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Some praise for Otterbox
Every now and then, I run across some example of “above and beyond” customer service that inspires me to send in positive feedback. Recently, I had such an experience with the Otterbox protective case company and wanted to share it with you.
Shortly after the original iPad came out, I purchased one (and a second for a gift). I fell in love with the Apple iPad case which let me prop the device up for watching videos, or for use as a keyboard stand. Unfortunately, I dropped my iPad enough over the years I had it that it received some minor damage to the metal corners. That Apple case, while fantasticly functional (still my favorite), was not very protective. I was still able to sell this “lightly damaged” iPad for about $250 when I got rid of it, but I expect I could have gotten more if it did not have drop damage.
When I purchased a refurbished iPad 3, I wanted to ensure I could get a higher resell value later on so I looked in to protective cases that were actually protective. There were a few I considered, but it was seeing one in person at (I think) an AT&T store in a local mall that made me choose the Otterbox Defender. I was ready to buy it from the very helpful AT&T rep after he assured me prices were pretty much the same everywhere because no on discounted them. But, when I walked next door and saw RadioShack sold the same case for $10 less, I decided maybe I would shop around for an even better price since clearly discounts were to be had.
Amazon won:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007IV7KRU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Today, this $90 case can be found for under $60, but I don’t recall how much I paid for it when I ordered it on January 1, 2013. It certainly is a bulky case that makes things heavier, but it provided the protection I needed.
The thing about Otterbox that makes this special is their customer service. During my first year of using it, I dropped it and broke the corner off the plastic cover that is used to snap on and protect the screen (when not in use). My fault, my bad. I wrote Otterbox to see how much a replacement would cost and they sent me one under warranty. Excellent.
A bit later, my plastic screen cover had enough scratches (leaving my glass iPad screen flawless) that I wanted to rpelace it. I wrote in to ask how much this would cost, and explained my unit was out of warranty. To my surprise, they sent me a replacement screen cover. Excellent.
Shortly after this, the rubber flap that covers the dock connector finally broke off. After two years of daily use, the material had just given out. I wrote in this week to ask how much it would cost to buy a replacement. Once again, Otterbox is sending me a replacement under warranty.
I am very impressed with how Otterbox has treated me. I have purchased four Otterbox items over the years (though this is the only one that has ever been used enough to need replacement parts), and I will continue turning to them when I need a protective solution due to their outstanding support.
Thank you, Otterbox.
The end of Radio Shack as we know it?
This is a US-centric post, so apologies to those in areas where this is irrelevant. Our beloved Radio Shack is closing stores, while going through the form of bankruptcy protection that would allow them to downsize and regroup. Alas, this may not be the case at all. Darren Grant, CEO of Tandy Corporation in the UK, had passed along some information about the fate of the US Radio Shacks which sheds more light on what is really happening.
The trademark to Radio Shack may be sold at auction:
He also pointed me to this document that has details on how Sprint is trying to buy it:
If only we had a White Knight for Radio Shack in the US. Overseas, there had been Tandy stores (rather than Radio Shack, because that name was already taken). The Tandy stores shut down years ago, but in recent history, a new company has started up an online empire based on the classic brick-and-mortar legacy:
Tandy UK today has many of the familiar Radio Shack brands from the past, like Archer. They have gone to original suppliers wherever possible to bring back items that were once lining the walls of Tandy stores over there. They even have items that were eliminated from the still-existing Radio Shacks in America. Plus, they have things like the Raspberry Pi 2 and Adafruit electronics kits.
I sure wish we could see something like this happen in the US.
If you have not visited the Tandy UK website, take a look. It’s what Radio Shack could have done over here.
ESP8266 $5 WiFi for Arduino?
This evening, I saw a reference to something called an ESP8266. A quick web search revealed it was a $5 WiFi chip that was mentioned last August 2014 on Hackaday:
As of this writing it has only been about six months since the discovery. At the time, little was known about it beyond some documents in Chinese and some early attempts to write code to use it. Today, however, you can find this part on Amazon for $7.99 with Prime shipping, or much cheaper on e-Bay with slow shipping from China:
The chip can been hooked up to a UART (transmit and receive), or via SPI. This means, with a cheap TTL-to-RS232 adapter and a power supply, you could WiFi enable anything with an RS232 port with a bit of communications software.
The next time I have a few spare bucks, I plan to order one and see how easy it is to work with. It could be a fun way to WiFi-enable a CoCo or Arduino :)
And for those curious, here is a tutorial on using it I found:
Please leave a comment if you have worked with this chipset. It seems it might not take much to make a C library for Arduino that mirrored the official Arduino WiFi shield API, but used this inexpensive part.
Rest in peace, Leonard Nimoy.
Mr. Spock has left us at age 83. In addition to being Spock, he also directed a Watl Disney World EPCOT attraction film, Body Wars.
CoCo/Tandy 1000 joystick adapter project
Last year, I designed an adapter that would let me use original CoCo (or Tandy 1000) analog joysticks on a modern computer via USB. I also designed an opposite adapter, which would let a modern USB controller be used on an old CoCo or Tandy 1000.
I ordered all the parts for a prototype, and did some quick tests to prove that it worked… And then promptly moved on to other things.
Eventually I found some time and I dug out all of these parts and began wiring things up again. My hope was to have a few things available to sell at the Chicago CoCoFEST this past April 25 and 26, 2015. (Money is very tight here, so any thing I can do to generate some extra income is a good thing.) I was unable to go, so did no more work on the project.
