[Coco] NitrOS-9 newbie needs some help

[Boisy G. Pitre]

On Aug 10, 2004, at 2:22 AM, Nickolas Marentes wrote:


> I've run the modified for 50Hz version of NitrOS-9 that Boisy sent me 

> and it

> didn't change any of the problems I am experiencing. It does mean I 

> don't

> have to keep reaching for the vertical hold on my monitor to stop it 

> rolling

> when switching to 60Hz.


It's a small but slight improvement.  Subsequent releases will have the 
50Hz images available for European and Australian users.


> I plugged in my multi-pak (that thing takes all the elegence out of the

> CoCo! It's so kludgy looking, especially when loaded up with 

> cartridges!)

> and I plugged in my FD502 controller which is giving me near 100% 

> format

> failures and found that formatting problems ALMOST all dissappeared. 

> It's

> still not perfect but it shows that the problem must be some "bus 

> loading"

> or "edge triggering" problem.


That's interesting.  The multi-pak does provide power to the cartridge 
through its own power supply, but I don't know why that would make a 
difference in its behavior.


> What I would like is an internal IDE connector. Does anyone have one of

> these available for sale?


I presume you mean having an internal IDE interface?  The closes thing 
would be to get the SuperIDE and fold it inside of the computer 
somehow, using a small piece of ribbon cable.  I believe Bob Emery has 
done something similar with a 3.5" disk drive.


> Is there some sort of bus buffer that would allow me to keep the 

> Multi-crap

> interface out of site or better still, mount the innards in a box 

> along with

> floppy drives and placed under the monitor (ala TRS-80 model 1 

> expansion

> box)?


Cloud-9's Pro-Tector+ would definitely help in that it boosts bus 
signals going out of the cartridge port, and would help in a ribbon 
cable extended environment.  Just send an email to mark at cloud9tech.com 
with the products that you are interested in, and he'll send you out a 
quote via email.

Boisy