[Coco] CoCos and FDC's

[Robert Gault]

tonym wrote:
> I know a CoCo3 requires an MPI to use one of the old-school Tandy floppy controller, but
> does the CoCo2 also  require an MPI? I was planning on setting up a CoCo2 in the garage to rinky-dink around with.
> 
> 
> Tony
> 

Depends on what you mean by "requires". The critical factor is the 
presence or lack of +12vDC at the cart port. The older controllers need 
+12v for the disk controller chip. The Coco1 and I think Coco2 have +12v 
but the Coco3 does not.

The above does not mean you must have an MPI for disk I/O even with a 
Coco3. You can easily add a +12vDC power supply to a Coco with a 
regulator chip. You only need an MPI if you want more than one cart in 
use at one time. Before I got an MPI, that's exactly what I did with my 
Coco3; add a +12vDC supply.

If you can't come up with a circuit, contact me by private e-mail.