Rather than collect dust, I thought I’d share my work so far in this article I originally started working on last February.
The hardware components I have will allow several things:
For the CoCo
- Use modern USB joysticks/gamepads on the CoCo
- Use modem Bluetooth wireless joysticks/gamepads on the CoCo
- Use modern USB keyboards on the CoCo
- Use modern Bluetooth wireless keyboards on the CoCo
For Mac/Linux/Windows
- Use an original CoCo/Tandy 1000 joystick as a USB input device
- Use an original CoCo/Tandy 1000 joystick as a wireless Bluetooth input device
- Use an original CoCo keyboard as a USB keyboard
- Use an original CoCo keyboard as a Bluetooth wireless keyboard
As you can see, there are two main goals (use modern stuff on a CoCo, or use old CoCo stuff on a modern computer), with a focus on USB or wireless Bluetooth. All of these are possible, with the cost of doing Bluetooth about the same (or maybe a few dollars less) than USB.
My current prototype reads a PC USB joystick and turns that in to a CoCo-readable analog joystick. I also wired up CoCo joysticks to use on my Mac (very direct and easy).
The keyboard stuff also interests me. I plan to order the Bluetooth part I need so I can embed it inside my CoCo, hooked to the keyboard connector, and use an external battery powered Bluetooth keyboard on my CoCo.
The other combinations are not high on my project list since I do not even own a wireless Bluetooth gamepad or controller (unless my OUYA console controller can be used). However, when I get to that point, I may be able to find someone I can borrow one from for testing.
My eyesight took a hit last year, and now I can no longer focus on things more than a few feet away so I probably won’t do much until I can afford a new set of glasses ;-) Mid-40s is trying to make me think I’m no longer in my mid-20s!
To be continued…
MM/1 versus TC-70
See also: Announcing the MM/1, Announcing the TC-70 and Introducing the Tomcat from Frank Hogg Labs.
Just a few months after the announcement of the TC-70, Frank Hogg posted a Q&A file answering some of the questions about how it was different than the MM/1. This file also came from the GEnie online service:
Number: 4643 Name: tomcat_q_a_text Address: B.BRADY Date: 900704 Approximate # of bytes: 21420 Number of Accesses: 45 Library: 9 Description: The Tomcat is a replacement for the CoCo 3. All OS-9ers should read this file. Keywords: CoCo,Tomcat,OS-9,OSK,OS-9000,6809,68000
TOMCAT Questions and Answers in a random and sometimes confused order. 7/3/90 Q: Will the TC9 be a ready-to-go computer with case & power supply & keyboard or do we get those separately? Options either way maybe? A: The TC9 will be offered in five different formats. #1 is the board that you can install in your case. Price is $299.95 with ZERO K RAM. 512K installed is $49.95. #2 is a Low profile desktop case that is about 16 inches square and 4 inches tall. It will hold the TC9 +3 K-Bus cards +2 or 3 CoCo cartridges + 2 5 in and 2 3.5 in drives. It has a 200 Watt power supply. #3 is similar to the LP except it is about 6 high and holds 3 5 in and 1 3.5 in drives and and 6 or 7 K-Bus cards plus the CoCo cartridges. It has a 200 Watt power supply. #4 is a Mini-Tower about 6 in wide x 16 in tall by 16 in deep more or less. Holds 2 5's and 2 3's plus 6-8 K-Bus cards and CoCo cartridges. It has a 200 Watt power supply. #5 is a big Tower and it will hold everything, 8 drives, 16 slot bus etc etc. Stands 24 in tall x 8 in wide by 18 or so deep. It has a 240 Watt power supply. Q: Would I be able to just unplug the Multi-pak from my CoCo 3, with Disto II floppy controller, Burke & Burke HD interface & RS232 pak and just plug the works into the TOMCAT? A: Yes, because the TC9 has a CoCo Bus everything will work except ROM cartridge games. You may not want the RS-232 pak anymore because the TC9 has 2 RS232 style ports on it. Q: Hmmm, wait, I won't need the RS232 pak anymore. That still leaves two CoCo-type rompaks to run my existing drives - still need the multi-pak?, or can I connect my existing drives some other way? A: The TC9, should run 2 Paks on just a cable. The CoCo Bus on the TC9 is via a dual header rather than a card edge connector which was done to make it easier to cable the paks in the case. We and you have too too many ways to mount everything so we decided to make it flexible. Also we put 12 volts back on the bus for things like the Burke & Burke Interface. Q: Here's one - What kind of video resolution are we talking about with the new machines, and in how many colors?? A: The TC9 is exactly the same as the CoCo 3 because it uses the GIME chip. The TC70 uses the VSC chip which has up to 720 X 540 with up to 256 colors Q: Will the TC9 have an on board floppy controller or will it be necessary to use a CoCo or K-Bus controller? A: The TC9 is the same as the CoCo so you would use your present controller or if you added 68K compatibility you could use a controller there. Q: Does the TC9 have 256 color graphics or CD quality sound? A: No, the color graphics is the same as the CoCo because the TC9 uses the same GIMI chip the CoCo uses. Sound is better because the TC9 has 8 bit D to A as opposed to the CoCo's 6 bits. The TC70 has much better than CD quality . sound However you would have to define just what that term means. Q: Does the TC9 have a built in mouse interface? A: Yes, that's why we included two serial ports, one can be used for a serial mouse that is much better than the Tandy style mouse, smooth as a PC or Mac mouse, unlike the jittery operation of the Tandy mouse. Q: What software is included with the TC9? A: At this point we are