I think the next version could be a emulated serial drum machine.
I still love my psion Series 5mx, but I have to agree - the Series 3(a/c/mx) remains the best handheld ever made; the EPOC16 user interface was marvellous; OPL made them so easy to program and do cool stuff on. Even the keyboard wasnât too bad.
Iâm hoping over time to put my old stuff up on my github site, including the WardRound program I wrote for the 3a that basically saved my life as a junior doctor in the 1990s⌠(later became âWardFiveâ, then âClient_Lâ for the Series 5mx in one of my worst branding mistakes). I still think the 3a deserves a comeback as a consumer device companion (not replacement) for the smartphone, but that may be my nostalgia talking.
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For similar black aluminum sexiness I would like to see a re-retro make of the NeXT, but that wonât be happening for obvious reasons.
2 posts were split to a new topic: The idea of (later) x86 implementations having RISC internals
Hi
Regarding a replica project for the CompuColor II, I think this possible based on a preliminary review of the components. The logic board is comprised of many old, obsolete components which are either still available or equivalent alternatives are available.
Of particular concern is the main clock, a 17.9712 MHz crystal oscillator which serves as the sole clock source for the CPU, UART, and CRTC ICs. Although there doesnât appear to be a common HC-18 or HC-49 style 17.9712 MHz crystal available, Digikey offers programmable TTL oscillators which could serve as a substitute.
Another item to consider is the logic board uses multiple bipolar PROMs (82S123, 82S129, 82S131) as programmable logic devices. Presuming someone with access to an actual CompuColor II could dump these PROMs, they can be substituted with common GALs such as 16V8 and 22V10 to perform the same function.
Next, the logic board uses a pair of 2708 EPROMs or 9208 mask PROMs for the video character generator. These could be substituted with 2716 EPROMs or 28C16 EEPROMs.
The logic board also uses unusual DRAMs for video memory and system memory. I believe these could be simplified using 4416 (16Kx4) DRAMs. Although somewhat wasteful for the video memory, they would be much easier to obtain than 4027 (4Kx1) DRAMs.
Similarly, the system ROMs could be consolidated into a single 2764 EPROM or 28C64 EEPROM.
I think logic board to video interface could be simplified to an MSX style connector instead of a direct connect to the CRT analog board so as to decouple the logic board from the CRT monitor. Instead, I would propose combining the logic board in a clam shell type case along with the keyboard (like a C-64 or Apple II) and passing the video by cable to a SCART to VGA type converter to connect to a common VGA monitor. This would eliminate the hazardous CRT monitor interface with its high voltage components and additional obsolete parts.
Likewise the floppy drive could be replaced with a microcontroller type (teensy, ESP32, etc.) virtual floppy drive to serve disk images from SD without the unique floppy drive electronics board. The floppy drive interface is a essentially a 76800 bps serial interface and I think a modern microcontroller could easily handle being a virtual disk image server rather than trying to replicate the unique, if not bizarre, non-standard floppy drive.
I am mainly focused on the logic board, however, the keyboard and floppy drive replacements are major components of the project and major efforts by themselves.
Due to the large amount of part substitutions, I believe the project would be a major undertaking. Although possible, it would require a lot of time and effort. It is probably too large for a single person to accomplish by themselves in my opinion. I think a small group of dedicated hobbyists could pull it off especially if the project could be partitioned into logic board, keyboard, floppy drive, and software subprojects.
If you are interested in discussing a CompuColor II replica further please send me a DM
Thanks, Andrew Lynch
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I take it that the âAquarius+ treatmentâ means a reproduction using modern technology?
Back in the day, Peripheral Technology produced a single board computer intended to be mounted in a cabinet with 5 1/4" floppy drives. That was their PT69 series. It was essentially the equivalent of a SWTPC 6809 computer minus the ability to address more than 64K of memory.
Several years ago, they released an updated version. I have one. To be honest, it is rather boring as vintage computing hardware goes. It lacks much of the flavor of the original SWTPC system. No expansion bus. But it just works. 2 MHz clock speed instead of 1 MHz. Fills in unallocated spaces in the address space with RAM so that drivers and such can be loaded out of the way. Boots FLEX 9 or OS-9 Level 1 which is why I bought it. To me, the excitement is the ability to run the archived vintage software on actual hardware.
A couple of years ago, I was surprised to see he took a step âbackward.â The same thing, but for fans of the original SWTPC 6800 computer.
The latest surprise is a reproduction of the Altair 680B.
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Demo video for 680B by deramp5113
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Hi,
I am interpreting the âAquarius+ treatmentâ to mean a hardware replica thatâs readily buildable with currently available parts. My preference would be to keep it as faithful to the original design as possible to retain software compatibility and âlook and feelâ aspects.
However, regarding the CompuColor II, there are elements which are not readily reproduced like the bipolar PROMs and the floppy drive. So part substitutions are required. Actually, the bipolar PROMs can be obtained but are a hindance to anyone building the replica due to the specialized programmers required like DataIO 29B, etc. I have a DataIO 29B so itâs not personally limiting but they arenât common in comparison to a cheap commercial programmer which can program GALs.
The CompColor II floppy drive is truly unique and would require a lot of effort to replicate it especially the custom drive electronics board. Frankly, I think it more feasible to just put the disk images on a microSD card and use a microcontroller to emulate the floppy drive. I just donât see a lot of desire for an actual 5.25" floppy drive that is so unique. Plus, any replica drive electronics board would be tied to a particular drive mechanism which just makes the availability problem more difficult. Not worth it in my opinion.
What puts the CompuColor II replica in the realm of the possible is the availability of the maintenance manual with schematics and some (limited) availability of actual hardware. Not necessarily feasible but possible with enough effort and resources.
Thatâs my take on it. Others may see it differently. Thanks!
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