[Coco] RS232 to WiFi/Ethernet

[Allen Huffman]

> On Jan 30, 2018, at 1:18 PM, Ron Klein <ron at kdomain.org> wrote:
> 
> I'm not a hardware tech, but could this module be added to a revised
> CoCoSDC with the serial connection (and power) made via the Coco cartridge
> slot?  That combo unit would provide a bunch of functionality.

Yes. What we need are two things:

1) Low cost thing that plugs into bitbanger that anyone can use, even if they have no RS232 pak, no MultiPak, etc. This could, of course, also be used on an RS232 Pak.

2) A cartridge option for folks who don’t have MPI and/or RS232 pak. Bitbanger would be okay, but lousy under OS-9, and can’t do the 115200 baud that the RS232 pak can do.

And really, if someone just provides TTL pins (3.3v for the ESP module, ot 5V for other modules) on a header, we could just plug in modules.

Want bluetooth serial? Add the module. What WiFI? Add the $1.99 ESP8266 module. Want WiFi and BT? Add the ESP32 that is a few dollars more.

The holy grail would be getting something like this in the SDC since that’s such a standard piece of hardware.

Remember the Disto floppy controllers? They had the add-on plug for extra hardware? We need a modern version of that, I guess.

> A Game Master cartridge with serial WiFi capability?  Perhaps we see new
> multiplayer games or even MUD type games with some better audio and sound
> effects to boot!

Roger and I will be playing Tic-TAC-Toe or something, soon.

		— A