New hardware project - my computer desk

I have 5 to 7 computers on my desk at any given time. With literal, physical desktop space being sparse, I have decided to do something that I think most would find odd. I'm going to take my Atari and my C64 and put them in a tower.


I will need a mechanism that will allow the two boards to share a single keyboard and a way to possibly power each independently.


I'll leave my primary Tandy CoCo2 and TI-99/4A alone of course.

I also need a tape cassette cable for the Tandy Coco so I can backup and restore code to my file server. 

WAR IRON of the Red Clan

I'm going to do something I have never tried before, to make a game in Tandy's SG24 mode.  This will be a major difference in the development path I'm taking with the TI-99/4A, C64, and Atari 8-bit.  Those three system's graphics are being done with 8x8 bitmap pixels.

what is the deal with 80s computer keyboards

I hear social media video blogger repeat over and over that there was not a keyboard standard in the 70s and 80s for home computers. This unfortunately is true - kinda. There were really two loose standards. How do I know? First, I own quite a few computers from the 80s. It was IBM PC that broke the simi-standard and then redefined the overall standard by "winning" the PC wars.

So what was the standard layout before IBM changed it all?

First there is What I call Standard I - This was used by majority of the early 70-80s home computers

1) QWERTY keyboard like most type-writters

2) Specific characters associated with SHIFT and numbers

(Photo of a Commodore 64 keyboard)


(Photo of a Tandy CoCo 2 keyboard)

(Photo of an Atari 130XE keyboard)

Above the 1=!, 2=", 3=#, 4=$, 5=%, 6=&, 7=', 8=(, 9=)

Who adhered to this Standard I:
- Amstrad
- Apple I and II
- Atari (400, 800, 800XL, 130XE,  ect) - *Mostly*
- Commodore (PET, Vic 20, C64)

- Dragon (32 and 64 computers)
- Tandy (Model 1, Model 2, Model 3, Model 4, Coco, CoCo2, CoCo3 and others)

Probably others were included.

Anyone that does retro programming on these systems knows it is an adjustment finding the quote above the '2' key.

Atari put a '@' with the 8 and shifted the '(' and ')' over one place.

Where did these companies come up with this format. Many decades of typewriters before them. This was much of their layout.

Standard II
Who did not use Standard I, but the Standard II? 

- Later Apple computers and Macintosh. 

- Later Atari computers (ST line), 

- Later Commodores (Amiga line), 

- all IBM computers and most compatibles like Tandy 1000 line. 

- Coleco Adam

- All Texas Instrument computers.  

IBM came up with this design, which may have influenced later keyboard's such as the Apple IIe's/Macintosh, the Commodore Amigas and Atari STs.

With the Apple IIe, Apple changed some keys around like the 2 key to be associated with @ like the IBM.

Texas Instruments TI-99/4A keyboard

What is the Standard II number line layout?

1=!, 2=@, 3=#, 4=$, 5=%, 6=^, 7=, 8=*, 9=(, 0=)

Somehow people were swayed into believing the IBM PC was superior to the computers of the late 80s.  Really was not true, but perception often wins.   As PC clones became the norm, so did this keyboard layout.

80s BASIC

I'm currently reprogramming a game I did before called Seven/Eleven. The game looked a little dull so I'm remaking all the interfaces. This made me realize how much I enjoy some 80s BASICs over others.

Here is a list of my Favorite 80's BASICs that I use fairly regular, from favorite to least favorite.

1 TI-99 Extended BASIC

2 TI-99 BASIC

3 Tandy Extended Color BASIC 2.0

4 Tandy Extended Color BASIC 1.1

5 Tandy BASIC

6 Commodore BASIC V2

7 Atari BASIC

8 AppleSoft II BASIC

I should note that my first exposure to Tandy BASIC and Apple II BASIC was mostly as a teenager through public schools.

Why TI at the top? Most control in the easiest way. I really think if most companies and found someone better than Microsoft to develop their BASIC language, they could have been much better. What I like about Tandy and Commodore is that what ever they lack in BASIC features, they are quite hackable. It is possible to get to modes the physical computer could do that were not addressed in the BASIC environment.  Really, that is why Microsoft had the PEEK and POKE commands because there was so much they did not know how to translate into BASIC usefully.  And the way Microsoft used their graphics modes were so over complicated and stupid.  Really just limiting.  For the most part, programmers that understood the hardware capabilities and used assembler/machine language were really able to make the most of these computers.