planning to include software to allow running a modified version of Tandys OS9. We are working on modifying RS BASIC to the TC9. Details will have to wait until later. Q: What about MS-DOS compatibility? A: No, we do not plan this at present, although the possibility of doing a '386 board for the K-Bus has been discussed it is not planned. We considered emulation briefly but it would be too slow to be useful. Hard to swallow but the cheapest way to get MS-DOS is to but a cheap clone and use it as a terminal. Clones cost less than some terminals these days and are good for that purpose. Q: What about Mac compatibility? A: Yes, we are very interested in that avenue. The Mac uses a 68000 and hardware that is very similar to what we have on the TC70 and other K-Bus cards. It would make much more sense to do a Mac board for the TOMCAT and we are looking into it. No promises but we want it too. Q: Is the TC9 completely CoCo compatible? Will RS BASIC software work with the TC9? A: Yes, with a caveat. We did change the hardware (we made it better) Whenever you change the hardware even in a small way you stand the risk of some poorly written software not running. This should not be the case with OS9 but RS-DOS is going to be a bear. We are planning on RS-DOS compatibility but I would be lying if I said we would have it soon without problems. Again, OS9, no problems! RS-DOS ugh, we're going to do our best. Q: Can I use my (Disto, RS, etc) floppy controller and drives? A: Yes, the TC9 has the same CoCo bus as the CoCo and all non-ROM cartridges will work and some ROM cartridges will too. (see previous question) Q: Can I mount my drives in your case? A: Yes, The case has at least a 200 watt power supply and can handle both floppy and hard drives. Q: Will my (Burke&Burke, Eliminator etc etc) hard drive system work in the TC? A: Yes. Again the 200 watt supply can handle just about anything you have now. Q: If I have a hard drive on the TC9 will the tape backup system for 68K back it up? A: Yes, in theory at least. You would need to have OS9/68K running on the TOMCAT but it could work. Software would have to be done for this to work. Ahhh a new challenge. Q: Would it be better to run my hard drive under 68K or under OS9/LII? A: Tough one, depends on the level of software support under 68K. At some point in time when the software is completely done under 68K that would be the fastest way to go. Either way would work with 68K being faster than the 6809. Q: Will I need my RS232 Pak or can I use one of the serial ports on the TC9 for my (Modem, Printer, Terminal etc etc)? A: No you could use one of the 'real' serial ports on the TC9. They are the same style we used on the Eliminator. (6552) Q: Will ROM Paks work on the TC9? A: No. You would have to change the ROM to support the hardware we changed. Q: What OS9/LII software doesn't work on the TC9? None that you would want. All OS9 software that follows the rules will work. Software that doesn't follow the rules should be discarded. I don't think that there is much of that anyway. Q: What OS9/LII software does work or how can I tell what to look for? A: If the software is from a credible company and does not make direct calls to the hardware it will work. I know of none that will not work. Q: Will my (Disto, Hemphill etc etc) 512K upgrade work in the TC9? A: Yes, both plug-in upgrades and plug-in chips can be used. Q: Will the Tandy Hi-Res mouse work in the TC9? A: No, we decided to opt for the higher quality serial mouse that works as smoothly as a Macs. Once you see it you will not want to go back. Q: Do I need OS9/68K to make use of the 68000 with the TC9? A: No, the 68000 CPU is used by OS9/LII as a speed up device besides being used for OSK. You can get faster LII without OSK by just having a 68000 CPU. Q: How is the 1 meg Disto upgrade installed in the TC9? A: Just plug it in, no soldering required. We provided the header on the TC9 that you have to solder in the CoCo. Q: I have a PC keyboard, can I use it with the TC9? A: Yes, if it's a AT compatible keyboard. Some have a switch for XT/AT use, others auto sense. Either will work with the TC9 or TC70. Q: Will an XT style keyboard work with the TC9? A: No, not on the TC70 either. Q: Can I use the new style keyboards that have built in trackballs with the TC9? A: Yes, the trackball would be connected to a serial port and used like a serial mouse. Q: Can I program the function keys from the keyboard in the TC9? A: Yes and more importantly from the computer as well. Q: What about the other special keys on the keyboard? A: All of the keys are controlled by software in the computer. All can be easily reprogrammed. Q: Can I use my (CM8, Magnavox) monitor with the TC9? A: Yes and also standard TTL RGB such as PC's use. Q: What does the starter system include at $499.99? A: The TC9 board with 0K, case, power supply and keyboard and all cables. Q: What does the dual system include at $799.99? A: Same as above but also a 4 slot K-Bus and a 10 Mhz 68000 CPU card. Q: Can I use K-Bus cards without a 680x0 CPU card, in other words will the TC9 work on the K-Bus without a CPU on the bus and if not why not? A: No it will not. The TC9's 6809 CPU cannot directly access anything on the K-Bus. It has to ask the 68000 to do its work for it. The TC9's memory (CoCo memory) is the only thing that the 68000 sees. They use a simple but elegant interrupt protocol to talk to each other. Q: How does the TC9's 6809 communicate with the 68K cpu? A: Via a interrupt protocol. See above. Q: If I got a TC9 and a TC70 what else would I need to run both OS9/LII and OS9/68K? A: Just a 2 slot K-Bus to plug