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Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 5:23 pm
by Steve Gray
dave wrote: Thu May 04, 2017 3:17 pm Yes, that's the Mittendorf board. Thanks for the nice photos. If someone were to trace out the schematic, I could write something up about it, since I did a hi-res mod for my C2 that I think would be similar enough.

I imagine this circuit borrows signals from the video timing chain to sequence addresses to 1 port of a 2-port RAM; a data latch; and a shift register whose output can be OR'd with the OSI video shift register.

It would be great to reproduce one of these. Any chance of working with one of you to get one of these boards scanned?
As far as I know there's no connection to existing video circuitry. The video output is independent so you need a separate monitor, or switcher, which was a little inconvenient so I never really did much with mine. It should be trivial to re-create this board and/or update it to take a single ram chip. My desoldering skills are a little rusty, but I'd be willing to remove all the components and scan the PCB if that would help you recreate the schematic.

Steve

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 6:28 pm
by djones60
Actually on my board it did connect to the original video circuit. That was what the smaller ribbon cable was for. On the end of it was a small PCB with solder tabs. From these were some 30ga wires that ran to various points on the Superboard. Unfortunately over the years they had all come lose and I don't remember where exactly they connected. So the Superboard just used one common monitor.

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 6:35 pm
by djones60
I still have a few more boxes of stuff from those days to go through. So, I'm still hoping to find the manual for the board. I did find a nice stash of Micro magazines, C User group news letters, Dr Dobbs, bunch of cassettes, etc.

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 6:46 pm
by Steve Gray
Dave,

I just scanned and uploaded "TinyCompiler1.3.pdf" to your drop box. Not sure if it's the same version you mention you're looking for.

Steve

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 6:50 pm
by Steve Gray
djones60 wrote: Thu May 04, 2017 6:28 pm Actually on my board it did connect to the original video circuit. That was what the smaller ribbon cable was for. On the end of it was a small PCB with solder tabs. From these were some 30ga wires that ran to various points on the Superboard. Unfortunately over the years they had all come lose and I don't remember where exactly they connected. So the Superboard just used one common monitor.
Interesting. I used mine on my C4P and 100% sure I never connected anything to the video board... I guess instructions would be handy. I'm really puzzled why my instructions are missing.. all my OSI stuff was packed in a single box.

Steve

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 7:16 pm
by djones60
Steve Gray wrote: Thu May 04, 2017 6:50 pm Interesting. I used mine on my C4P and 100% sure I never connected anything to the video board... I guess instructions would be handy. I'm really puzzled why my instructions are missing.. all my OSI stuff was packed in a single box.

Steve
Must be nice. Some of mine got left at home, some followed me to Purdue, and there is some stuff a friend gave me along with his Superboard. So I have at least three stashes of stuff and maybe more still a mom's house. If I get time tonight, I'll dig through the boxes with some of the old college stuff.

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 2:07 pm
by Steve Gray
Dave,

I scanned and uploaded "The Bookkeeper's Bookkeeper" brochure to your dropbox folder.

Steve

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Thu May 11, 2017 3:27 pm
by dave
Steve Gray wrote: Thu May 04, 2017 6:46 pm Dave,

I just scanned and uploaded "TinyCompiler1.3.pdf" to your drop box. Not sure if it's the same version you mention you're looking for.

Steve
Steve, that's awesome! I think that's the latest published version. Peek(65) volume 8 no. 3 lists a modified v1.1 to run on OS65D and support disk operations. This is the first copy of v1.3 I've seen. I suppose the tight numbering starting at line 12 is intended to enforce the default limit of 10 source code lines.

Thanks!

Dave

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Thu May 11, 2017 3:28 pm
by dave
Steve Gray wrote: Fri May 05, 2017 2:07 pm Dave,

I scanned and uploaded "The Bookkeeper's Bookkeeper" brochure to your dropbox folder.

Steve
Thanks!

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2021 5:03 am
by Mark
Hi Dave,
So I realized I have one of the pieces from your wish list. Sitting on one of my download pages is the Generic Computer Products software for the Color-Plus board (8" floppy image). As always, feel free to grab or rehost anything you like.

Playing with the code a bit in WinOSI shows this to be a board that interfaces as a headend card at $C704-$C706. From the capabilities description this looks to be a TMS9918 based board with 16K of stand-alone memory. The implementation notes from TI show an 8 byte memory interface, while the head end card looks like it may only use 3 bytes, so there must be another address latch on the color plus board for transfer. I haven't spent too much time trying to decipher the interface, but I expect it to be pretty straightforward. A Peek65 review confirms this (and that the 48-line bus version maps to $C900-$C902 ?) A later Peek65 review by Earl Morris has some of the output of the included demos. The drivers patch BASIC to add additional color & drawing commands as well as analog paddle/joystick support. Apparently the board had a software video switch for 540 or Color-Plus output.

Anyone have any pictures of the actual item? There are later drivers with OS65U support and source code for the drawing routines somewhere out there too.

There appears to be some work on a FPGA drop-in replacement TI chip in case anyone wants to build one. Or you can scavenge one from a TI 99/4A :-)

-Mark