This weekend's haul

From: Doug Spence <ds_spenc_at_alcor.concordia.ca>
Date: Mon Jun 9 16:08:57 1997

On Fri, 30 May 1997, Roger Merchberger wrote:

> >OK, that makes it useful. Would you happen to know what the pinout is of
> >the 37-pin connector, so that I can try to make use of the drive without
> >modification? Is it even possible to buy a matching female 37-pin
> >connector?
>
> IIRC, it's just straight thru with the last/first 3 pins unused... but I'd
> have to look at the cable or ring some pins to be sure (and yes, I'm a
> packrat...).

Aren't we all?

Heck, I know my place is getting more and more congested with stuff. I've
got old computer books all over my floor, along with some boxed
Intellivision carts, a small 5-slot S-100 motherboard I picked up a week
ago, and a boxed, complete Odyssey system (the original one) I haven't
found room for anywhere else yet. (I'm not really into game systems, but I
keep finding them and saying to myself 'I wonder if this is cool' and
leaving with them.)

Anyway, eventually I'll get around to building an extension cable for that
drive. :)

<snip>

> All CoCo controllers take Shugart standard drives (now called IBM standard
> drives... IBM's taking over again!) altho RSDOS limits you to 35 tracks,
> SSDD, 156K disks (the original Shugart drives) without patches... which (of
> course) I have. RSDOS can handle a max of 2 DSDD 80 track drives with
> patches (more accurately... they look like 4 SSDD 80 track drives, with :2
> the backside of :0 and :3 the backside of :1) but 1.44Meg storage thru
> RSDOS is really good! OS-9 can handle 3 DSDD 80trk drives!

OS-9 is one OS I've been wanting to see running. Hopefully I can find a
CoCo controller or two to plug some drives into, and find someone locally
who has RSDOS and OS-9.

Seeing as you seem to know about the CoCo machines, I may as well ask you:
What the heck is this CoCo Max cartridge I picked up a year or so ago? It
looks like it's some kind of video digitizer or something... but then it
could just be some kind of wacky high-res display cartridge.

The sticker has been punctured over the screw, so all I see is "HI-RES
<hole>PUT MODULE", and on the underside is a small sticker that says "COCO
MAX HI-RES PACK - COLORWARE INC."

Know anything about it?

> --
> Roger Merchberger | If at first you don't succeed,
> Programmer, NorthernWay | nuclear warhead disarmament should
> zmerch_at_northernway.net | *not* be your first career choice.

Doug Spence
ds_spenc_at_alcor.concordia.ca
Received on Mon Jun 09 1997 - 16:08:57 BST