them into and a power supply to power them. Everything else is there. (oops... forgot CoCo memory drives etc.) Q: Can I run the TC70 without the TC9? A: Yes, the TC70 is a fully functional 68K color graphics computer with 68K etc etc. Q: Will the TC70 run OS9/LII software? A: No, no 68K computer can run LII software unless it has been recompiled under either C or BASIC on the 68K machine. New versions of software will have to be ported to 68K to work. A task best left to the original author. Q: Will Multi-Vue work with the TC9? A: Yes, just like any other OS9 software. Q: Will OS9/LII run on the TC9? A: Yes with mods included from us. Q: Will software drivers be included to support the AT keyboard, serial ports, serial mouse, parallel port etc? A: Yes, most certainly and in source too. Q: Will windowing software like Multi-Vue be available for the TC70 and your other 68K CPUs? A: Yes, it is being worked on now and should be ready when the computer ships. Q: Can the TOMCAT be configured as a multi-user machine? A: Yes, with 2 serial and 1 parallel port you have most of what you need to run a three user system with a parallel printer. Q: What hardware and software for the CoCo 3 will work with the TC9? A: Yes, on the OS9 side and most non-ROM hardware will work. Q: Can the TC9 use IBM style disk drives and monitors? A: Yes. Q: What's involved in upgrading to OS9/68K? A: Not much, 68K is like a superset of LII and although much more powerful it is actually easier to use. Q: Can the TC9 use more than 1 CoCo cartridge at a time? A: The CoCo bus on the TC9 is just like the CoCo with the same restrictions. You can use 2 with a Y cable like the CoCo and you can use one of the multi-pak like devices sold by third party for the CoCo (Howard and Orion should work OK) Q: Can the TC9 use the multi-pak and other 3rd party multi- pak like devices such as Howard Medicals? A: Yes, see above. Q: Can the TC9 use the host adaptor for the A-Bus? A: Should be no problem, however I haven't tried it. Q: How much RAM comes with the TC9? A: None unless you order it with it. ($49.95 for 512K) You can plug in any 512K upgrade or just add 16 256K chips. Q: Can the TC9 use RAM on one of the K-Bus cards? A: No not directly, although the TC9 could instruct the 68000 to move memory from the K-Bus to the TC9 memory for some interesting effects. Q: What is the resolution of the TC9? A: Same as the CoCo, uses the GIMI. Q: Can the TC9 hot key thru windows like the CoCo 3? A: Yes. Q: How will FHL supply the patches to OS9/LII for the TC9? A: Either on disk or in the EPROM on the board, haven't decided that one yet. Q: Will the TC9 autoboot OS9? A: Yes. Q: Can I use the case I have now. (I put my CoCo 3 in a PC case)? A: Yes, very easy to do. The TC9 uses a PC power connector. Q: Will the TC9 fit in the CoCo 3 case? A: No, too big and the CoCo power supply is too small. The keyboard would not work either. I just read your Advertisement in the June issue of Rainbow, for the TOMCAT. I was quite impressed, and glad you took a full-page.But, as they say, with the answers to questions come more questions. I have pulled out various issues, that I have tried to keep directly related to the Ad. You may want to break up your reply into 2 or more separate replies. Q: For the K-Bus system of OSK: I have heard that the K-bus is only 16-bit. Is this true, and if so, have you any plans to change this? A: The K-Bus is 16 bits data and 16 meg memory map. The 68000 series of CPUs are also only 16 bit so the only reason to change this would be for CPU's such as the 68030 and 68040. Most operations (I/O etc) on the bus are 8 bits so the only thing we could use 32 bits for would be memory accesses. We are looking at doing a 68040 card with 4 to 16 meg of 32 bit on board memory. This would use 16 bit K-Bus memory in a slower mode or on-board memory in full 32 bit mode. This makes sense because most boards on the bus would only cost more if they had to support the full 32 bits while doing 8 bit operations. (SCSI, Floppy, Serial, Parallel etc) As a side note our paper calculations with our 68030 CPU running at 16 Mhz and 16 bits data show only a 5% thru-put loss. Makes sense when you realize that most system operations are I/O and 32 bits doesn't help. Gotta be careful of benchmarks that don't show real world situations. The K-Bus 68030 is twice as fast as our 20X, a 68020 with a 32 bit bus! Q: (Since OSK is advertised with the K-bus) Does your $300 OSK package come with the C compiler? How much for it separately? A: There are two packages now for the K-Bus. The TC70 includes Professional OSK with C and Basic plus other software. The standard K-bus OSK which is optional does no have the C or Basic. Take your pick. The TC70 is a better deal for individual users while the standard version is cheaper for industrial users. Q: And mainly for the TOMCAT/TC9 : It was said that the TC9 is "K-bus compatible". Does that mean that it is possible to add on a K-bus, or does one come with it? A: It means that the TC9 plugs into the K-Bus for 68K upward compatibility and no, one does not come with it. We have 4, 8, 12, and 16 slot buses to suit everyone's needs. Q: How about 1.2/1.4 Meg floppies? A: The TC70's floppy controller supports all densities including 1.2/1.4 Meg. We will be doing a stand alone hi- density K-Bus card for floppies also. Q: You stated that the TC9 could use a 68000 board as a co- processor. Would that be in some ways automatic, or is it up to us to make our programs take advantage of this? A: OS9/LII would be modified to have to 68000 do things like memory moves, graphics etc. User software could be changed