• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

Which Color Computer?

smp

smp

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Messages
1,731
Location
Bedford, NH, USA
Hello all,

Way back in the '80s I purchased one of the original Color Computers. 16K RAM and Extended Color BASIC. Terrific machine. I have fond memories of playing Dungeons of Daggorath. IIRC, it was similar to Wizardry on my Apple IIC. I also remember having a Forth computer language cartridge, and I upset one of my mentors at work because it ran so much faster than his did on his 8085 machine. I also remember piggy-backing a second set of 16K RAM on top of the first set, and running the extra address line along to the circuit board and home brewing a 32K machine out of it.

Anyway, I sincerely regret getting rid of that machine, and I am thinking of getting another one.

The question is, which one?

I am thinking that the Color Computer 3 would be the best, but what do you think?

Also, Cloud-9 seems to have some delicious goodies for sale there. Is the Super IDE interface a good way to go? If I were to go that way, are there other accessories that I must consider right away? Can anyone offer a short list of the best stuff to get in order to create a "good" basic setup?

Thanks very much, in advance, for any thoughts you may have.

smp
 
My first computer was a CoCo 1 with either 16k or 32k (I don't remember which), and my dad later upgraded it to 64k. If I recall correctly, the upgrade involved piggy-backing chips and wiring to one or more bent-up pins, so I guess it probably started as a 32k machine?

I'd say that if you want to relive your old experiences, get an original CoCo. If you want to experience everything the CoCo can now do and don't mind sacrificing the original look-and-feel, get a CoCo 3 with a CM8 RGB monitor. 80 columns on a CoCo! Woohoo!

When I got into retrocomputing late last year, I ended up buying both a 64k CoCo 2 and a 128k CoCo 3 (since upgraded to 512k with a Cloud 9 board). My original CoCo is long gone. I haven't ended up doing much with the CoCo2, since I have that fancier CoCo 3 sitting there. About the only thing I miss on the CoCo3 is that some games that would have been in color on an analog CRT TV are monochrome on the RGB monitor, since the original hi-res color modes relied on aliasing effects to make color. My CoCo 2 is one of the later Korean-manufactured ones that has a newer video chip capable of displaying lower case letters.

Since you're already thinking CoCo 3, I think that's probably the one you'll want.
 
I'm not a very active user but I've been quite impressed with the CoCo 3 scene. Seems like the way to go if you want to mod it for currentish technology/features.
 
So, here's another question:

Do all the program cartridges out there for the Color Computer work with ALL the Color Computer models?

For example, I just acquired a Dungeons of Daggorath cartridge, as I am trying to gather things that I had long ago when I owned the original Color Computer. Will this cartridge work with the Color Computer 3?

Another example is the Audio Spectrum Analyzer cartridge.

Another example is a more rare, but still seen, Diagnostics cartridge.

Does anyone have a list or matrix of which cartridges work with which Color Computer models? Or, can I assume that any cartridge produced by Radio Shack / Tandy will work in any model of Color Computer?

Thanks,

smp
 
There were some cartridges that only worked with the CoCo 3. Earlier models of floppy controllers require a +12 supply that the 2 and 3 do not provide. Multi pak interfaces required a mod to work with the 3.

I have a Audio Spectrum Analyzer pak, but I haven't tried it yet. Daggorath does work on the 3. I think that it's sequel Tharoggad was only for the 3.

Edited: Corrected details about 12V supply. Thanks, Sharkonwheels!
 
Last edited:
NF6X said:
There were some cartridges that only worked with the CoCo 3. Earlier models of floppy controllers require a -12 supply that the 3 does not provide (I don't recall whether the 2 provides that supply). Multi pak interfaces required a mod to work with the 3.

I have a Audio Spectrum Analyzer pak, but I haven't tried it yet. Daggorath does work on the 3. I think that it's sequel Tharoggad was only for the 3.
Click to expand...

Only the CoCo1 had 12V. 2 and 3 require an MPI, or a 12V hack to get a -3022 FDC to work. Don't think a -3029 requires this, as I think it was released for the CoCo2, early boards came with MB8877 fdc chip, later with the WD1773. 5V all.

To answer the OP, the unquestioned way to go, if you're not after a CoCo1 experience, is the CoCo3.
Cloud9 has the 512K upgrades, though they are sold out of the SuperIDE PAKs, which is awesome btw.
Ask around on the coco list to see if anyone has something they want to unload. I think the Glenside Coco Club still had/has IDE interfaces, though they're of a simpler nature.

