August Poll and some bits

Let's see...

The August poll was about what we'd would like to see next on the CoCo Hut. An image gallery came in first. That is fairly easy to impliment and I'll see about getting the software installed on the server for that ASAP. Second place was an online store, which would be trickier, but certainly doable. I have a few ideas on the subject I'll post on the message board. Comments and thoughts are more than welcome. I wouldn't expect anything to come of it until next year, but it would be good to start laying the groundwork and chatting up ideas.

If you're in the mood to buy CoCo stuff hit the CoCo Hut Gift shop for T-shirts, mugs, and... well, whatever else we get in the mood for. :) That's actually kind of cool. Anything you want to see, just drop a note. If you've got an image you want a T-shirt or something, cafepress can do that. No prob. And other people might like it, too!

The current poll has to do with the commercial at the top of the main page, and is just... well for silly. I love YouTube. I don't even have cable TV anymore. I mean really, the stuff on YouTube is WAY more entertaining. heh... :)

A 2008 CoCo Calendar? Tried to get one done last year and just couldn't get the images together. Is this something folks would like? Cafe Press has some excellent calendar options, so if I had the images and text to pop in there, we could have one whipped up pretty quick. I managed four CoCo photos that would be suitable. If you're interested in contributing a very high quality image for it, drop me a note. We'd need, oh, I'd say about... 12. :) Proceeds (US$1 per calendar) would go to support the Hut, of course. Depending on the format chosen, that would make the retail price between $4.99 to $20.99. I'll post the options to the message board.


Some questions I've gotten via email the last few months:

What happened to the Sunday CoCoist? My scheduled changed and I don't have Sunday free anymore. So that wasn't gonna work. With more contributors, CoCo Downunder joining us at the Hut, and the message board running along nicely, the hope is that eventually we'll have something CoCoish for you if you stop by, say, once a week or so. Might be interesting threads, new blog posts, or files to play with but it'll be something. We can build it from there.

(paraphrased) When's the GloCo gonna be done??? Well... I dunno. When it gets there. The mods that need doing are finish soldering the socket, covert to a PC power supply, and do the keyboard decals. Not much, but will require, say, an hour or two each uninterrupted. I haven't had a couple of hours uninterrupted in months, so we'll see how it works out. :) I'll post something in Pimp My CoCo as soon as there's something to tell.

How do I get my auction mentioned in the CoCo Collector? You can't. :) It has to be something one of the bloggers here sees and thinks is interesting or mentionable. No placement or promotion by request, I'm afraid. What I DO recommend is emailing me when you post an auction. I'll certainly be happy to take a look. (Other bloggers here may feel differently, so ask before spamming, please.) I look for items that are of a collectible nature. That mint Personal Finance pak isn't gonna get my CoCo lust going.

Sellers should also feel free to post a list of their current or upcoming auctions into the General forum of the message board! I have no problem with this at all, and if there's enough interest in it, I'll bring it up with the board admins and mods and see about setting up a separate forum for those types of posts. Hey, promoting yourself is essential, so jump on in. I recommend listing when the auctions will start, how long they will run, and a couple of pictures, at minimum.

Okay, that's enough for now... :) If I can stop playing WoW long enough (that game is pure digital crack), I'll play with image gallery software and see what we can get going.

Angel's Luck,
Capt

CoCo Mugs!

The CoCo has quite a mug on it, and now its mug is on a mug. haha! (Sorry... okay, that was bad.) In an effort to drive donations, coco3.com is offering a limited edition Holiday CoCo coffee mug with each contribution of $20.00 or more. The listing is currently on the main page of the site.

Discuss this entry in The CoCo Hut Message Board. Now Open!

FOR SALE: CoCo Lounge

Alas, Glen VanDenBiggelaar has decided to discontinue the popular CoCo Lounge website. Glenn is offering to sell the site and the entire online store inventory to an interested party. See his announcement on the site for details. Let's hope that someone will step up to do it, since the information on the Lounge is a great reference.

Discuss this post on The CoCo Hut Message Board! Get some CoCo Love!

Huge sales, great retro stuff, and some cool knicknacks!

A little bit o' catch up here in the Old CoCo Collector.