to take more advantage of the 68000 but would not be necessary to get benefit from it. Q: Similarly, What configurations are possible? TC9 and TWO 68000 boards? A: No, many TC9's but only 1 680x0 CPU. The TC9 looks like just a memory board to the 680x0 and because they are addressed in 1 meg increments you 'could' have 14 TC9's on the bus. Time will tell just how many will actually work. Q: Would a TC9 and a 68030 be better than TC9 +68000? A: Yes, although I question the dollar value of a 68030 in this case. Q: Since a 68000 can use TC9 as a slave board, can a 68030 use a 68000 board? A: No, only one 680x0 on the bus. Q: You said that the joystick res has been increased to 256. How will this affect a high-res joystick interface? A: You would use a serial mouse or serial joystick if the 256 x 256 wasn't good enough. The hi-res interface is not supported as yet. Q: Is there any way to get 640 by XXX joystick res WITHOUT using a hi-res interface? Will it be possible to use a logitech, or optical, "digital" mouse, under OS9? (since it will have "real" serial ports now) A: YES, and that is the way we think everyone will want to go. Trackballs and serial joysticks are also available but I haven't looked into that last one yet. Q: How about no-halt disk operations, under OS9, without a 68000 board? A: Would be the same as the CoCo. Q: You mentioned that under OSK, with the 68000 board as main CPU, the TC9 would be "a multi-function graphics co- processor". You didn't mention anything about the graphics board I have heard about here! Does the TC9 have increased res. over the CoCo III? A: No, but you can have many TC9's giving multiple graphics. Also the TC70 has color graphics which will also work with the TC9 in the system. Also multiple graphics cards can be run in the system with any of the 68K CPU's. Q: Can I use the 68881 math co-processor from LII? A: In order to use the 68881 from LII you would have to have a 680x0 CPU in the system. The procedure would be to pass the request to the 680x0 and then let it communicate with the 68881. The 680x0 would then return the answer to LII. In the case of a graphics speed up in a situation like this the 680x0 would also be used to do the graphics for LII. Q: How is the 68881 math co-processor used with 68K? A: In OS9/68K there is a module called 'math'. If your system did not have a math co-processor then the 'math' module would do the math with software. If you installed a co-processor in the system then by simply changing the 'math' module to one that used the co-processor is all that is required. Q: I don't have a hard drive now, would it be better for me to get a hard drive that is SCSI compatible for future use with 68K? A: Yes, although all hard drive systems for the CoCo will work with the TC9 and thru that 68K, a SCSI hard drive would work better with 68K Q: How is the power on the CoCo bus of the TC9 vs the CoCo 3's bus. A: Because we have the power of the 200 Watt power supply we are able to power more thru the TC9's CoCo bus than the CoCo 3's bus. Also we have 12 volts on the bus which is needed for some cartridges such as the Burke & Burke interface. This allows Y cabling these things that were not possible with the CoCo 3. The amount of power available at the bus is almost unlimited. Q: How about streaming tape backup? A: Yes, we have that on the 68K side of the TOMCAT thru the SCSI interface. Q: How is multi-user done? A: Multi-user is done by connecting terminals to serial ports on the TOMCAT. The TC9 can handle 2 while the 68K TOMCAT can have as many as 60. Memory and CPU power affect the number of users as well as the type of users. Users doing extensive C development beat the system much more than users doing data entry or word processing. As an example in an office environment 2-4 users could be supported by the TC9, up to 8 or so on a 68000, with a max of about 40 or so on a 68030. Using a fast hard drive and DMA is a great help as the hard drive is usually the bottleneck of any multi- user system. Q: Will the TC9 be compatible with the MM1? A: The issue of the MM1 vs the TOMCAT is covered in another file called TCVMM.CMP I decided to stop this first installment of QnA because of its size. Please Email me any further questions so that I can include them in QnA #2. Thank You Frank Hogg 70310,317
Introducing the Tomcat from Frank Hogg Labs
See also: Announcing the MM/1 and Announcing the TC-70.
Here is another one from the archives. Uploaded on March 31st, 1990 to the GEnie online service Tandy RoundTable, these documents were the original product announcement from Frank Hogg Labs Tomcat OSK machine. The TC-9 was a 6809 based machine that used the CoCo 3’s GIME chip for compatibility, and the TC-70 was a 68000-type system similar to the MM/1.
I will also attach the original price list.
Number: 4376 Name: tomcat.txt Address: F.RESLER Date: 900331 Approximate # of bytes: 7560 Number of Accesses: 49 Library: 9 Description: This is a file describing the new CoCo4, officially called the TC9 Tomcat, from Frank Hogg. Very interesting and exciting! Keywords: coco4,tomcat,hogg,computer,announcement
I N F I N I T E
E X P A N S I O N
P O S S I B I L I T I E S
from 6809 to
60030 and
beyond,
with your
PRESENT
HARDWARE,
at your own
pace...
at Super Prices...
(About what the CoCo 3 was when it first came out.)
INTRODUCING....
THE...
********* *
********* **
** *** *** *** **** **** ******
** ** ** **** **** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** * ** ** **
** *** ** ** **** ***** **
TM
____________________________________________________
The TC9 TOMCAT (TM) is a major improvement over the CoCo 3.
