[AQUARIUS] Dusting off the old Aquarius ...

[+DZ-Jay]

Voltron, you're coming along very nicely--awesome progress!

 

When you're done whetting your appetite on your Aquarius BASIC, let me know and we'll get right down to the Real Thing: Intellivision Assembly.

 

-dZ.

[Pset]

Post your code! In the BASIC thread.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Pset

[voltron]

Voltron, you're coming along very nicely--awesome progress!

 

When you're done whetting your appetite on your Aquarius BASIC, let me know and we'll get right down to the Real Thing: Intellivision Assembly.

 

-dZ.

 

Voltron, you're coming along very nicely--awesome progress!

 

When you're done whetting your appetite on your Aquarius BASIC, let me know and we'll get right down to the Real Thing: Intellivision Assembly.

 

-dZ.

Will do I printed the tag a long code out. to play with. But im having issues with intv emulators working on my machine.

[voltron]

Post your code! In the BASIC thread.

I can post it, but its not much, I didnt use any fancy graphics, it was just a skeleton. And when I was writting I was just trying to figure out how to make a character move around the screen. Plus im not sure the way i did it is the best way to code, i didnt use remarks or strucutred order to its all over the place.

[Pset]

Just post it. Use version numbers and the [ spoiler ] [ /spoiler ] tags to contain it so the threads don't bloat. Like this

 

10 print "hello world"

20 a$ = inkey$: if a$="" then 20

 

 

 

Then we can post suggestions and you can just update your posted code by editing.

I'm working on Hangman from Quite BASIC

And really thinking of talking to that developer about making an online Aquarius BASIC.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Pset

[jaybird3rd]

Just thought I'd dust off this thread with an update on my various Aquarius projects, for those who are interested.

 

The 32K RAM module is just about finished; at this point, I'm just waiting on the parts, which should arrive in a few days. As I've said in the main thread for that project, the original 16K modules are something of a rarity, and only a few original 32K modules were produced at all, so most Aquarius owners are stuck with the paltry ~1.7K of free RAM in the stock Aquarius. I'm hoping that these new modules will finally be an economical solution to the RAM scarcity problem, both for programmers and for those who simply want to try the third-party cassette games (many of which require at least 16K) on a real Aquarius.

 

I'm also updating the Aquaricart with new labels for the "low-profile" Intellivision-style shells I've switched to. This is intended to match the Aquaricart manual, which itself is based on Mattel's original designs. Here's the new label as it currently stands:

 

 

I've been working on this while I've been waiting for the parts for my 32K modules, and I'll have it printed after I've shipped the first round of orders for that project.

 

I've also begun working on a homebrew game, which will be the first new cartridge game published for the Aquarius since it was discontinued. I've got lots of game ideas, some of which I've discussed already, but I'm starting with the one I've had rattling around in my head the longest: a non-copyright-infringing falling puzzle game in the style of Tetris, but unlike any you've ever seen for a vintage computer or console. I posted some mock screenshots back when I was first toying with this idea, but I'll be starting totally from scratch, and with a new name. There's a lot more to a well-formed falling puzzle game than meets the eye, so designing this game properly will involve a lot of research and a lot of playtesting. I'll share updates when I can, but it probably won't be ready to show off even in beta form until the end of this year, at least.

 

A few updates on some other Aquarius stuff:

 

• "Aquaricart, Volume II" (a cartridge-based collection of third-party cassette titles) has been put on the back burner for a while. There are certain challenges in putting together a collection of those games in a way that would match the quality of the Aquaricart, so I'm moving on to other projects while I think my way through these issues. In the meantime, the 32K module is an inexpensive solution for those who want to play those games on a real Aquarius.
• The "Mini Expander II" is still very much on my list. This will have all the features of the original Mini Expander module (dual cartridge slots, PSG sound chip, and hand controller ports), but will also include other features which will help to remedy some longstanding shortcomings of the Aquarius. Instead of doing the whole thing all at once, I've decided to design each feature individually, and finally integrate them into one module. I'll be sharing updates about them as I get them finished. One of the first will probably be the secondary PSG sound chip (for three additional voices) and Atari joystick and paddle ports, since I'd like to add support for these to my games.
• Development Cartridge and Tools: For the longest time, I've wanted to have a way to quickly download code from a PC for testing on a real Aquarius. I'll definitely need it to develop my games, so this is another project that will happen sooner rather than later. What I have in mind is a battery-backed SRAM cartridge with some built-in software, and a USB I/O cable which will plug into the Mini Expander's "Player 2" controller port. I've already got all the stuff I need to build it; I just have to sit down and get it done. I'll also be finishing and releasing my Screen Builder utility, since I'll need to have that in shape for my own use, too.