VINTAGE COMPUTER MOUSE, RADIO SHACK COLOR MOUSE, TRS80 - (eBay item 280149646957 end time Sep-10-07 13:21:53 PDT)

These seem to be getting slightly more rare. The Color Mouse appears in decent condition from the photos. Alas, the seller couldn't test it. Still, never heard of two much trouble with these. Not as luxurious as the Deluxe Color Mouse, but it does the job. Just make sure you have plenty of desktop real estate.

TRS-80 COLOR COMPUTER 2 + RARE FD 501 DISK DRIVE buynow - (eBay item 290158722255 end time Sep-10-07 16:01:36 PDT)

Most useful thing in the auction is the controller. And the price plus shipping is probably too high for just that. Still, if you're desperate for a drive controller, the FD-501 is a good one.

Tandy Color Computer CM-8 Monitor COCO 26-3125 - (eBay item 280151788533 end time Sep-10-07 19:39:44 PDT)

If you can't get hold of a RGB to VGA or S-Video converter, this will do. Not the best display for your CoCo 3, but certainly better than RF to a TV!

Tandy TRS-80/COCO ORCHESTRA 90-CC 26-3143 - (eBay item 280151794701 end time Sep-10-07 20:03:48 PDT)

We're not seeing these popping up lately, so figured I'd list this one since the seller demonstrates it as working. If you like CoCo music, you'll be needing one of these in the "to use" pile.

Tandy FD-502 Drive Case/Controller COCO 26-3133 - (eBay item 280151794839 end time Sep-10-07 20:04:15 PDT)

Again, this one also seems a bit high for just the controller. Then again, it'll do the job.

TRS-80 Color Computer-Chopper Stike by Computer Shack - (eBay item 190149166018 end time Sep-10-07 20:57:51 PDT)

Nice rare Computer Shack game called Chopper Strike. No manual, alas, but the disk is original. Very cool! :)

The Rainbow magazine for TRS-80 Color Computers - 17 - (eBay item 150158199368 end time Sep-11-07 18:21:40 PDT)

CoCo mags haven't been popping up much either. So here's a nice random lot of The Rainbow, including the reprint edition of the very first issue, to get someone started.

Retro TANDY Mousepad - (eBay item 300148302414 end time Sep-11-07 19:53:37 PDT)

A Tandy mouse pad to go with your Color Mouse. heh...

Rainbow Magazine, 1989, 12 issues, TRS-80, Coco 3 - (eBay item 190150571372 end time Sep-12-07 09:30:07 PDT)
Rainbow Magazine, 1988, 12 issues, TRS-80, Coco 3 - (eBay item 190150572432 end time Sep-12-07 09:33:28 PDT)
My eBay Summary
Rainbow Magazine, 1987, 11 issues, TRS-80, Coco 3 - (eBay item 190150573039 end time Sep-12-07 09:35:44 PDT)

Three lots of the The Rainbow from the dates indicated. In 88 and 89 you'll start seeing CoCo 3 stuff.

TRS-80 Color Computer 3 and Extras - (eBay item 130150682012 end time Sep-12-07 09:40:19 PDT)

Big pile of CoCo 3 stuff, including random disks, paks, drive, sticks and pretty much everything you need except a display. The 2 CoCo 3s included might need some work, would be good for pimpin', or serve as back ups or parts.

WICO Command Control Trackball for TRS80 Color Computer - (eBay item 130151616815 end time Sep-14-07 20:13:05 PDT)

Boxed Wico Command trackball for the CoCo. These actually work pretty good with "missile command" and "darn marble" type games. This one is potentially in collectible condition as well, but the seller doesn't show a picture of the actual unit... just the box. Claims it's like new and never used, so might be worth a look.

TRS-80 Model I, III & Color Remote Command Control! - (eBay item 280150127829 end time Sep-15-07 12:01:00 PDT)

For you old school CoCoists, here a brand spankin' new looking, original appliance and light controller. That's right, drive you wife and/or hubby nuts by hooking up the house to the CoCo! It's fun. Really. Neat collectible, too.

