[Coco] How much of a CoCo makes it a CoCo?

[Frank Swygert]

Good points! I believe preserving software compatibility (98% CoCo3 compatibility -- some of the old CC2 games could be dropped and most would still be happy) is the real key. As long as easy storage access was available I could care less about the 40 pin connector, but some will want it for I/O projects. Preserving the case? Well, a small box to house the board and storage is fine by me. How many have repackaged CoCos? A mini ITX case would be fine. Just paint it CoCo off-white, with a "Color Computer 4" sticker. Something on the order of a Mac mini would be good, but no need for an optical drive. I see no need for a real floppy at all -- a Drivewire like solution for connecting to a real CoCo through the bit-banger would suffice. Then use USB or SD cards for external storage. A 16GB SDHC card is all the thing would need -- no hard drive even. Want to run Nitros? Stick in another card. There needs to be some kind of joystick, but whether it's an older CoCo type or a new USB type seems irrelevant to me. I know many want to see improved graphics, but that might be pushing the hardware limitations of the 6x09. If it's not 6x09 software compatible you may as well call it something other than "CoCo". Hardware compatible... what, that old stuff? You have to admit, floppies and the analog joysticks are antiques, and sometimes hard to obtain (will be harder as time marches on). So why not use something available now? That's part of the point in upgrading. We're not talking about expensive peripherals either.

More memory access in DECB would be great, or easier access. Id love to see something like "512K BASIC" integrated into DECB, but that might kill too much backwards compatibility.

We're mainly looking at a hobby machine here. If you're nostalgic to the point of wanting it to look just like the old CoCo, there are still plenty of working CoCo3s out there. Hack them up and keep going. Or create a true upgrade/successor. The only problem, no matter what you do, is that the market will be small. Basing it on the DE1 board (pre-loaded?) is the best bet to keep cost down. Personally I wouldn't care if the I/O port matches the old CoCo connector or not, but there does need to be accessible I/O for experimenters. A double row header is actually a better solution than the cartridge port -- easier to get connectors and build boards for it (no specific board needed -- wired header connecto0r could be used).

------------
Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2011 17:15:52 -0500
From: "Boisy G. Pitre"<boisy at tee-boy.com>

My point in bringing up these questions is to identify where the consensus lies.

I believe that once we replace the main board with something like an FPGA-based board, it becomes a CoCo 3+ or a CoCo 4 (I'm ambivalent to either).

I think a dream CoCo 3+ would be preserving the exterior (case, keyboard, etc), removing the power supply and motherboard, and in its place, have an FPGA-based board.  Analog RGB would be replaced with a 15 pin VGA connector coming out where the composite audio/video ports are now (no composite audio/video support would be warranted.)   The serial I/O jack could still be there, as well as the joystick ports, but the cassette could go.  The reset and power buttons would remain.  Where the 3-4 modulator hole is we could put something, and the 3-4 channel switch would remain but would serve an entirely different purpose.

And of course, the 40 pin cartridge connector would still be there.


-- 
Frank Swygert
Publisher, "American Motors Cars"
Magazine (AMC)
For all AMC enthusiasts
http://www.amc-mag.com
(free download available!)