[Aquaman]

Thanks for the update!

[mvdsteenoven]

Hi Jay,

 

I was reading about the USB memory card. At first I imagined a card with an USB connector on one side and an Aquarius 44 pins on the other side, but rereading I noticed that you want to use the port of the handcontroller. What an elegant and good idea! Not many realize that these ports can be used for input and outpus as well!

You can place some ROMS on a standard cartridge cards to read the port, sweet!

The Aquarius community really needs a tool to transfer files from the PC to the Aquarius computer, I just cannot wait.

 

What functionallity will this card get? Will you be able to transfer binary ROM images and BASIC files as well?

 

Regs,

Martin

[jaybird3rd]

Hi Jay,

 

I was reading about the USB memory card. At first I imagined a card with an USB connector on one side and an Aquarius 44 pins on the other side, but rereading I noticed that you want to use the port of the handcontroller. What an elegant and good idea! Not many realize that these ports can be used for input and outpus as well!

You can place some ROMS on a standard cartridge cards to read the port, sweet!

The Aquarius community really needs a tool to transfer files from the PC to the Aquarius computer, I just cannot wait.

 

What functionallity will this card get? Will you be able to transfer binary ROM images and BASIC files as well?

 

Regs,

Martin

Theoretically, anything is possible. I can envision using the PC interface to load binary images into the development cartridge, to load machine-language software into system RAM, or even to parse plain-text BASIC listings sent from the PC. We could also use it to upload data from the Aquarius to the PC, as an alternative to using the old printer port. All it would take is the right software on both ends.

 

On the Aquarius side, there will need to be a version of Extended BASIC which adds the necessary commands. That's what I intend to do with the Aquarius II OS that you helpfully archived for us: using Aquarius II Extended BASIC as a starting point, we can add all the new commands that we want, and it won't interfere at all with the cartridge software because the cartridge (if present) is always "booted" first.

 

My development cartridge will probably be a "2-in-1": a battery-backed SRAM to hold the binary images, and the modified Aquarius II OS to handle the I/O. I'll have to design a new board for it, but that will actually make things easier in certain ways. Eventually, the Aquarius II OS, with all the cool stuff we add to it, will be built in to the Mini Expander II.

 

To create the link cable, I plan to start with one of the relatively inexpensive USB I/O chipsets that are also sold as development modules, like this one:

 

 

I'll probably begin by designing a little daughterboard which has a socket for this module at one end and a connector for the Mini Expander's hand controller port at the other. The Mini Expander does not supply power through these ports, but that won't be an issue here since this module is powered through USB.

[Aquaman]

That new Mini Expander II sounds more and more like the Ultimate Expander

[+MattelAquarius]

It would resolve a deeply unresolved childhood need, if the future project would be called the Aquarius Master Expansion Module.

 

http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/media/aquarius.html#drives

 

A fellow can dream.

[Chuck D. Head]

It would resolve a deeply unresolved childhood need, if the future project would be called the Aquarius Master Expansion Module.

 

http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/media/aquarius.html#drives

 

A fellow can dream.

 

I was only peripherally aware of this device, and had no clue about the System Command Console. Was this the only way to make use of the X-10 software, or could you interface directly to the Aquarius? I had hoped to play around with that someday, so I hope it wasn't dependent on a non-existant peripheral.

[jaybird3rd]

I was only peripherally aware of this device, and had no clue about the System Command Console. Was this the only way to make use of the X-10 software, or could you interface directly to the Aquarius? I had hoped to play around with that someday, so I hope it wasn't dependent on a non-existant peripheral.

The X10 Command Console was the hardware interface for the X10 system; the software was a regular Aquarius program cartridge. The Aquarius was to be the first home computer to get an official X10 interface; after the Aquarius was discontinued, the Command Console was retrofitted and released for the TRS-80 Color Computer instead. You can see a picture of the TRS-80 "Plug 'N' Power" interface here; you can clearly see that, despite the TRS-80 label, the case was originally designed to match the Aquarius computer.

 

I dumped the X10 cartridge software from a prototype and included it in the Aquaricart collection, hoping that somebody could retrofit the TRS-80 adapter back to the Aquarius so it could be used as originally intended. As far as I know, nobody has done it yet, but I still think it would be a fun project.

[+MattelAquarius]

 

I was only peripherally aware of this device, and had no clue about the System Command Console. Was this the only way to make use of the X-10 software, or could you interface directly to the Aquarius? I had hoped to play around with that someday, so I hope it wasn't dependent on a non-existant peripheral.

 

 

Oh, I used to endlessly page through the Aquarius catalog (the ones that were packed with every game) and wish mighty wishes. The Master Expansion Module was in those catalogs, but the Command Console was not. Ironically, when I later learned of the X-10 device for the Color Computer, I was envious. If I had known that it was the abandoned offspring of the Aquarius it would have hurt even more. By the time I got a Color Computer 3, Tandy had discontinued the device(s). Only later during my Aquarius collecting did I realize the shape of the Coco's X-10 had an uncanny resemblance to the Aquarius. Weird how things go.

[ravard]

Ok Jay.

 

Sign me up for the Aquaricart 2, the new Expander, the Supercart, and the game. Actually just send me 1 of anything you create. :}

 

Having read through this topic you all have inspired me. I will start developing for the Aquarius. I haven't developed in Basic of Assembly in 30 years, but I can relearn it.

 

And with the emulator I don't even need my Aquarius. But it should be at my doorstep any day now. I know there is a modem for the Aquarius. Has anyone built an ethernet expansion? I'm thinking an Aquarius Web server would be cool.

 

ravard

Edited June 19, 2014 by ravard

[jaybird3rd]

Ok Jay.

 

Sign me up for the Aquaricart 2, the new Expander, the Supercart, and the game. Actually just send me 1 of anything you create. :}

 

Will do! I'll try not to keep you waiting too long!

 

Having read through this topic you all have inspired me. I will start developing for the Aquarius. I haven't developed in Basic of Assembly in 30 years, but I can relearn it.

 

And with the emulator I don't even need my Aquarius. But it should be at my doorstep any day now. I know there is a modem for the Aquarius. Has anyone built an ethernet expansion? I'm thinking an Aquarius Web server would be cool.

I'm glad we've inspired you! It's actually much easier to get started with BASIC programming if you begin with the emulator. Late last year, I put together an Aquarius BASIC Tutorial and a collection of tools which you might find useful.

 

I believe the Aquarius modem is a 300-baud modem, which is too slooooow to be much more than a curiosity nowadays. One of my plans for the "Mini Expander II" is to include a faster serial port. You'll then be able to use a device server (like this one) to connect the Aquarius to an Ethernet network.

[jaybird3rd]

Oh, I used to endlessly page through the Aquarius catalog (the ones that were packed with every game) and wish mighty wishes. The Master Expansion Module was in those catalogs, but the Command Console was not. Ironically, when I later learned of the X-10 device for the Color Computer, I was envious. If I had known that it was the abandoned offspring of the Aquarius it would have hurt even more. By the time I got a Color Computer 3, Tandy had discontinued the device(s). Only later during my Aquarius collecting did I realize the shape of the Coco's X-10 had an uncanny resemblance to the Aquarius. Weird how things go.

I know what you mean. I used to longingly page through the late-80s Triton catalogs for the Texas Instruments 99/4A. That system had already been "dead" for some years, but it was the only computer I had at the time, and I wanted so much more from it than I could get from just the stock console and a tape recorder. There was plenty of software that I wanted, more than I could possibly afford, but what really fired my imagination was the upgrades, especially the Peripheral Expansion Box and the Geneve 9640.

 

It still amazes me that today's computers can (almost) totally emulate all that stuff, and that with modern technology, we can built an upgrade module inside the old Aquarius Mini Expander shell that can far exceed anything the Master Expansion Module could have done. It's just a matter of deciding how to do it appropriately and cost-effectively.

[chjmartin2]

Hi. I was just thinking about the Aquarius today and am anxious to get back to work. Anyway, I love having the EPROM to work with, but my projects are so limited in terms of data space even at 1 megabyte. I really need to get more data to the machine. I know there is the cassette port but that is far too slow to be at all useful. I would really like to make my modern computer serve up data in rapid fire fashion to the Aquarius, and I actually think it can be done, but I need some brain power from the collective. I see two options:

 

1. The printer handshake port. I realize that it is only 1 bit, but I could get a USB parallel port cable, then go ahead and tap onto one bit, from there it is on the programmer to get the two systems to talk together and synced up. I envision some sort of "Aquarius Media Player Host" on a current computer and the output to the Aquarius, but for my vision I need a data transfer rate of almost 800 kbytes per second. That means that my 1 bit data transfer would have to be 6.6 MHz at ideal - so, not going to happen. I think the absolute max is going to be something like 1/10th the CPU frequency, so, 4.0 * 10^5 bits per second which is like 49 kilobytes per second. At CPU frequency, we're talking 490 kbps but that's just the clock.

 

2. The hand controllers. Wow, this looks like two beautiful 8 bit I/O ports. I only want one direction, so, that gives me a 16 bit bandwidth, so at my 10% of CPU load figure (which I realize is arbitrary) then I think that makes 49 * 16 = 784 kilobyes per second. That's close to my 800 kbytes need.

 

What I don't know is how "fast" the hand controllers talk to the system.

 

I'll need to get a nice USB I/O interface (no reason to go oldschool parallel port, has to be a more modern solution) and then I'll have to mod an extender with a port and leads. I may have to adjust voltages to get to the right place but that is not too hard. Then, I'll need an encoder, host, and a custom slave program. I'll end up using Jay's board.

 

The journey here is going to be getting all of my stuff documented and update on the web, while moving my development environment to VisualBasic instead of Freebasic (thinking of C++, but I am so much more comfortable in basic) and movement towards more interactive conversion tools. This will get me back in the groove on Z80 ASM, getting roms burned, etc.

 

In the interim I'll be researching and building my host solution.

 

Anyway - help me think about the hand controller super-fast IO, and I don't want to make a mass storage device, that's beyond my capability and ambition at the moment, as I know a hosted solution is faster (at least for me.) Now if Jay makes me a mass storage device that can easily get file based I/O to a memory address (or in chunks to a multiple) then I'll go ahead and use it. So, before that, this is my plan.

 

Chris

[jaybird3rd]

Great to see you back working on the Aquarius, Chris! I've actually begun work on a solution similar to the one you describe (see my earlier posts about the "PC-Link" USB interface cable and the development cartridge).

 

I agree that the Mini Expander hand controller ports are the most promising option for high-speed I/O. The exact speed of the parallel interface will depend on the protocol that is used. I'm not far enough along in the design of the "PC-Link" cable to have done any tests yet, but it would certainly be much faster than the RS232 printer port.

 

As I mentioned earlier, the "PC-Link" cable will be a USB cable that plugs into the second hand controller port. The cable is one of the three necessary components for exchanging data with a PC; the other two are a large reprogrammable memory (to give you a place on the Aquarius side to store the data), and some communication software on the Aquarius and on the PC. Since my earlier post, I've begun work on the last two of these components, in the form of a hybrid SRAM/OS cartridge (the "development cartridge" I described earlier). This is a more specialized cartridge than my original SuperCart because it will contain two types of memory: a permanent ROM containing a simple communications program, and a reprogrammable battery-backed SRAM to hold the cartridge images. The ROM will have higher priority, so it will always be executed first, even if there is a valid image in the SRAM.

 

Here's how the whole thing will work from the user's point of view: you'll plug the "PC-Link" cable into the Mini Expander and the PC, then plug in the SRAM/OS cartridge. (If you want to download any data from the PC, such as a cartridge image, you'll also need to start a simple server program on the PC side.) The first thing you'll see when you turn on the Aquarius is the main menu of the communications program. Through it, you can: download a cartridge image from the PC and program it into the SRAM, execute the downloaded image, or erase the contents of the SRAM to clear the way for a new image. The SRAM will have a battery backup, so you won't have to reprogram it every time you want to use it; once the desired image has been downloaded, you can use it over and over like a regular cartridge, until you decide to erase and reprogram it again. Finally, no more burning an EPROM every time you want to test new software on the Aquarius!

 

There will still be limits on the size of the SRAM, so if you need more space, you'll have to fetch the data on demand through the "PC-Link" cable (the ROM will contain routines that you can call from your software to do this automatically). Eventually, I'll also develop a CompactFlash interface for the Aquarius for even larger amounts of nonvolatile storage. I haven't decided yet, but I'm considering making this a part of the Mini Expander II, since I'd like to add the routines to support the CF interface to the Mini Expander II OS ROM.

[chjmartin2]

 

 

There will still be limits on the size of the SRAM, so if you need more space, you'll have to fetch the data on demand through the "PC-Link" cable (the ROM will contain routines that you can call from your software to do this automatically). Eventually, I'll also develop a CompactFlash interface for the Aquarius for even larger amounts of nonvolatile storage. I haven't decided yet, but I'm considering making this a part of the Mini Expander II, since I'd like to add the routines to support the CF interface to the Mini Expander II OS ROM.

 

Can't wait to see it. The link cable is great for all kinds of things, likely not for what I need because I need a super fast data rate. I'd love to be able to know what the theoretical limit is based on the analog circuitry that is likely present in the aquarius. I'm not even convinced I need an RTS bit. I want a one-way data transfer from PC to Aquarius, and my basic plan is to process the incoming streaming data in real time. It's a hack - not a system, for me anyway.

[jaybird3rd]

Can't wait to see it. The link cable is great for all kinds of things, likely not for what I need because I need a super fast data rate. I'd love to be able to know what the theoretical limit is based on the analog circuitry that is likely present in the aquarius. I'm not even convinced I need an RTS bit. I want a one-way data transfer from PC to Aquarius, and my basic plan is to process the incoming streaming data in real time. It's a hack - not a system, for me anyway.

Yes, the "PC-Link" USB cable will be optimized for a slightly different purpose than what you have in mind.

 

As I've mentioned before, I want developers to be able to plug the "PC-Link" cable into the second hand controller port and a hand controller into the first port, so that they can easily download and test new software without having to swap the cables around. Since there will be only eight I/O pins available for data and control, I won't be able to use all eight for data. I'll probably implement a protocol similar to the old LapLink protocol for the original PC parallel port: four data bits, and any remaining bit(s) for control. That will sacrifice some of the potential speed for the sake of simplicity, but it should still be fast enough for the relatively small cartridge images and data files it will be used for. For your application, high speeds and much larger volumes of data will be more important, so you'll need a different interface, perhaps one that uses one hand controller port entirely for data and the other for control (if necessary).

 

I'll get back to work on this just as soon as things settle down a bit for me. I'm in the process of moving my home office—I'm posting for the first time from the new digs!—and school starts up again on the 20th, and both will be keeping me very busy for the next few weeks. I'll try to have a functional prototype shortly afterward. This new space allows me to finally have a development PC and an Aquarius set up side by side on the same workbench, which will make things much easier.

[Bruce Abbott]

 

I'll also be finishing and releasing my Screen Builder utility, since I'll need to have that in shape for my own use, too.

 

Any progress on this?

[jaybird3rd]

Any progress on this?

I've been picking away at it, but Real Life has seriously gotten in the way these past few months. The screen editor has been languishing on my "to-do" list for a while, so I'll try to deliver something soon. I'm in the middle of integrating a character set editor, and I think I'll release what I have once that is finished. I've got lots of other features in mind, but those can be added later.

 

Speaking of character sets ... I'm also working again on my character RAM upgrade board, which will also include your RGB upgrade. I'd like to provide an upgrade kit that can be installed without having to remove any of the original Aquarius chips, or even the RF modulator. That means a bit more design work, but I think it will be a better experience for the users. I'm still in the breadboard stage, but I've now got it working to the point where the character RAM and the original character ROM can be toggled under software control. I'll share more updates once I have something "feature complete" to show.