the user
> would last long enough to view the entire output:
>
> MOVDISK MACRO
> IFNE |3
> MOVDISK |0,|2,|1,|3-1
> MSG "Move disk from |0 to |1"
> MOVDISK |2,|1,|0,|3-1
> ENDC
> ENDM
>
> NUMTODO ASK "Move how many disks?"
> MOVDISK (pole 1),(pole 2),(pole 3),NUMTODO
> END
>
> I could try to post MAS on the Net, if anyone is interested.
> If anyone has EDT I would love to hear from you!
>
> Thanks for your patience.
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 09:12:18 -0400
> From: "Charlie"
> Subject: [Coco] Re: FD-502 drive and PC drive Question AGAIN.
> To: coco at maltedmedia.com
> Message-ID:
>
> In my 502, my Drive 0 is a standard PC 360K drive. All I had to do was cut
> the connector off the power supply and solder on a standard PC type.
> Also, back a long time ago, I purchased ribbon cable from radio shack and
> pressed the female card edge connectors on where I needed them.
>
> Charlie
>
>
> "Mannequin*" wrote in
> message news:20040806193144.12c60cdb.mannslists at invigorated.org...
> > Hi all, what would I do if I wanted to hook a PC floppy drive in with an
> > FD-502 floppy. I know that at it's heart the FD-502 drive is the same a
> > PC's floppy drive, but what do I need to do to connect the PC drive in
> > with the FD-502's power supply, etc.? Or better yet, how would I go
> > about getting a FD-501 drive in with a FD-502 drive?
> >
> > Sorry about the repost, just thought of it.
> >
> > Thanks!
> > -M.
> >
> > --
> > Coco mailing list
> > Coco at maltedmedia.com
> > http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> >
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 10:32:47 -0500
> From: "Boisy G. Pitre"
> Subject: Re: [Coco] TC-9 (was Coco Repack)
> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
> Message-ID: <08B3BB6D-E887-11D8-B289-0003939F08E6 at boisypitre.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
>
>
> On Aug 6, 2004, at 10:12 PM, KnudsenMJ at aol.com wrote:
>
> > In a message dated 8/6/04 10:18:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> > boisy at boisypitre.com writes:
> >
> >> The guy's name is Bob Puppo. Here's his website:
> >> http://www.puppozone.com/
> >
> > That's right -- it was Bob Puppo that designed the TC-9.
> > I have, and still use on my Coco 3, his early PC keyboard adapter
> > system --
> > very nice. He was really ingenious to come up with that gadget.
>
> Mike,
>
> You still use your CoCo? What are you doing with it these days? An
> old timer you like you would be great to help with the NitrOS-9
> project.
>
> Boisy
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
>
> End of Coco Digest, Vol 10, Issue 19
> ************************************
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