Trs-80 Color Computer CoCo Fest ticket (1993) - (eBay item 190150996876 end time Sep-15-07 19:27:45 PDT)

Every once and awhile a real CoCo collectible pops up, and here's one that's super cool. It's an original ticket stub from Glenside's 2nd CoCoFest. Neat little keepsake for the discriminating collector. :)

VINTAGE RADIO SHACK TRS-80 - (eBay item 200150762959 end time Sep-15-07 22:01:47 PDT)

OOOOHHH! The Great White CoCo, Aussie Edition! Original boxes, manuals, boxed paks.... My favorite CoCo and a super collectible. You don't see these in this condition too often.

Rogue - Tandy Colour Computer 128k - (eBay item 320156601250 end time Sep-15-07 22:55:50 PDT)

Another Australian auction, this is a copy of the great adventure game Rogue for OS-9. No instructions, but it's pretty straight forward. Hours of adventuring fun, too.

Trs-80 Color Computer EDTASM+ - (eBay item 190151152927 end time Sep-16-07 09:52:30 PDT)

Here's an EDTASM+ pak with manual. Get this on disk and patch it with the Super EDTASM patch printed in The Rainbow (I forget which issues, dang I need Rainbow on Disk!) and it makes a decent Assembler package.

Trs-80 color computer Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - (eBay item 190151169606 end time Sep-16-07 10:39:22 PDT)

Super rare Infocom super hit here. This might qualify as the funniest game ever done for the CoCo. heh! Pure Douglas Adams goodness. Almost complete, it's missing the Don't Panic Button, but who cares. Playing this is fantastic. Owning it in the original is even better.

Radio Shack TRS-80 Computer Cassette Recorder Vintage - (eBay item 250163629325 end time Sep-16-07 18:50:50 PDT)

Another ultra-retro collectible, an original CRT-80A. Just look at this beast! Wicked cool for the 26-3001 CoCo you've got hooked up. Real CoCoists do it in 4K with tape! Bwahahaha!

Tandy DeskMate 3 for OS-9 Level 2 Color Computer 3 - (eBay item 200150112243 end time Sep-16-07 19:22:02 PDT)

Appears to be complete copy of DeskMate 3 for the CoCo 3. Good collectible.

BOXED Radio Shack TRS-80 COCO Multi-Pak Interface - (eBay item 320155810254 end time Sep-09-07 12:00:53 PDT)

This boxed, but no manuals, MPI went for about US$42.00. Kind of expected it to go a bit higher, but it is the older style 26-3024 model by the look of it. It would need an upgrade to work properly with a CoCo 3.

Tandy TRS-80 Colour Computer - Complete HUGE Rare 1981 - (eBay item 180153700219 end time Sep-07-07 03:20:35 PDT)

This big fat lot of Australian CoCo goodness went for a whopping AU$176.39 (about US$145)! Included some rare issue of Softgold (which I'd love to know more about) and the Pyramid 2000 and Bedlam games, as well as a Christmas Cards tape. Interesting lot, great sale, great buy!

Tandy/Radio Shack TRS-80 ROM Paks, multi-pak interface - (eBay item 130147340875 end time Sep-04-07 21:45:52 PDT)

And we think MPIs go high in the States? This one, with program paks, went for AU$222.22 (about US$183)!!! Included two rarities... something called the CoCo Tuner (more info!) and an Art Gallery data tape. Wonder what's on that?

Pile of Tandy TRS-80 STUFF! Floppy drive, games, books! - (eBay item 250158867099 end time Sep-02-07 21:08:07 PDT)

This awesome FD-500 in box, with original wrappers/packing, and a pile of CoCo stuff went for $US66.22. Again, surprised it didn't go higher. That's a good looking drive in rare condition.

Disto Super Controller 2 for TRS-80 Color Computer 3 - (eBay item 290154772798 end time Sep-02-07 13:58:10 PDT)

Setting a new record, this Disto Super Controller II floppy controller went for US$106.00. Man what a prize! :)

~~Vintage Tandy Coco Computer Very rare find on Ebay~~ - (eBay item 330159437597 end time Aug-29-07 05:55:46 PDT)

Even with busted CoCos, this huge lot of CoCo 3 stuff, including drives, CM-8, 512K upgrade and paks went for a huge US$225.00.