The TC9 is over 25% faster!
The TC9 uses a PC compatible keyboard.
The TC9 has two 'real' serial ports.
The TC9 supports a serial mouse.
The TC9 has a parallel printer port.
The TC9 has provision for 512K on board RAM or it can use a
CoCo 3 512K memory upgrade.
The TC9 can be upgraded to 1 megabyte with the Disto 1 Meg
upgrade with no soldering, just plug it in.
The TC9 has 8 bit D to A and A to D. 8 bit provides better
sound and a higher resolution joystick, 256 vs 64.
The TC9 supports an internal speaker.
The TC9 has the standard CoCo bus so that CoCo cartridges
can be used.
The TC9 board can be powered by any PC power supply. This
also allows installing the board in most PC clone
cases.
The TC9 will work with most, if not all OS9 software.
The TC9 will have RSDOS compatibility thru 3rd party
vendors.
The TC9 is K-Bus compatible.
K-Bus capability is important because it allows interfacing the TC9 to
the 68000 and even the 68030! By installing the TC9 in a K-Bus 68K
system the Tomcat becomes a dual-processing system! When in OS9 Level II
mode the 68000 becomes a co-processor to the TC9, like a accelerator to
Level II. We can expect a 2 or 3 fold improvement in performance!
When the 68000 is the master under OS9/68K, the TC9 acts as a co-
processor to 68K. Switching back and forth between systems will be easy
and will allow a smooth transition from OS9 to OSK. It is not necessary
to jump to OSK to get the benefits of the 68000, but it provides a
smooth transition when and if you decide to make the move. You go at
your own pace, upgrading as you desire, and at each point you get a
significant improvement in performance, for a very slight cost.
E X P A N S I O N
Once a K-Bus backplane is added, (It is not required for TC9 operation)
the world of 68K is open to you. The logical first step is to add a
68000 CPU which will immediately speed up Level II operations by several
factors and opens the door to running OSK. No other additions are needed
to run OSK, as OSK will run in the TC9 memory and use TC9 I/O. For
further performance increases additional boards, memory, I/O etc. can be
added to the K-Bus. It is even possible to have several TC9's in the K-
Bus for a multi-processing system! Memory limits are 16 Megabytes of
which more than 14 Megabytes can be RAM!
They are backplane sizes from 4 to 16 slots and a 20 slot bus is under
consideration. The backplane itself is inexpensive so that if you
outgrew your first bus you could transfer all your cards to a bigger
backplane for little cost. Because of the bus concept upgrades to future
CPUs only requires adding that CPU to accomplish it. For example, you
could start with a 68000 and later replace that with a 68030 and still
use ALL of your other cards.
When new cards such as the 68040 become available, you could add those
too. Even capabilities, not thought of today can be added by just adding
a card!
This is upgrading without having to throw anything away. Even if you
eventually switched over to 68K completely the TC9 still functions as a
multi-function graphics co-processor. Our Hi-Res graphics board, now in
design, will have its own keyboard interface and video memory so that it
can be used with the TC9 . Several of either cards can be used in the
same system, making for the first multi-processor, multi-user, multi-
graphics system for OS9 and OSK! Because of the wide variety of K-Bus
boards available and those under development, the possibilities for the
future are unlimited.
The TC9 Tomcat truly is the CoCo 4 that Tandy should have made, for
that matter it could well be the CoCo 5, 6, 7, 8.............
SHOULD YOU GET ONE?
If you currently own a CoCo 3 and use it for both RSDOS and OS9 Level II
the TC9 Tomcat is your road to the future. It will run your current
software faster and give you powerful new features and performance at
modest cost. You get the ability to expand at your own pace, at low
cost, the way you want to do it, for your future.
THE FUTURE.
FHL, in business since 1976, has been manufacturing 680x0 based
computers for over 6 years! The Tomcat is the computer for the 90's. We
have put all of our knowledge and experience into the creation of the
Tomcat. We believe it is the best choice for you and for us. We create
computers because we like to use them, not because we like to sell them.
Every computer we've made has been one we've wanted for ourselves. The
Tomcat is the best we've done... so far.
TOMCAT is a trademark of FHL
FHL
For more information and price/availability:
Call or write:
FRANK HOGG LABORATORY, Inc.
204 WINDEMERE ROAD
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK 13205
315/469-7364
FAX 315/469-8537
CIS 70310,317
DELPHI FHOGG
3/29/90
ty:
And here is the original pricelist, though I do not remember where I got this file from. I slightly altered it for readability since it looks like blank lines got stripped somewhere along the way… Note the date of March 31, 1990.
