Category Archives: Updates

Site updates and news

Old posts should be working better now.

I did some updates to this site a year or so back, and found out it broke images in all my older posts. I think I fixed those last week, so if you find any broken images, please drop a comment on that post so I can look at them.

Code listings are still quite busted, and I have to fix them manually — if I can. Some seem to have lost data and I have no idea what was there. But, if you catch any of those that are broken, leave a comment as well and I’ll fix if I can.

Thanks!

Most-viewed articles of 2021

Here is a snapshot of the most-viewed articles on this site for 2021. Some of these even had dozens of views.

The most popular article continues to be my writeup on using a cheap ESP8266 module as a WiFi modem via a .99 cent RS-232/TTL adapter.

Several of my C programming articles top the charts as well, including simple things like how to split up a 16-bit value into two 8-bit values.

My “fix” for Arduino Ethernet has dropped down a few places, after being one of the most-viewed articles for years since I first published it. Perhaps they have finally updated the library to support multiple connections from the same IP address so my hack is not needed.

Even my bicycle LED POV light page (which hasn’t been updated in years) still shows up.

And although Sub-Etha Software was created in 1990 to offer software or the Radio Shack Color Computer (“CoCo”), you will see that content barely make an appearance in the list. But, it at least makes an appearance.

To the dozen or so folks who visited my site in 2021, thank you for visiting :)

CoCoFEST! near Chicago on May 4-5, 2019

Although I am not certain I will make it (hopefully at least a day trip on Saturday), the 28th annual “Last” Chicago CoCoFEST! is coming up soon. Find details here:

http://www.glensideccc.com/cocofest/

I am hoping to find time to update my fork of ZiModem firmware for the CoCoWiFi project, and also dig out some more goodies to donate to the Glenside Color Computer Club for their fundraising auction. If nothing else, maybe I can get those items there with some others that will be passing through Des Moines on their way.

More to come… I hope.

The CoCo is hooked back up.

Last week, I finally got around to unpacking and hooking back up all the Tandy Color Computer gear I took with me to the 2018 Chicago CoCoFEST! I am now using Ed Snider’s two-slow mini MultiPak replacement, so I ever have more room on my desk. I hope to get the Matchbox CoCo (new name for Roger Taylor’s FPGA CoCo recreation) permanently setup on the desk as well.

Even though I’m still going to be quite busy with summer activities (mostly taking bicycle rides), this gets me one step closer to returning to work on various CoCo projects, including SirSound.

I also got a cheap 3-D printer I will be reviewing, soon. The first thing I printed with it (other than the demo “cat” that it had) was an enclosure for the CoCoWiFi device (compliments of designer Travis Poppe). Now I know why John Strong of StongWare has been so into these printers for the past few years. Even this cheap “toy” one is great!

More to come…

All quiet on the Western front…

Things have been very quiet here. I started a new job a few months ago and have been having a blast doing embedded C firmware programming for power-over-ethernet LED light control systems. I am currently working on the CoAP protocol, as mentioned previously.

I have a few articles for this site waiting for me to get back to them:

  • Tiny BBS – A new take on my 1983 *ALLRAM* BBS for the Radio Shack Color Computer. A few years ago, I had ported my old MIcrosoft BASIC BBS program to Arduino C. I decided to do a new version of the system using things I have learned over the past 34 years. I had worked up a proof-of-concept version earlier this year which had a substantially larger message base in the same memory. I hope to find time to return to this. I think it would be fun to take a CoCo and a $3 WiFi-to-serial adapter and put a micro BBS online ;-)
  • const-ant confusion in C – I have another article in the works that will delve in to the const keyword in C, based on how I’ve been mis-using it most of my programming career. I learned quite a bit about it at a recent job, since we had it defined in our coding style guide. But, many of us there were still using it incorrectly.

But meanwhile, I’ll be chugging away at my day job, working on my Iowa Adventureland amusement park website, and doing various side projects to earn extra income so I can save up for something really cool for my child’s birthday.

To be continued…