Rare Tom Mix Software collection-TRS-80 Color Computer - (eBay item 300143916332 end time Aug-28-07 11:44:27 PDT)

In another giant sale, this lot of Tom Mix games on disk with manuals went for $73.50. Serious envy going on here. Serious. :)

Over all, some huge sales and some great stuff up for grabs at the moment. It's a good time to be a CoCoist, of course, and at the moment, a great time to be a collector!

Angel's Luck,
Capt.

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Dead DSL, CoCo Fun, and Assembler

My DSL connection has been dead as a doornail for a week now. Arg! I have three Webkins addicts in my house, so basically my life has been a living hell. heh...

On the upside, being "offline" did give me some quality CoCo time! Woo hoo! Mainly, I played with a few BASIC routines, which I'll share when they're cleaned up, and practiced a bit of Assembler. The latter is slowly starting to make sense in my befuddled mind. Of course, knowing 6809 assembler is a lot different from being able to program in 6809 assembler. Just relearning basic programing technique and constructing simple routines is still a challenge for me. But I highly recommend the endeavor, even if you only have a bit of time to devote to it each week. Even just getting something simple to work in BASIC is a blast. It's like that old thrill I got the first time I powered on the CoCo and spend two weeks in front of it, pretty much non-stop. Fabulous!

While on the topic of programming, pop over to the CoCo Hut message board and join in the fun there, as well. There's a BASIC board for programmers, and plenty of other interesting bits including Pimp My CoCo, CoCo Downunder, and The CoCo Collector. Hell, if someone will moderate it (and post to it regularly) we'll even add an Assembler or language-of-your-choice board! Oh, how about a programing games on the Coco forum? You know, design considerations, tricks, help, that sort of thing... Would anyone post to that? ahem... anyhow...

You do need to register and get authorization to access the board, but we hope to make the bit of trouble worth your while. :)

Angel's Luck,
Capt

PS For everyone I owe email and/or stuff, please hang in there. It's coming! :) Might be Sunday or Monday night before I get caught up. I DO have to fit in some quality World of Warcraft time as well, you know??? Heh...

The CoCo 2 picks up, a Disto Super Controller, and more!

Sales of CoCo 2s have been pretty steady, but just of late they're going even better, with price increases galore. Original CoCo 1s are doing good, as well. We've seen a price increase across the board on all models. CoCo 3s still sell well, in the $100s for those that include lots usable extras. Many of the CoCo 2s being sold are not "collectible" quality, which would indicate that many folks are buying them to use. An increase in paks in poor to good condition, mainly in lots, provides another indicator of this. Now... how do we lure in these new/returning CoCoists and keep them active? :)

Some of these end very soon:

VINTAGE TRS-80 CO CO - COLOR METEOROIDS GAME - (eBay item 300143708009 end time Aug-27-07 18:31:16 PDT)

A rare complete tape copy of Color Metroids from Spectral Associates. 'Fraid I know nothin' about this one, but it looks neat.

Zaxxon - (eBay item 290152878171 end time Aug-27-07 21:20:09 PDT)

Another rare one, the DataSoft Zaxxon cassette, complete in the box. The other version was sold in a clamshell case and is slightly (only) more common.

VINTAGE TRS-80 CO CO SOFTWARE ( ZAXXON ) COMPUTER GAME - (eBay item 300144753228 end time Aug-30-07 20:47:27 PDT)

Here's a great looking copy of the version sold in a clamshell case. That case usually gets brittle and yellowed fast. This one's getting there, but still one of the nicer copies I've seen. I know this packaging was sold at Radio Shack (I bought it), but I don't know about the boxed version (above).

Disto Super Controller 2 for TRS-80 Color Computer 3 - (eBay item 290154772798 end time Sep-02-07 13:58:10 PDT)

In the freakin' awesome rare department, here's a nice looking Disto Super Controller II for your floppies. Not ever having owned one of these, I can't comment too much, but I believe it'll drive higher density floppies, depending on what DOS is installed.