FHL TOMCAT COMPUTER PRICE LIST March 31, 1990 ENCLOSURES Low Profile for TC9 - 4 high holds 2 5.25 and 2 3.5 drives, 220W PS $179.95 Mini Tower for 8 slot K-Bus, 2 5.25 and 2 3.5 drives, 220W PS 199.95 Desktop for 12 slot K-Bus, 3 5.25 and 1 3.5 drive, 200W PS 199.95 Big Tower for 16 slot K-Bus, 8 1/2 drives, 250W PS 399.95 Portable with keyboard and screen. Price to be announced. K-BUS BASED PRODUCTS TC9 TOMCAT 6809/Multi-I/O/Color Graphics (COCO4) $299.95 (2nd 1/4) K-BUS 4 SLOT BUS 59.95 K-BUS 8 SLOT BUS (Under Development) K-BUS 12 SLOT BUS 189.95 K-BUS 16 SLOT BUS 289.95 K-CPU-030 68030 CPU 16MHZ 799.95 K-CPU-68K/10 10 MHZ 68000 CPU Board 189.95 K-CPU-68K/12 12 MHZ 68000 CPU Board 219.95 K-CPU-68K/16 16 MHZ 68000 CPU Board 269.95 K-MATH-0 MATH CoProcessor less chip 89.95 K-MATH-81 MATH CoProcessor with 68881 installed 299.95 K-DRAM-0 2 MegaByte Dynamic Memory (no memory chips) 299.95 K-DRAM-2M 2 MegaByte Dynamic Memory 80NS Chips 499.95 K-MEM-0K 256K Static RAM or 27256 Type EPROM (64K Blocks) 89.95 K-TIMER Timer, Battery RTC/RAM,Parallel Printer Port 149.95 K-DMA 2 Channel DMA (68440) 189.95 K-SCSI SCSI Controller (5380) 149.95 K-FDC Floppy Disk Controller (1772) 4 drives 149.95 K-ACI 2 Port Async Serial (68681) 149.95 K-ACI4 4 Port Async Serial (68681) 249.95 K-PAR 4 Port Parallel Interface (6821) 149.95 K-BUSMON Bus Monitor with LED's and Single Step Switch 189.95 K-PROTO General Purpose Wirewrap 59.95 K-GRAPHICS Hi-Res Color Graphics VSC W/PC Keyboard Interface (2nd 1/4) SOFTWARE PRODUCTS OS9/68000 Includes Editor, Assembler, Debugger, Scred $249.95 BOOT-ROM SET Required for OS9 50.00 PC-DOS UTILITY Utility to Read/Write/Format PC-DOS under OS9 99.95 FHL reserves the right to change prices and specifications without notice Delivery: Stock to 30 Days except where noted Terms: Payment with order in U.S. Funds Check, VISA, MC (AMEX & DINERS add 5%) Shipping/Handling: $8.00 Per Order (UPS Ground), Foreign and Air Extra FRANK HOGG LABORATORY, Inc 204 WINDEMERE ROAD SYRACUSE, NY 13205 315/469-7364 FAX 315/469-8537
Introducing the CoCoPilot DriveWire Server
NEW “PRODUCT” ANNOUNCEMENT
Sub-Etha Software is proud to announce plans for its latest bit of vaporware: The CoCoPilot DriveWire Server, or “CoPi” for short.
The CoPi is a tiny device (which is approximately the size of a Raspberry Pi in a case) that comes with everything you need to have a functioning DriveWire server without having to keep your Mac or Windows machine nearby and powered on just so you can type “dir /x0”.
Pricing is to be announced but hopefully it will be around $50. Kit versions will also be available so you can just buy the bits you need in case you already have some of the other bits.
CoCoPilot Configurations
- Turnkey – This is a “plug and go” version, where all you have to do is install the DriveWire drivers for NitrOS-9, or load the appropriate RS-DOS software (like the special DriveWire version of HDB-DOS), and plug it in. It comes complete with the server hardware, power supply, server-to-CoCo interface device (often called an RS232 cable), and internal solid-state boot device (sometimes called an “SD card”).
- BYOE – The bring-your-own-everything edition is shipped as a set of simple instructions that will let you transform a boring Raspberry Pi in to the amazing CoCoPilot DriveWrite Server. All you have to do is provide the Raspberry Pi, SD card, RS232 adapter and CoCo serial cable. And do a bunch of typing*. And downloading. And editing. And configuring. But the end result is you have everything that the Turnkey edition has at a fraction of the price.
- Custom – Also planned to be available are various custom configurations. Already have a Pi? Don’t need another CoCo serial cable? Our custom configuration engineers are ready to custom tailor your order.
Pricing
We estimate complete pricing will be around $50. Or maybe $60. But probably not more than $75.Unless someone really wants to overpay for this.
Availability
The first working prototype was just turned on last night. Quit rushing us. We’ll announce availability when it is ready.
For more information, be sure to follow this blog.
(In case you didn’t get it, I started working with DriveWire on my Raspberry Pi. I will try to document all my steps to make things easier for you if you want to try it. And if you just want a Pi already setup, I’ll probably be able to do that as well.)
* Actually, it’s not really that much typing. I will have a full “from getting a Pi, to using DriveWire” tutorial next. But if you already know your away around the Pi, you pretty much can boot a freshly installed Pi, login and type:
wget http://sites.google.com/site/drivewire4/download/DriveWire4_4.3.3.zip unzip DriveWire4_4.3.3.zip cd DriveWire4_4.3.3
Then, you have to edit the “config.xml” file to tell it what serial port you are using. For instance, if you plug in a USB-RS232 adapter, it might appear as device “/dev/ttyUSB0”. You just edit the file and change two bits:
<DeviceType category="device" list="serial,tcp-server,tcp-client,dummy" type="list">serial</DeviceType>
…and…
<SerialDevice category="device" type="serialdev">/dev/ttyUSB0</SerialDevice>
Then all you have to do to start it up is type:
java -jar DW4UI.jar -noui
Tada! Now your DriveWire-enabled CoCo should be able to start issuing commands to the server.
