[Coco] Current Status of the "Help Send A Fellow CoCoNut To This Year's CoCoFEST" Campaign

embsys dev embsysdev at gmail.com
Sat Feb 14 19:46:02 EST 2015 

Ah yes, RGB input, sorry. I know, NTSC = Never Twice the Same Color, heh.
But since the coco3 max resolution is 640x192x4, and 320x192x16 is as good
"full color" as you can get, I don't see any benefit to using RGB through a
fancy FPGA scan doubler, no matter how good it is, the source signal is the
limiting factor. Again, I'm not dissing Kip's design in any way, actually I
think it is quite impressive and the output is clearly very high quality.

Please don't get me wrong, I dig the coco as a platform for 8-bit hacking
(I learned 6809 with an EDTASM pak back in 83) but I just don't get all
this fuss over the video output.  I say if you want crystal clarity and big
screens, just run an emulator.

And finally, I don't care how much money and time people waste dicking with
their antique home computers, I've got armfuls of low-cost multi-core ARM
Cortex-Ax boards with HDMI out, SDHC, I2C, SPI, and GPIOs on headers <BOOM>

Haha j/k y'all, I really do understand the sentiment and passion, just
don't feel it like some of you people obviously do... ;-)



On Sat, Feb 14, 2015 at 5:08 PM, Zippster <zippster278 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Yeah, it’s all about the quality of the video output.
> If it wasn’t , I guess even RF produces a useable picture.
>
> But yes, the price is a little off-putting.  I bought 3 of the PCBs through
> OSH Park but haven’t gotten around to buying the nano units yet.
> Too many projects.
>
> He’s coming out with one using a less expensive FPGA,
> so there’s that.  :)
>
> - Ed
>
>
> > On Feb 14, 2015, at 5:52 PM, Arthur Flexser <flexser at fiu.edu> wrote:
> >
> > I'd be surprised if it got a decent picture, since the CoCo 3's composite
> > output is so vastly inferior to the RGB output that the RGV2VGA uses.
> >
> > Art
> >
> > On Sat, Feb 14, 2015 at 6:46 PM, embsys dev <embsysdev at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> People seem surprised and put off at the additional cost of the FPGA
> board.
> >>
> >>
> >> Here's a $55 AV to HDMI converter box from newegg:
> >>
> >> http://goo.gl/Pa9W9s
> >>
> >> Looks like you simply plug your coco composite video and audio in one
> side,
> >> and an HDMI TV into the other, and done.
> >>
> >> The RGB2VGA design is interesting for the hardware DIY coolness and
> >> hackability if you're into that sort of thing (and many here are,
> >> obviously), but a simple low-cost consumer solution might be better for
> >> some people.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On Sat, Feb 14, 2015 at 3:37 PM, Kip Koon <computerdoc at sc.rr.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Hi Joe,
> >>> The cost for the RGB2VGA Converter interface PCB is $45 + $6
> shipping.  I
> >>> will be ordering the PCBs to be fabricated Monday, then ordering all
> the
> >>> parts.  I'll be using OSHPark to fabricate the PCBs and since I have to
> >>> purchase the PCBs in multiples of three, I'm doing orders in sets of
> >> three
> >>> as people commit.
> >>>
> >>> Kip Koon
> >>> computerdoc at sc.rr.com
> >>> http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Kip_Koon
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: Coco [mailto:coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] On Behalf Of Joe
> Grubbs
> >>> Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2015 5:25 PM
> >>> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
> >>> Subject: Re: [Coco] Current Status of the "Help Send A Fellow CoCoNut
> To
> >>> This Year's CoCoFEST" Campaign
> >>>
> >>> What is the cost and ETA?
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> From: computerdoc at sc.rr.com
> >>>> To: coco at maltedmedia.com
> >>>> Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2015 16:53:07 -0500
> >>>> Subject: Re: [Coco] Current Status of the "Help Send A Fellow CoCoNut
> >>> To      This Year's CoCoFEST" Campaign
> >>>>
> >>>> HI Joe,
> >>>> Yes, the RGB2VGA converter is for the 9 pin RGB male header on the
> >>> bottom of the Coco 3.  The converter also has and input and output VGA
> >>> style 15 pin connectors.  It converts the old 15KHZ video signals from
> >> all
> >>> computers to the current 31KHZ video signals.  Luis has successfully
> used