1982 Radio Shack Color Computer system in original box - (eBay item 130147598673 end time Sep-02-07 15:34:24 PDT)

The 26-3004A CoCo is a fine F or NR board machine. This one looks great and comes with a CCR-82 and a few extra goodies. No mention what's on those tapes. Judging from the manuals it's an ECB machine, but no word on the RAM, though probably 16K. That was common in 1982. (The machine was built in October of '82 according to the date code on the box.)

~~Vintage Tandy Coco Computer Very rare find on Ebay~~ - (eBay item 330159437597 end time Sep-03-07 22:29:26 PDT)

Can't decide if this is one of those crazy ones or a deal. heh... Lots of CoCo stuff, but the 2 included CoCo 3s don't work. I suppose if you needed the stuff and the CoCos for parts...

Tandy/Radio Shack TRS-80 ROM Paks, multi-pak interface - (eBay item 130147340875 end time Sep-04-07 21:45:52 PDT)

Nice lot that includes an MPI and a bunch of paks. Includes the CoCo Max Hi-Res Pack (no software) and something called the CoCo Tuner. That last could be interesting.

Tandy Radio Shack TRS-80 Vintage Color Computer No Rsrv - (eBay item 110160452016 end time Aug-23-07 11:07:39 PDT)

Great looking, collectible quality 26-3004 Color BASIC machine that went for US$41.26. Included a still in the box CCR-81 as well. Good looking machine.

Rare Tom Mix Software collection-TRS-80 Color Computer - (eBay item 300143916332 end time Aug-28-07 11:44:27 PDT)

Here's an awesome collection of Tom Mix disks that includes King Tut, Sailor Man, The King, The Frog and SR-71 with docs (except The Frog).

Circuit Design Programs for the TRS-80 by Howard M. ... - (eBay item 230164271928 end time Aug-29-07 16:30:00 PDT)

This looks interesting. I've got a project planned to do a "shop CoCo" some day, and want to load it with all sort of handyman and electronics software. This would be handy, I suspect. Haven't seen it before, so might be worth a look and it should be too hard to convert the programs to the Color BASIC.

Tandy Color Computer 2 "coco" - (eBay item 220143280197 end time Aug-30-07 18:03:20 PDT)

Here's a beautiful, looks complete, CoCo 2.

Superman and Wounder Woman TRS-80 Computer Comic - (eBay item 170142799391 end time Aug-30-07 18:10:18 PDT)

This gets listed from time-to-time, but it features the CoCo (if I remember correctly) and hey, I love DC comics. :)

Angel's Luck,
Capt.

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Tandy Color Computer 3 & Extra's

Checkout this dandy Coco3 setup. It has all the things you need to have a complete running hardware setup. Looking at the pic for the hardware. All Hardware looks smick. Even comes with a 2xSpeaker system.

So If your after a complete disk drive setup with Multi-Pack. Then this is a done deal for you. Then you throw in the Tandy Speech Pack(Which by the way are hard to obtain). You are ready and able to get deep into the Coco Goodness available. Even if you just want this setup to do word processing work. Then your in luck, even comes with a Printer and Paper. So bid on this if you want everything at once and not buy bits and pieces to have a complete setup.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tandy-TRS-80-Color-Computer-3-Disk-System-Extras_W0QQitemZ140151382506QQihZ004QQcategoryZ74947QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Laters

Briza(CocoDownunder crew).

240 or 256 colors on the 320x192 screen

Hows this for a gem of a program. I have downloaded and tested it out on a real 512k Coco 3.
And boy does it look super. You can see the different shades of Green, Red, Blue, Plus you can see Different shades for Pink, Yellow and So forth.
Download it and see for yourself. And By what Chris says. If he uses a lower Color chart. Say 140-160 colors. He will be able to do animation. Now this will be perfect for Games. So looks like the Coco 3 will be seeing a new lease of life after all. Why design games using 16 colors. When you can get a mode utilizing 140-160 colors in a 320x192-225 mode.

http://www.lomont.org/Software/Misc/CoCo/

This must show the world what a great Graphics chip the GIME was. And how powerful it is when partnered with a 6809 chip.

laters

Briza(CocoDownunder)

The Rat Graphics package, and plenty o' CoCo 3s!

Auctions of Note for August 19th, 2007:

Not a lot, but a super rare software/hardware combo and some CoCo 3s!