Darren Atkinson also made a limited run (which I missed) of a CoCoSDC board, which 100% emulated a coco FDC, using an SD card for storage. Still kicking myself, but maybe we can dig up enough folks for another run.

coco list: http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco

look for Brian Goers on the CoCo list, and he can tell you if any Glenside IDE boards remain...
 
There are also a handful of programs that use the Semigraphics-24 mode that won't run properly on the CoCo 3, and I think a handful that don't work due to a bug in the program itself.
 
Hello again, all,

Here is an update of my current CoCo status (in case anyone is actually interested):

1. CoCo 3 ordered from www.cloud9tech.com on 14 May. Arrival hoped to be before Memorial Day, but we'll see.

2. Drivewire cable and cassette rescue cable received from eBay. I'm ready to try out Drivewire when the CoCo arrives.

3. Dungeons of Daggorath cartridge received from eBay. I'm ready to go with one of my favorite games of all time.

4. A random game cartridge received from eBay. The label is off and the cartridge is disassembled and ready for an EPROM board.

5. NF6X EPROM board on order (http://www.nf6x.net/2013/10/cocoeprompak/). Waiting to hear when it will go to fabrication.

6. The book: "CoCo: The Colorful History of Tandy's Underdog Computer" ordered from Amazon on 14 May. Arrival anticipated on 20 May.

I think that's it for now. I bid on a couple of CoCo 3s on eBay, but the prices went higher than one can purchase from Cloud 9 in both cases, so I ended up ordering my CoCo from them. I am hoping to program a 2764 EPROM with DriveWire 3/4 HDB-DOS, and, using items 4 & 5 above, create a Drivewire cartridge, so I won't have to load the HDB-DOS from cassette (PC with a .WAV file) every time.

As things arrive and I get things up and running (or get confused and need to call for help) I will post additional status updates.

smp
 
Last edited:
Very nice! That's quite a good start!

I haven't tried out HDB-DOS yet, but I ought to one of these days. I got a floppy drive for my new CoCo right away when I started retrocomputing last year, so I just booted from cassette once or twice before I had a DriveWire boot floppy made. My goal was just to use DriveWire as a way to initially get images onto floppy disks. If you'd rather serve software from your modern machine instead of running off real floppies, then I think the HDB-DOS cartridge should work well. I'm looking forward to hearing how it all works out.

I wonder if anybody here has a 3D printer, and might be able to print up new cartridge housings?
 
Hello again, all,

My CoCo 3 *finally* arrived today. I have been suffering watching the tedious tracking from the USPS. Of course, everything went into a coma for the memorial Day weekend, and then it took three days of bouncing around in various sorting facilities around here before it finally popped out and came today.

Anyway, it seems to be working out just fine. The Dungeons of Daggorath cartridge works just like I remember it (I can get through Level 1, but then I always die pretty soon after climbing down to Level 2).

I hooked up my cassette rescue cable and my Drivewire cable, and I was able to load HDB-DOS by CLOADM, and EXEC brought it up. I then fired up Drivewire 3 on my trusty laptop PC that I use as a terminal for my other computers. I rushed out onto the Internet and downloaded the first .DSK file I could find. I grabbed Space Intruders (for CoCo 3, of course) from www.lcurtisboyle.com. I unzipped the .DSK file and popped it into drive 0 on the Drivewire server. When I typed DIR on the CoCo 3, voila! the disk directory came up super fast. I was able to load the .BAS file and run it.

This is SWEET!

So now I have everything proven out as working. I have my EPROM boards on the way from http://www.nf6x.net/2013/10/cocoeprompak/ now. I have a request in to Cloud 9 for a quote on availability and shipping for a HDB-DOS EPROM. Once I get all the parts, I'll make up an HDB-DOS cartridge and I should be completely in business.

I have not yet tried out my Dragon cassette cable - I'm still rooting around trying to dig up a cassette recorder and a good blank cassette. That will allow me to save my game from Dungeons of Daggorath, so I won't have to start from scratch every time I want to give it another go.

I am loving this! Everything is working out right for a change. Great!

smp
 
If I would've known you were going to Cloud9, I would've suggested having a 6309 installed first. This way you'd be ready for any and all 6809 or 6309 software.

Nice start. I'm actually looking at getting 2-3 of those ROM boards as well, one to use with a GlensIDE controller.
 
Sharkonwheels said:
I'm actually looking at getting 2-3 of those ROM boards as well, one to use with a GlensIDE controller.
Click to expand...

Hi there, and thanks for the encouragement.

When I made my order for the EPROM board, the minimum order is for quantity 3. For $18 and change, you can't go wrong with this. I am currently only thinking about making the HDB-DOS cartridge for convenience, but I am certain that some things will come along that I will want to do with the other 2 boards!

smp
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top