[Coco] New Video from Cloud-9!

[Mark Marlette]

Thanks to all, without you we wouldn't exist. 


One thing I have learned in this business is that you can't please everyone. 

Steve- I find it hard to believe that if you REALLY wanted to see the new board that you couldn't reach for the volume or just endure the extremely long video/audio for one minute and twenty-one seconds....... :)

Working 10+hrs a day at my day job then returning home to work till whenever then doing it all over the next day for months on end....Do tend to wear one out, so if the music sounds a little crazy, then it probably is because WE ARE!!!!!! We have to be for doing this for our beloved machine. It is still fun for us, when it is not we will move on.


Boisy and I discussed this product in great detail. I did have a Stealth B2 board layout but it came at too much of a cost. Board sq in. loss and then the complex board outline route from the PCB manufacture. Plus being 2D PCB, didn't do the 3D Stealth / CoCo justice. :) So we balanced it with the final version.

I designed this board start to finish in one day, CPLD equations, schematics and board layout. This was after many days of research of the SRAM and board layout outline attempts. Took a couple more days when I go the prototypes in and they didn't work.... Fun to debug when the coco won't boot and you have a dynamic test environment. So I configured my Atmel STK500/501 board to be a CoCo and test every aspect of the boot process. The prototype board had a test port connector on it that the final production board did not. Found the problems, yes more than one. :( :) Then acquired RFQs from board manufactures, obtained large quantities of SRAM, etc.... Total process took several months. I wish I could do this for my day job!!! This is way more fun! 


The end result is a COOL blue board that the CoCo's over taxed power supply GREATLY appreciates after working hard for 20+ years. The temperature  / current drops are amazing. You can say the CoCo has gone GREEN now....It has done it's part. :)

Boisy created the videos and updated the web page. A VERY nice job, IMHO! As I do take all feedback. As of this morning Steve, 76 views have been on our YouTube channel of the TRIAD since yesterday. This channel is Cloud9CoCo on YouTube, some have subscribed and this will be our new product release format in the future. Heck might even do updates on this channel as a picture is worth 1K words, a video? :)

The board is 512K x 16 or 1M x 8. The upper 512k is not used as it would take another board to add bits to the MMU to utilized it. Rather than have another part number stocked, it is easier and costs the same to use a 1MB solution and not use the upper 512K. The is an Altera CPLD on the backside that performs the DRAM -> SRAM conversion.

With that said...This is the memory that will be on the SB(SuperBoard). Had a REAL problem putting SIMMs on the SB you no longer can procure.

There are several other improvements that I am currently working. Not going to get in to a big discussion over it as it is WIP and the equations are still be worked. It does involve SD, USB and... I have had for over a year a working prototype dual port SD interface. The target for this device is 10 second megareads, this is challenging as testing has yielded that in NOS the overhead is 7 seconds alone.

USB itself is VERY complex. Hardware is simple, software/firmware is not. We are close..... :) I have already had a USB keyboard, mouse and thumbdrive inserted and read data from each. There is a lot of work to be done yet. It is easy to make a few examples work, but to make a full blown product that will not be a support nightmare is a time magnet. Then it needs to pass our quality requirements....One step forward, two back etc...


This target I/O processor for Cloud-9 products, is Atmel's Xmega 32MHZ AVR platform. Currently developing the firmware to support the above and a few more that I haven't mentioned...Can't tell you all of them.... :) Just things you expect a computer to have these days.


Just when you thought your CoCo3 couldn't be ANY COOLER!! It now REALLY is!!!


Thanks again!!!!!!

Mark
http://www.cloud9tech.com


________________________________
 From: Nick Marentes <nickma at optusnet.com.au>
To: CoCoList <coco at maltedmedia.com> 
Sent: Friday, April 5, 2013 4:02 AM
Subject: [Coco] New Video from Cloud-9!
 
Bravo Boisy!

A very nice 512K board!

I also like the extend you have gone in promoting it.

The video presentation, imagery on your website and tjhe design of the board itself ooze professionalism... something that you don't normally see in a small market such as the CoCo.

I admire people who actually go and *achieve* rather than talk and critisize. Such actions motivate others and helps build a community.

Again, good work!

P.S. I didn't mind the music... but if I did, the mute button is just a click away.

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