COLOR COMPUTER 3 AND DISK DRIVE SYSTEM PLUS DISKS!! - (eBay item 330156659372 end time Aug-18-07 18:38:10 PDT)

This CoCo 3 system with FD-502 went for a hefty US$131.13! See below for a deal... :)

1983 Walt Disney Telling Time with Donald for TRS-80 - (eBay item 120153234611 end time Aug-26-07 19:38:57 PDT)

Here's a good looking Telling Time with Donald in the hard clamshell box. Looks complete. This whole series from Walt Disney is pretty good if you have young ones in the house. Hook the CoCo 1/2 up to a big TV and let these run. Several solid hours of edutainment for the 5-10 years old crowd. And a great way to get your kids active in the CoCo. You do need a tape player for these, since they frequently use MOTOR ON:AUDIO ON to play narration off of the cassette. The one being offered here appears in collectible condition as well.


TANDY MULTI-PAK INTERFACE TRS 80 MOUSE COCO MAX INPUT - (eBay item 290152298644 end time Aug-26-07 19:37:28 PDT)

Here's an interesting lot. This is a 26-3024 MPI and original CoCo Max hi-res input pak with Color Mouse. Also includes what appears to be a custom selector switch that would, in theory, allow you to switch between hi-res mode and regular mode for the mouse. Neato.

Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer Multi-pak interface - (eBay item 290152181518 end time Aug-26-07 13:24:23 PDT)

Another 26-3024 MPI by itself. Untested according to the seller. (Note that these aren't necessarily of collectible interest but so many people want 'em I figured I'd give them a call out.)

Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer 3 CM-8 RGB color monitor - (eBay item 290152178185 end time Aug-26-07 13:14:43 PDT)

And a good ol' CM-8 for your retro-viewing pleasure.

Tandy Color Computer 3 128k Like New w/Games + More - (eBay item 170140281145 end time Aug-20-07 16:21:55 PDT)

Very good looking CoCo 3 with box, manuals and extras. It's mislisted, so worth a look if you're wanting a 3 cheap. Ending soon!

Diecom The Rat Graphic Design Package for Tandy Coco 3 - (eBay item 280143772617 end time Aug-20-07 18:17:30 PDT)

This one is mislisted as well, and maybe the rarest of the rare auctions we see this year. Ending soon, so jump in if you're able!!! The Rat was a graphics package for the CoCo 3 by Diecom. It boasted some pretty highend features, but having never seen it, I couldn't tell you for certain what was in it. :)

TANDY COLOR COMPUTER W/ 5 GAMES CONTROLLER Disk Drive - (eBay item 220140292527 end time Aug-21-07 12:48:28 PDT)

Yet another CoCo 3 with an FD-502. This one is also mislisted, so worth a peek. Even with the high shipping, it could come in under $130+ price listed above. ;)



Angel's Luck,
Capt.

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Lamont updates CoCo Docs and some Math

Chris Lomont has made several updates to his CoCo page since we last visited back in June (I really need to get out and about more). There's an article called "Retro Supercomputing" in which he tackles some heavy duty computational tasks with a CoCo 3. Okay, mathematics are not my strongest area, whereas Chris is a PhD, but just seeing the programs run on a CoCo is pretty darn amazing once you understand what they're doing inside. Chris's description of the inner workings of both the E and TM computations is clear and easy to follow in the article and in the programs themselves. The way he gets around some of the inherent programing limitations of the CoCo is pretty slick as well (such as overwriting an unused portion of the program itself to free up more RAM) and certainly worth studying if you're planning to do some memory intensive CoCo'ing. Can't wait to see what he does with Pi.

In other news, he recently updated his CoCo hardware programing documentation. It's easier to navigate around and there are many new additions from the last version. If, like me, you're learning assembler again, grab these docs right now. Just being able to see how all this stuff works and interrelates is a huge kick to the ol' learning curve. Between Mr. Lomont's docs and the Barden and Leventhal books, I'm actually starting to get it. Well, mostly, but way better than I was previously. If you're already a whiz with a CoCo assembler, Chris's docs will serve as a welcome and frequently used reference.

Angel's Luck,
Capt.

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