[Coco] CoCo3FPGA, FPGA Development, and GIME replacement

[Aaron Wolfe]

On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 6:47 PM, Nick Marentes <nickma at optusnet.com.au> wrote:
> Couldn't help noticing the words "GIME replacement" in the heading.
>
> Is there someone creating a GIME chip replacement (as opposed to a whole
> CoCo3/4)?
>
> The whole FPGA/CoCo4 thing has been going on for years. I was just wondering
> if at the end of it, will there be an affordable CoCo4 main board made
> available?

It seems inevitable that at some point in the future, the cost/power
of FPGAs will reach a point where things like a replacement GIME would
be practical, but I don't think we are there yet.
As for an affordable main board.. the timeline for that really depends
on the definition of "affordable", and maybe "mainboard" as well.  I
have an FPGA system that does everything I want a "CoCo 4" to do, and
it cost $150, which I consider quite reasonable.  However, what I want
from the system probably doesn't match a whole lot of other people.
Again in time I think the price of hardware will drop and capabilities
rise, like we see in tech over and over again.  Maybe in a few years
we can have a cheap coco 4 that does everything everyone wants (well..
that will never happen, but let's say 100% of what 95% want, or vice
versa).

>
> I always thought that, if it was possible, just an upgraded GIME chip
> replacement (plug in board?) with enhanced features (more colors, graphics
> acceleration etc) was the best and cheapest means to a CoCo4 rather than
> reinvent the *whole* wheel.
>
> I guess that FPGA would give us a faster CPU for all that new software that
> is to be developed. (there will be won't there?)  :)
>

The faster CPU makes it much nicer when writing software for stock
CoCos too.  Compiling C programs in a second instead of a minute (or
longer) is nice.  Booting up into NitrOS9 in a couple seconds is handy
when you tend to crash it a lot, as my software generally does.

> Nick
>
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