[Coco] MPI (Gene Heskett)

[Gene Heskett]

On Thursday 12 July 2007, Mike Pepe wrote:
>Andrew wrote:
>>  >> This does not bypass the slot switching of the scs signal, so it
>>  >> should still work when you power up the system with a game in the
>>  >> slot the switch is set to.
>>
>> Gene, Arthur:
>>
>> Since you both responded in nearly identical ways, I just wanted to
>> clarify what I was meaning by having a bunch of cartridges for my MPI.
>>
>> I got my MPI as a child, and I know I have the upgrade to use it with my
>> CoCo 3 (had it on my CoCo 2 before I got my CoCo 3 as a kid).
>>
>> I guess what I would like to make sure of is that even with those
>> signals tied (after the mod for OS-9) if I could still (for instance),
>> plug in my Disk Controller, RS-232 Pak, Speech/Sound Cartridge, and
>> Orch-90 Pak - and use them all under DECB.
>>
>> So - could I set the switch to the Disk Controller, boot up in DECB,
>> then load UltimaTerm (or another comm program), and dial out a modem via
>> the RS-232 Pak? Or, alternatively, load up Gauntlet, and it would be
>> able to "see" and use the Speech/Sound Cart for voice output (I think
>> that Diecom game uses it)?
>>
>> I am not sure DECB or any programs under DECB care about those
>> particular interrupts, but I just wanted to make sure it would still
>> work - or if the modification would need a switch or something to allow
>> the user (me) to "untie" those lines if I wanted to used DECB instead...
>>
>> -- Andrew
>
>Agreed. Keep in mind, those IRQ interrupts would/could be used under a
>non-OS9 terminal program. However, it should not be an issue when used
>in that way.
>
>I also don't believe that strapping the IRQs on a MPI would affect
>anything outside of OS9 either. The disk controller doesn't use the IRQ.
>  The orch90 doesn't. No program paks do either. Not sure about the S/S
>pak. The only one I'm aware of that does at the moment is the RS232 pak.
>
>Also somewhere out there is another mod that fixes an issue where a
>character that is being assembled is discarded when a particular line on
>the 6551 is de-asserted. Again, probably not an issue for casual usage.
>I think Sockmaster's site had that mod. I just thought I'd mention that.
>
I *think* that's a software mod, and I'm glad you mentioned it Mike, cuz I'd 
done it a decade or more back and had promptly forgotten about it since that 
wheel didn't squeak anymore.

>-Mike
>
>
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