[Coco] CoCo Experimenter boards (and the Hi-res Joystick interface)

[Steve Bjork]

There was an Apple II perfboard what worked well for designing circuits 
for the CoCo because one end had a 40 pin edge connector. They fit well 
into a CoCo with lots of room for parts  since the were about 8 inches 
long. I remember using them to build a number gadgets for the CoCo.

One project was the first version of the Hi-Res Joystick interface that 
read the output of a real mouse or trackball (of that age) and converted 
it into something the CoCo could use.  But like most interfaces of the 
time, it would been about $100.00 retail and Tandy felt that very few 
CoCo users would spend $200 for both a mouse and interface. It would be 
a few years before the mouse and interface would be combined and talk to 
the PC via the RS-232 port. (What we now know as the serial mouse.)
Anyway, that's why Hi-RES Joystick interface was designed the way it 
was. (Cheap.)

Nick, I'll be heading down to Fry's later today and will check on the 
boards.  If they have any, I see who still makes them and get the 
information so you can order them on-line.

Steve Bjork

Nick Marentes wrote:
> Does anyone know where I could buy some experimenter circuit boards 
> that would plug into the CoCo expansion bus (has the 40 pin edge 
> connector)?
>
> Nick Marentes
>