However, DriveWire has many more features that you can only get to using the DriveWire GUI. If you have a display, mouse and keyboard hooked to your Pi, you can instead run the GUI like this:
startx
That will start up the X-Windows desktop GUI on the Pi. Now all you have to do is run the DriveWire GUI. One way to do this is by opening up a Terminal to get to a shell prompt (Ctrl-Escape -> Accessories -> Terminal).
But wait! The GUI requires a few elements that are not part of the default Pi Linux installation, so you need to add them first by typing:
sudo apt-get install libswt-gtk-3-java sudo apt-get install libswt-cairo-gtk-3-jni
Now you are ready to run the DriveWire 4 GUI:
cd DriveWire4_4.3.3 java -jar DW4UI.jar
Now you can do things like update the DriveWire software and many other things you cannot do without a mouse (apparently).
Check back later for a full, step-by-step article on taking a fresh out-of-the-box Pi and turning it in to a DriveWire server. (Or I can sell you one already configured.)
Announcing the TC-70
See also: Announcing the MM/1 and Introducing the Tomcat from Frank Hogg Labs.
And another one from 1990 … the announcement of the Frank Hogg Labs’ Tomcat-70. This was their answer to the MM/1. I believe it was a better machine, but the MM/1 had more software support. In the end, too many systems to choose from, shipping delays, and the lack of Rainbow magazine supporting them, doomed them. (Though, Rainbow featured each one on the cover, so they at least helped launch them.)
>>>>>>>> ANNOUNCEMENT <<<<<<<< Frank Hogg Laboratory is pleased to announce the TC70, the 68K computer of choice for Tomcat/Color Computer/68K users. The TC70 is the latest in our line of K-Bus compatible products, providing the greatest flexibility and expansion for the OS9/OSK community. The TC70 is a stand-alone system that can also be used with the TC9 Tomcat for complete OS-9 Level 2 compatibility. It is fully expandable via the K-Bus to over 14+ megabytes of RAM and 60+ ports and is the lowest cost of any system available. These TC70 in conjunction with the TC9 provides both CoCo compatibility as well as OS9/68K. The Tomcat is the most flexible and expandable of any computer system available today. The TC70 has 50% more built in RAM, a better AT keyboard interface, is more cost effective, and is more standard with K-Bus compatibility than other 68070 based single board computers announced or on the market. The Technical Specs ------------------ Signetics 68070 CPU (Motorola 68000 compatible) at 15 MHz 1.5 MB RAM (1,536K) Memory upgradeable to 14+ MB via K-Bus Graphics resolution from 320x200 to 720x540 (interlaced) From 16 to 256 colors on-screen, depending on resolution mode Three serial ports expandable to 60 via K-Bus PC keyboard port for 101-key AT-style keyboard RGB-Analog output for CM-8 Style monitor and RGB TTL for PC monitors OS9/68K Professional Version with C and Basic included Direct Memory Access (DMA) floppy disk controller DMA SCSI host adapter built in for hard drives and tape K-Bus compatible TC9 compatible (CoCo 3) 8-bit D to A port 8-bit port A to D (CoCo joystick) 1 parallel port for parallel printer expandable to 60 via K-Bus Serial mouse port Real-time battery-backed clock CPU --- The Signetics 68070 is a Motorola compatible CPU running at 15 MHz I/O Support ----------- The PC keyboard port is designed for standard AT-style keyboards. The AT-style keyboards are available in a better quality than XT keyboards and also provide bi-directional control of the keyboard LEDs from the computer. This way CAPS lock etc can be tied into each window. Floppy disk controller is included at no extra charge. Supports both 3.5 and 5.25 drives and ALL OS9-OSK disk formats including CoCo, Mizar, Atari, Motorola etc etc. Also supports our PC Utility for using PC DOS disks. The TC70 floppy controller uses separate DMA from the SCSI port allowing very fast transfer from hard disk to floppy, great for backups. Our SCSI drivers, proven by over 6 years of use supports all SCSI hard drives, tape drives and most SASI/SCSI controllers including XEBEC, OMTI, Adaptec, Western Digital etc. Software support ---------------- Microwares OS9/68000 Professional version with C and BASIC is included. Our port of OS9/68K is a mature port with over 6 years of proven reliability. Additional utilities only available for the Tomcat system extend OS9/68K to the utmost. Expansion --------- The TC70 can be expanded with K-Bus cards. Physical specs -------------- The TC70 is 5.25 X 8 (The same size as a 5.25 disk drive) and has mounting holes that allow mounting to a 5.25 drive. This allows very flexible mounting. The TC70 will fit in and is an upgrade to the QT, QT Plus and QT 00x. The TC70 also mounts in the K-Bus and will work with the TC9 board and other K-Bus cards. Pricing ------- The preliminary price is $999.99 for the TC70 board and software. Complete system prices and final specifications will be uploaded later. Consult the Tomcat brochure for TC9 pricing. Availability ------------ The TC70 will be available late July 1990. For more information or to be placed on the waiting list for any of our Tomcat computers contact: Frank Hogg 70310,317 Frank Hogg Laboratory, Inc. 204 Windemere Rd. Syracuse NY 13205 315/469-7364 FAX 315/469-8537 Prices and specifications are of course subject to change without notice. Date of this notice: 5/29/90 Thanks Frank