It is not like TI-99 Extended BASIC was perfect as there were feature that were not addressed until the late 80s and early 90s with Super Extended BASIC by third party developers - but by that time most of the world had moved on from TI-99.  TI-99 popularity now is just mainly from people that remember fondly how much they enjoyed using TI-99 in the late 70s and early 80s.

Sadly the two most fun computers  TI and Tandy were the two most physically limiting computers.  TI-only made a 32K memory expansion for their computer that was shipped out with 16k.  TI also made their computers slower than need be by running code in video memory.  Tandy did not provide a dedicated 3 voice or better sound chip and a video processing chip that only handled 9 colors on both the CoCo 1 and 2. 

TI did make up in other areas though.  Best built in sprite capabilities, 16-bit processor, and S-Video output.  Tandy did make up for it with the easiest, but powerful, graphics and music programming commands. With some hacking past Microsoft's made limitations, graphically Tandy could put out some nice graphics with only 9 colors. 

Programming on the Tandy CoCo

I did some programming tonight on the Tandy CoCo.  First opinion is that the BASIC is a much cleaner and easier BASIC to use than other Microsoft BASICS.  I'm not sure why Microsoft didn't do things 

quite the same way with the TANDY CoCo, but I'm kinda glad they didn't.





Formating like this is really easy and straight forward.

820 PRINT D1;" ";D2;" ";D3;" ";D4

Random numbers is super easy and straight forward.

100 X = RND(-TIMER) :REM Seed the generator
..<snip>..
800 D1=RND(6)
802 D2=RND(6)

I should run the computer though the same tests that I have the others and see how it stacks.

Took home two Tandy CoCo 2s

I spent $80 to buy an untested CoCo 2 that was advertised as "Vintage Radio Shack Tandy TRS-80 64K Color Computer 2 Video Game Console"

The photos given:





Granted, I knew very little about the Tandy CoCo computers, but always wanted one. When I went to pick it up, he had two Tandy CoCo 2s and one Tandy CoCo 1 computers. None of the three had been tested. He told me take both CoCo 2s home and test to see if they work. One looked to be in clean and in good shape. The other looked filthy as he had not even tried to clean it up to sell. Which ever I chose, bring back the other.

I got both home and cleaned both externally including the keyboards.

I also looked at the exact model numbers and serial numbers as they can tell alot about the computer.



I could see there was a slight difference in both of the models, but was not sure what that meant for these two computers. The keyboard color looked slightly different, but other than that, they looked very much identical. So I plugged in the model that was 26-3026. That was the one that was filthy. I was welcomed with a green screen and an OK, but nothing else. I turned it on again, and this time I see it is running Extended Color BASIC 1.1. So I do some simple tests.

I'm surprised to see that memory states 24K RAM. I also verify all the keys work.
I plug in the other CoCo2 in and get absolutely nothing on the screen. Like there is not video signal output at all.


So I look up what the Model Numbers mean.

This is when I realize the working computer has been upgraded with more RAM and the Extended BASIC ROM.  So  I wrote him on what I found and set the good one up in the game room. 

Starting a new Campaign - Start of Character creation

Lets roll some dice

STR 6 4 1 6 = 16
DEX 2 3 3 1 scrap 6 4 3 2 = 13
CON 4 1 3 6 = 13
INT 6 2 4 4 = 14
WIS 6 2 1 2 = 10
CHR 2 2 1 3 scrap 3 4 5 4

Choose Race and Class Eladrin Elf Sorcerers

Dark Vision 60’

•Fey Step: Eladrin can use a bonus action to magically teleport up to 30 feet, a signature ability that often carries additional effects based on their current season 

•Seasonal Changes: Their emotional state is linked to the seasons, influencing their appearance (skin/hair color) and mood, with the ability to change seasons after a long rest.

•Fey Ancestry: Like other elves, they have advantage on saving throws against being charmed and cannot be put to sleep by magic.

Key Aspects of Eladrin Elf Classes:

• Racial Features: They possess Darkvision, Fey Ancestry (advantage against charm), and Fey Step, which allows them to teleport up to 30 feet as a bonus action.

• Seasonal Abilities (Level 3): Upon finishing a long rest, an Eladrin can change their season, altering their Fey Step effect.

o Autumn: Charm creatures after teleporting.

o Winter: Frighten creatures after teleporting.

o Spring: Teleport a willing creature instead of themselves.

o Summer: Deal fire damage to surrounding creatures after teleporting.

•Appearance: They are slender, typically standing 5 to 6 feet tall, with eyes that often sparkle, reflecting their intense fey magic. 

