[Coco] FPGA the future of coco?

[Salvador Garcia]

 I was thinking about this about 2 years ago. I envisioned a new generation CoCo. My first question was about the features it should have and my list was similar to yours. Of course my real question was: What would I use it for?

I took a few minutes to think about what is already out there, such as Linux, Android, Mac OSX and Windows. All of these systems are graphics based and cater to the user that is used to moving the mouse about and clicking and who needs to work with media. I also thought about software. What programs would run on this New Gen CoCo? For nostalgic sake it should be backwards compatible with the CoCo 3. Seeing all these emulators about I did not see a problem with it. But it should also be a step into the hardware that is here today. Apple used Motorola processors for many years until it took the plunge into the Intel world. Did an Apple stop being an Apple because it was not using a Motorola processor anymore?

In that same respect, a CoCo would not stop being a CoCo if it used a different kind of processor.. The operating system on the other hand, would make or break such a system. It should be easy to use, perhaps adopting a menu driven interface similar to LogicCall, while having options for a more graphics based interface or the venerable CoCo command line interface.

This worked for Windows and Mac OS/X. Both have ways of opening a command line window whose basic functionality has not changed much in decades.

Unfortunately, my mental exercise did not end well. For all the features that I would like my New Gen CoCo to have, I already have in any of the OSes mentioned above. And when I should need to run CoCo software I can always whip up a Vcc or MESS or any of the other emulators that are out there. In the end the computers that we have now and love and hate are really the descendents of the CoCo.

Having said all the above, it wold be a fascinating journey to design a computer along with its software. :-) Salvador


 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: camillus.b.58 <camillus.b.58 at gmail.com>
To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Mon, Sep 8, 2014 4:38 pm
Subject: [Coco] FPGA the future of coco?


Hi, to all coco enthusiasts, and specially to the FPGA guru’s among them.


I have a question or maybe a suggestion, in the aim of preserve the old coco’s 
I,II,II and as an idea toward a coco IV.


Many ideas are brought forward to make  a new coco, with better performance, 
better video ( High Res and VGA) and also with more and faster Memory.


Now  I’m not a genius with electronics and have no experience with FPGA then 
what I red in books, I do wonder what the possibility is to make a FPGA that 
combine all the things we need. I was thinking if it would be possible, 
affordable and doable, to have a FPGA programmed to emulate the following items: 



1 or more Extra cpu cores Hitachi or Motorola


All needed RAM 1,2,3,4,5 Meg and Higher 


VGA for LCD support with all modes Coco Modes, 800x600, 1024*724, etc.


sound chips for better( Hi FI and (cd quality )performance 


Ethernet, wireless, USB, Parallel IO, Serial IO, I2c, Can, etc.


Ps2 keyboard, pc compatible Joysticks, touch screen support


SD card, SSD, SATA HD 



This is what I could think of right now. I know it would maybe better to design 
a complete new computer, but I think that would make the older coco more 
obsolete. Adding this features in the form of a FPGA would keep the coco alive 
and more suitable to run along with the modern IT age.


There are many tech among you who can do this with each taking a part of the 
development for this project.

One or two coordinators to   guide the project could follow up this team. Others 
who have not so much brains to do tech stuff, can help in writing manuals, maybe 
imputing code, or if they have a pc they can give computer time and storage in a 
client/server/cluster way. 


I also know that this can cost money, but I'm willing to spend $25/ month to 
sponsor this, if just 100 people can do the same we would have $3000 in a year.


I would like to open a think tank ( Google or Facebook group ) for those who 
would like to participate in this, and do serious thinking about a project like 
this. 


There are great minds out there who already developed parts of the features in 
the list above, so now it is just a matter of working together.  Also for the 
commercial developers like cloud9 and others, there can be participation, in 
that what would be doable to integrate in the FPGA or making external plug in 
devices, so there is some gain in this for the ones that develop for living.  
What I mean by this is that if it would be easier to design a SD-Card  
controller then having more cost to implement this in a FPGA then the favor goes 
to the controller. The user has to purchase this option then by himself.


If there is already a group with same thoughts then I would like to hear from 
it. I also know that Mr. Becker had a project in mind but could not found the 
sources for it, but that was a complete new FPGA based design I thought.    



Hope someone can see something in this and start thinking….LOL


Camillus Blockx  ( please when reply, send cc to my email:   Camillus.b.58 at 
gmail.com with subject “CocoFpgaThoughts”   ( at = @ )


Thank you all





Sent from Windows Mail

-- 
Coco mailing list
Coco at maltedmedia.com
https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco