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MarkO

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Posts posted by MarkO

    CoCo Cartridge STLs

    in Tandy Computers

    Posted

    John Linville, <linville@tuxdriver.com> and other backers, had a Run of 1000, Red Cartridge Shells made by Injection Molding...

     

     

    John Strong, of Strong Ware is making 3D Printed one....

     

     

    An Open Source design would be a nice addition... For those wanting to try their own...

     

    MarkO

    Is the Apple II too simple a computer?

    in Apple II Computers

    Posted

     

    I tried searching and could not find "street pricing" for the Apple IIe/IIc in 1984 (or any year). I tried looking for ComputerLand ads. I don't know if they were able to be sold mail order in places like Computer Shopper. I think only Apple dealers could sell them, and they were bound to sell for MSRP.

     

    If you can find something solid other than hearsay, it would be great. It's easy to find pricing for Commodore and Atari, since there were sold in retail stores.

     

    It was my experience that all the Apple Dealers sold at MSRP...

     

    It also seemed they had a Monopoly, is that there were a limited number of Dealers in a given area or Market..

     

    MarkO

    Is the Apple II too simple a computer?

    in Apple II Computers

    Posted · Edited by MarkO

    oldcomputers.net shows the IIe released in 1983 for $1400 and the IIc released in 1984 for $1300. Adjusted for inflation that's like $2-3000 today. Now true it doesn't say what you got for that money,

     

    but in contrast, you could get Atari XLs or C64s for less than $300 in 83-84. You could use a TV if you didn't want to shell out for a monitor, use a tape if you couldn't afford a disk drive. That's what we did, buy everything piecemeal. I got a disk drive around 84-85 when the prices of the 1050 dropped significantly.

     

    I got my Apple ][e in NOV-1983, it had 64K and the 1K 80 Column Card, One Disk ][ with Controller and the Apple Monitor /// with Stand..

     

    The Retail Price at that time was, $1,995.00..

     

    Since mine was 6 Months used, ( it was a rental place called, Byte-by-Byte ), they sold it for $1,200.00..

     

    The 1,395.00 would be the Basic CPU, No Drive, No Monitor...

     

    MarkO

    CoCo Multi-Pak

    in Tandy Computers

    Posted

    I never owned a Multipak interface but I have one coming. Primarily because I wanted my CoCo SDC always plugged in and want to use the rest as a "kiosk" to play my actual cart games :) It needs to be modded to work in a CoCo 3 (the one coming to me already is) and I can tell you that it is rare enough that if you are thinking about one to test it out it will run you almost the price of a CoCo 3 itself ;)

    My First MPI was Not Modded for the CoCo 3.. My Second one was Modded..

     

    I have been told there is no issues using the Modded MPI on the CoCo 1 and 2, so since both of mine are the 26-3024, I bought the PAL from Zippster to upgrade it..

     

     

    See thread, "Coco 3 Flash Storage Available?" for ways to contact Zippster...

     

    MarkO

    CoCo Multi-Pak

    in Tandy Computers

    Posted

    Interesting - I knew they would have figured out a way to use more than one device at a time (otherwise it isn't much of an expansion device) - just didn't really know how it did its thing. The TI worked pretty much the same way - the devices shared a common address space in the memory map, but certain bits in the CRU determined which device was mapped in.

    The RS-2232 Pack has a Terminal Program in ROM, but that is MAPPED into the same Memory as the R-DOS ROM: H&C000..

     

    But the I/O is different:

    Disk System: &FF40 to &FF5F

    RS-232 Pack: &FF68 to &FF6B

     

    MarkO

    CoCo Multi-Pak

    in Tandy Computers

    Posted

    I hope you all will pardon my ignorance because aside from some casual usage of CoCo 2 back in the day, I don't have much experience with them, but the Multi-Pak I think is an interesting device and I'd like to know more about how it worked practically.

     

    Let's say I have one of these plugged into the expansion port, and in it, I have a disk controller and the modem pak plugged into it. In practice, how does one use both of these devices at the same time, say, to save a file from the modem onto the disk? I looked through the owner's manual for this device and I can see you can POKE a location in BASIC to tell it which slot to make active, so it makes sense that you could do this in machine language, but were many programs written to take advantage of a system expanded this way?

     

    I come from a background with the TI 99/4A with its single expansion port (although the cartridge port was a separate thing from that) and I'm used to many devices sharing the port, but they were all controlled through a different mechanism on the TI, and any device was usable by any program without modification. Just curious about how this Multi-Pak worked...

     

    Thanks for indulging me!

     

    I am fairly new to the CoCo's, but have a mostly new CoCo 3, and a couple CoCo 2s and a CoCo 1, and Two of the MPI and one of the RS-232 Packs.

     

    From what I understand, the Switch on the MPI selects Which Port is active on a Reset..

     

    The MPI is designed to have the Disk Controller, like the FD-500 or FD-501 or FD-502 or even CoCoSDC in Slot #4 and the RS-232 Pack in Slot #2. and be able to have them both be accessed, since they are mapped into different Memory Locations..

     

    I haven't tried it, but I believe that you want Slot #4 Active, so the RS-DOS ROMS are active, and when your run your Terminal Program, it can access the RS-232 Cart's Port with no Issues..

     

    MarkO

    CoCoTALK!, Now has a Web Site!

    in Tandy Computers

    Posted

    Oh nice! I've been wanting to spend a little more time exploring my Color Computer 3.

     

    The Whole Thing is very Free Form...

     

    So feel free to watch the Live Stream and Ask Questions... Someone is very likely to have an answer...

     

    You will probably even get an Invite to Join the Skype Call...

     

    MarkO

     

    MarkO

    CoCoTALK!, Now has a Web Site!

    in Tandy Computers

    Posted · Edited by MarkO

    CoCoTALK!, The nation’s leading weekly live talk show about the Tandy Color Computer, never mind that it’s the only one!

     

    Airing LIVE on YouTube, each Saturday, 02:00PM, 14:00 EDT, ( 06:00PM, 18:00 UCT ).

     

     

    Come hear, ( and sometimes see ) current Color Computer enthusiasts, as well as past Enthusiasts and Developers.

     

     

    MarkO

    • Like 1

    Is DriveWire easy to use on a CoCo 3?

    in Tandy Computers

    Posted

    The CoCoSDC's HDB-DOS contains DriveWire support..


    I built a DriveWire Cable for the CoCo's Bit Banger Port and connected it to a Windows 7 Machine with DriveWire 4 Installed...


    It works fantastic... If you want to check a lot of CoCo Disks, without writing them to Real Floppies or Copying them to an SD Card, this work very well...

     

    For Development Work, I think this would be the Fastest Way to get Code from a Modern PC to a Real CoCo...

     

     

    Get your CoCoSDCs from Zippster...

     

     

    MarkO

    CoCo3 Green Screen of Death

    in Tandy Computers

    Posted

    Welcome Back to the CoCo Realm...

     

    I am actually very new to the CoCo, only 5 years now..

     

     

    Make Sure that ANY Socked chips are Firmly in place..

     

    Over the years, Oxide will build up between the Socked Chips and the Sockets..

     

    I received a couple years ago a Non Working CoCo 1, with the purchase of a working CoCo 2..

     

    The CoCo 1 worked, once I received it... I assume that ALL the Jostling in Shipping cause the Connections to be made..

     

     

    MarkO

    CoCo3 & Cloud 9 (a repair story)

    in Tandy Computers

    Posted

    Thanks man. Yeah, the bad CPU is certainly a unique situation. You could swear this was a RAM issue. Really odd. I would never have discovered the problem. Mark was pretty surprised as well and said this was a very unique issue.

    You will be better off with the HD6309 anyway....

     

    MarkO

    coco's wanted

    in Tandy Computers

    Posted

    From what I can tell the CoCo 3 is highly sought after as it has increased memory, graphics, and sound capabilities. Also could run double speed, I think... Still no sprite support but it was the last of the official CoCo line. There's a lot of work making a kind of "CoCo 4" out of FPGA boards as well. I think one of the kits (well, it was a prefilled shopping cart) ran around $160 for the parts...

     

    How to Build a “CoCo 4” – cococommunity.net

    CoCo 3s are very desirable, but most Games are designed for the CoCo 1 & 2..

     

    Been trying to source a reasonably priced CoCo 3 myself and not having much luck. Mostly the ones that pop-up on ebay that are in my price range are in horrible "untested" condition.

    Most people don't know how to test them... Most of the responses I have seen from People getting Units of Unknown Operation Condition, they do work, or do with a little of Re-seating the Chips and checking the Wiring...

     

    In the meantime I have two CoCo 2's, a 16k and a 64k which I've been using to learn assembly on.

    Which Assembler are you using??? Which Books are you using???

     

    MarkO

    Considering Apple IIGS--Buying tips?

    in Apple II Computers

    Posted · Edited by MarkO

    Welcome, future Apple ][ Owner...

     

    All the above is Great Advice...

     

    Let me add a Bit More..

     

     

    The ][gs has Composite NTSC ( or PAL ) and RGB Built in... For working with Text, RGB is the Way to Go...

     

    But some of the Classic Apple ][ Games use Artifact Colors, and need to have the Composite Video used, or they won't look as nice...

     

    Have Both Monitors handy, and Switch as needed..

     

    Also, on the Subject of Classic Apple ][ Games, some are still on 5,25" Disk Images... So you will need a REAL Apple 5.25" or Apple UniDisk 5.25" to read them..

     

    Or the CFFA3000.. BTW, the CFFA3000 will read Hard Drive Images or 3.5" or 5.25" It is a Fantastic, All in One Solution.... ( Open Disclosure: I own Two of them, so I might be a little Biased...;) )

     

    The Disk Controller is already Built in, so when you get one of the newer Apple 5.25" Drives with the 19 Pin Connector, just plug it in... But NOT when Powered ON!!! Turn OFF First..

     

    You can also Daisy Chain the the 3.5" Disks and the 5.25" Disks, just plug the 3.5" Drives in First...

     

    On ][gs Software, there are a few Games, that don't run on the ROM 3... They might have all been patched by now, but if your getting a 4MB or 8MB card, the 256K on the ROM 01 won't be an Issue... And the later versions of GS/OS, patch the ROM 00/01 anyway so Get a ROM 01, unless that Fantastic ROM 3 "Falls in your Lap".. ;)

     

     

    On the Battery Issue, Yes, they should be replaced...

     

    As far as my Actual Experience has gone, with Two ROM 3 Machines and Three ROM 01 Machines and a ROM 00 Machine and Three ROM 01 Motherboards ( I got a Bulk Lot of Factory Refurbished ROM 01 Boards ), only the One ROM 3 Machine Leaked.. ( The other had the Battery Removed 20 years ago ), all the ROM 01s and ROM 00 have had no problems..... So Far.... ( Maybe I am just lucky so far.. )

     

    MarkO

    Sinclair zx81 and Timex 1000 in America

    in Classic Computing Discussion

    Posted

    It's pretty simple. I soldered it to the bottom of the TS1000 instead it was quite the mess trying to solder to ground on the top.

    My Original ZX-81, was bought as a Kit by my Dad... You need a Bit More than Normal amount of Heat to Solder on some parts of the Board, as I remember...

    ( Front, Left ZX-81, the Front, Right was my Uncle's, that he made a custom Joystick for.. )

     

    I believe we got the ZX-81 Kit in APR-1983..

     

    MarkO

    New text adventure - An Unusual Dream

    in Apple II Computers

    Posted

    I'd like to be able to type commands. Like type 'f' and hit TAB to display all options that begin with 'f', then 'fo' would display 'forward'.

     

    Cycling is nice to see all possible options, but would also like to cycle backwards -- not always forward.

    Use the Shift Key to change the Cycle Direction??

     

    Left and Right Arrows???

     

    MarkO

    M.U.L.E. - For the Apple, is it Impossible?

    in Apple II Computers

    Posted · Edited by MarkO

    Wizardry was ported to the IBM PC, C64, NES and many other computer systems. I doubt that all of them had a Pascal runtime available to compile code suitable for each system.

    Actually, UCSD P-System was available for the IBM-PC at the original Ship Date... It was the Third OS available for the IBM-PC, after CP/M-86 and PC-DOS v1.00.

     

    ( Remember that PC-DOS was shipped with the Machine and Included in the Cost, where as CP/M-86 and the UCSD P-System were an extra cost.. Look which one Won Out... )

     

    MarkO

    • Like 2
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