• Emotional Nature: Eladrin are often described as more "alien" or emotional than other elves. Their personalities can be as volatile as the Feywild itself, frequently changing alongside their seasonal state.
• Lifespan: Like most elves, they can live for over 750 years.

Seasonal Skin Colors

• Spring: Typically verdant green, pale green, or rosy pink, often described as "fresh" or "blossoming".
• Summer: Vibrant gold, yellow, or a deep "sun-kissed" bronze. Their skin may even appear to have a "fiery" glow.
• Autumn: Burnt orange, red, or russet brown, mimicking the colors of falling leaves.
• Winter: Pale blue, icy white, or even a somber charcoal/deep purple, reflecting a frozen landscape.

CS/A65 computer system with GeckOS

GeckOS/A65, when running on the CS/A65 computer system, can manage up to 1 MB of addressable RAM (specifically, 256 blocks of 4kB via an Memory Management Unit [MMU]). While the base Gecko board provides 32 kB RAM, the system is designed to support much larger, banked memory configurations.

The CS/A65 is a modular, 8-bit computer system based on the 6502 processor, designed as a PET-compatible clone with advanced features. It features a passive backplane for I/O boards, a Memory Management Unit (MMU) allowing up to 1MB of address space, and support for multitasking via the GeckOS/A65 operating system.

Voice of R2D2

 

Seven-Eleven for TI-99

My version of Seven-Eleven for TI-99:  UPDATE: Please note that I now have better versions of this program on my web site: http://mrgibson.com


10 REM Seven Eleven
15 REM by Michael R Gibson
20 GAME=0
25 WIN=0
30 LOSS=0
32 PNTS=105
34 A=0
36 GOSUB 400
40 CALL CLEAR
45 PRINT " Seven / Eleven"
50 PRINT " *$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$+"
52 PRINT "! The Win Tally ~"
54 PRINT "! ~"
60 PRINT "! Wins:", WIN
65 PRINT "! Losses:", LOSS
70 GAME=GAME+1
80 PNTS=PNTS-5
90 PRINT "! Points:",PNTS
100 PRINT "!"
105 PRINT "! Game:", GAME
108 CALL VCHAR(19,22,126,5)
110 GOSUB 200
120 IF A = 7 THEN 300
125 IF A = 11 THEN 300
130 IF A = 2 THEN 600
135 IF A = 12 THEN 600
145 GOTO 310
200 N=0
210 PRINT
215 PRINT "Press any key to roll"
220 N=N+WIN
225 CALL KEY(0,K,S)
227 IF S = 0 THEN 220
230 CALL CLEAR
240 C=INT(RND*6)+1
250 B=INT(RND*6)+1
260 A = B + C
270 PRINT " "
275 PRINT "Total rolled", A
278 PRINT " "
280 GOSUB 500
290 RETURN
300 PRINT "Great, You won"
301 PRINT " "
302 WIN = WIN + 1
303 PNTS = PNTS + 20
304 PRINT "Press R and Enter to roll"
305 PRINT "Press Q and Enter to quit"
306 INPUT KEY$
307 IF KEY$ = "Q" THEN 700
308 GOTO 40
310 PRINT "Sorry, you lose"
312 PRINT " "
320 LOSS = LOSS + 1
322 PRINT "Press R and Enter to roll"
324 PRINT "Press Q and Enter to quit"
326 INPUT KEY$
328 IF KEY$ = "Q" THEN 700
330 GOTO 40
400 REM define graphics
410 CALL CHAR(33,"0101010101010101")
415 CALL CHAR(42,"00000708102040FF")
420 CALL CHAR(43,"0000FC0C14244484")
424 REM 64=@
425 CALL CHAR(64,"8585858991A1C181")
426 CALL CHAR(95,"8585858990A0C080")
429 REM 94 = ^
430 CALL CHAR(94,"FF")
435 CALL CHAR(36, "0000FF00000000FF")
440 REM 45 = -
445 CALL CHAR(45, "8585858585858585")
450 REM 126 = ~
455 CALL CHAR(126,"8484848484848484")
490 RETURN
500 REM print graphics
505 PRINT " "
510 PRINT "YOU ROLLED A "
515 PRINT " *$$+*$$+"
518 PRINT "! - ~ "
520 PRINT "!";C;"-";B;"~ "
522 PRINT "! @ _"
525 PRINT " ^^^ ^^^ "
530 PRINT "With two D6"
540 RETURN
600 PRINT "Rolled 2 ones or 2 sixes"
610 PRINT "End of the game"
620 PNTS = PNTS-5
630 PRINT " Extra Points lost"
650 GOTO 145
700 END