[Coco] 6847 external character generator

[Joe Grubbs]

This is great Al. Yeah I would love to have and/or closely replicate some original font styles if at all possible, just for authenticity sake. If you do get around to dragging the TDP out, it would be awesome. Fortunately it and the CoCo should be immune to whatever nasties those laptops have :P




--- Original Message ---

From: "Al Hartman" <alhartman6 at optonline.net>
Sent: February 28, 2015 10:34 PM
To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Subject: Re: [Coco] 6847 external character generator

This is what the original Lowerkit II looks like installed in my main Coco 2
which now has a 63B09E processor:

https://flic.kr/p/rpHaCu

This is what the character set looked like:

https://flic.kr/p/r8mmB8

I uploaded the manual for the board and character generator software (I have
the tape for Charit here somewhere) in 2013 to the archive.

I have one in my TDP-100, this one, and a third which had the pins crushed
and broken and I am in the middle of desoldering and repairing.

I know I was asked to read the ROM off one or more of them, but the only
EPROM programmers I have are the three Coco ones, one is proken, and I don't
have a good tape recorder to use the second, and I've never used the disk
version of the software for the Color Burner, and don't feel confident that
I know how to do it.

I wish there was a way to read the character set while it was in place.
Maybe the the next time I have that Coco 2 setup, I could write a quick
BASIC program to display all the characters, and this set could be
re-created using Zippster's spreadsheet.

I seem to remember that there were several character sets uploaded to the
CIS group. Some were made by Marty Goodman. I seem to remember that one set
was taken from an IBM graphics card and adapted for the Lowerkit. I think
this is what's in my TDP-100. I've been on the lookout for an "F" board Coco
to resurrect the TDP-100, and a keycap to replace the missing one on the HJL
keyboard.

If I can drag down the TDP off the high shelf, I'll try plugging it in and
taking pictures of the inside, and the lowerkit character set. I just
cleared my tray table in my bedroom (I repaired three virus infected laptops
for friends), so this might be an easy project for tomorrow.

-[ Al ]-


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