Re: TI-H: General questions with a possibly big im


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Re: TI-H: General questions with a possibly big im




Hehehe... I beat you to it... unfortunately, it's nowhere near release
point, and it's bigger/more powerful than a z80 based system.  But I did get
TI-85 functionality into it from scratch, down to a working linkport into
the calculator section of the system space.  It's basically an incredibly
souped up PDA setup, with more options than I need, and more going in each
day... no PCMCIA yet, but I managed to cram in 320x240 LCD video with
digitizer touchscreen... and did I mention it runs ELKS?  I'm using an AMD
386-based mobile processor... no mp3 audio storage as a result, but then
again, I haven't done the sound hardware at all yet...  It's all based on
parallel RAM chips, no serial flash technology here :)
    But it's still buggy, too much crap is stored in ROM, and I won'r
release it until it starts to leave the breadboard.

D'oh!

CK

kaus@cybrzn.com wrote:

> Thanks for your input, Mel.  You've shown me how my idea would be
> impossible and therfore saved me hours of trying to get it to work:)
> Youre idea sounds complicated, and like you said, the average electrical
> hobbiest wouldn't be able to do it.  I certainly would be lost, but then
> again, I dont claim to be much of an electronic hobbiest either:)  The
> reson i wanted to do this anyway was most for personal reasons.  I am a
> programmer.  Pretty much cut and dry.  I program.  But, as a programmer,
> i am insulted by the limits TI poses on us with their calculators.  I
> want complete control over teh entire computer system, which TI just
> doesn't give me.  I therefore am obliged to announce that i am going to
> create a better Z80 computer system that can be just as small, but more
> hardware adaptable and controllable.  Someone wants a memory expander,
> they plug in the chips to the parelel bus port out of the system and
> install a driver.  I dont want to be limited by TI-OS constraints.  I
> want overlays, i want Shell startup, i want complete interupt control, i
> want most of the 64k RAM for my progs to work in, I want, I want, I
> want, I want!
> So, I was wondering: you said lots of people sell Z80 microproccesors?
> do they sell them singly?  I dont think Zilog does.  Maybe, i dont know.
>  I fthey did, i could slap that on a baord, with power supply,
> oscillator, and a big wide bus to put stuff on containing all of the 40
> pins from the processor.  With the Low profile thingies in computers, i
> can put SIM like memory modules in theri depending on how I want it
> setup.  A 2K System Rom would be sufficent, for all it has to do is load
> up the actual shell from the memory expander built in to the system.  It
> could be a very simple expander, for it can work 8 bits at a time,
> instead of serially.  The shell can do the rest.  The hard parts would
> be getting the ROM done.  I dont know if companies do this for consumers
> on a small scale basis, or if i could do it myslef, id ont know.
> another problem would be the video.  If we chose th TI way, we would
> need dual access RAM for the video RAM, and i dont know if/where they
> sell that, or how expensive it is.  Also, the screen itslelf i dont know
> how to do.  Anyway, programmers would love it, USer's would love it
> (bigger games!)  and people could sell them (for only the cost of the
> building, almost nill profit, to keep the price reasonable.  Hardware
> hackers would love it cause they could make all sorts of devices to plug
> into the thing, and they could even work together.  I dont know how much
> this ould all cost, it probably would be expensive. but maybe not.  I
> would do  it anyway if it was under $200 or so.  :)  I would need a lot
> of help with this, but it would be worth all effort if it lived up to
> expectations.  And think how much fun it would be!
>
> at is all i ahve to say for now i think.
>
> Jonathan KAus
> kaus@cybrzn.com




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