> >>> it with several different retro computer systems.  And yes, from what I
> >>> have seen in his videos, the picture looks very sharp.  I'm looking
> >> forward
> >>> to eventually building one for myself, but that is a little bit in the
> >>> future of course.  :)  Check the following link from Luis' web site.
> >>>> https://sites.google.com/site/tandycocoloco/rgb2vga
> >>>> It has all the minute details about the RGB2VGA converter.  Luis
> >>> thoroughly explains the entire operation of the RGB2VGA Converter which
> >>> includes pictures of the PCB mounted on top of the Altera DE-0 Nano
> >> board.
> >>> It's a nice small package.
> >>>>
> >>>> Kip Koon
> >>>> computerdoc at sc.rr.com
> >>>> http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Kip_Koon
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> -----Original Message-----
> >>>> From: Coco [mailto:coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] On Behalf Of Joe
> >>>> Grubbs
> >>>> Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2015 11:07 AM
> >>>> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
> >>>> Subject: Re: [Coco] Current Status of the "Help Send A Fellow CoCoNut
> >>>> To This Year's CoCoFEST" Campaign
> >>>>
> >>>> Kip,
> >>>>
> >>>> I need a refresher... The RGB2VGA converter is for the CoCo3, correct?
> >> I
> >>> assume it adapts the connector under the CoCo to a DB15 for use with a
> >> VGA
> >>> monitor? What's the general consensus on the performance? Does it work
> >> well
> >>> with modern LCD monitors? Also, what is the cost?
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>> From: computerdoc at sc.rr.com
> >>>>> To: coco at maltedmedia.com
> >>>>> Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2015 02:34:16 -0500
> >>>>> Subject: [Coco] Current Status of the "Help Send A Fellow CoCoNut To
> >>> This   Year's CoCoFEST" Campaign
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Hi Everyone,
> >>>>>
> >>>>> First of all, much thanks goes out to all those who have already
> >>>>> ordered either the RGB2VGA Converter or the Wodpak2+ or both fully
> >>> assembled PCBs.
> >>>>> Every order will certainly help send a fellow CoCoNut to this year's
> >>>>> CoCoFEST - namely me!  :P  I do appreciate everyone who has
> >>>>> participated so far.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I will be finalizing the PCB order with the fabrication house in the
> >>>>> next day or the day two, so if any of you who are interested but
> >>>>> have not yet ordered, please do so as soon as possible.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> So far I have paid orders for 3 RGB2VGA Converters and 3 WordPak2+
> >>>>> fully assembled PCBs.  Thank you again for all who have ordered thus
> >>>>> far.  I'm sending in the PCB designs in tonight and will do the
> >>>>> final order probably Monday.  I was going to ordering from a Chinese
> >>>>> PCB Fabrication house, but they are having their New Year's Day
> >>>>> celebrations this month, so I'm going with my original plan to use
> >>>>> OSHPark.  After the PCBs' order is done Monday, I should have the
> >>>>> finished PCBs back in about 10 days.  By then, the parts orders
> >>>>> should be about ready to arrive as I will put together the finalized
> >>> orders for parts Monday and sending in those orders as well.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I'm delighted to put these PCBs together for you guys or should I
> >>>>> say for Y'all!  :)  To correctly pronounce Y'all, it should be held
> >>>>> out approximately 1 to 2 seconds.  :P  Thank you all again.  Take
> >>>>> care my friends.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Kip Koon
> >>>>>
> >>>>> <mailto:computerdoc at sc.rr.com> computerdoc at sc.rr.com
> >>>>>
> >>>>> <http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Kip_Koon>
> >>>>> http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Kip_Koon
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> --
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> >>>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
> >>>>> https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> --
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> >>>>
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> >>>
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> >>
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