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2024-03-02: The wiki ran out of disk space, so things were not working. This has been resolved by adding another 5GB of quota ;-) Thanks to Tim Lindner for reporting the issues.
2020-05-17: If a page gives you an error about some revision not being found, just EDIT the page and the old page should appear in the editor. If it does, just SAVE that and the page should be restored. OS-9 Al (talk) 12:22, 17 May 2020 (CDT)
Hardware
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| Looking for CoCo help? If you are trying to do something with your old Color Computer, read this quick reference. Want to contribute to this wiki? Be sure to read this first. This CoCo wiki project was started on October 29, 2004. --OS-9 Al |
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This page was last updated on 05/23/2023. Total Pages: 744. Total Files: 994.
Hardware design and integrated circuits
Internally the CoCo 1 and CoCo 2 models are functionally identical. The core of the system is virtually identical to the reference design included in the Motorola MC6883 data sheet and consists of five LSI chips:
- MC6809E Microprocessor Unit (MPU)
- MC6883/SN74LS783/SN74LS785 Synchronous Address Multiplexor (SAM)
- MC6847 Video Display Generator (VDG)
- Two Peripheral Interface Adapters (PIA), either MC6821 or MC6822 chips
Audio Digitizers
Audio Output Devices
- Orchestra-90 CC (26-3143) / CoCoDAC-16 - Stereo Music Synthesizer DAC
- Speech/Sound Cartridge (26-3144A) - Music and Speech Synthesizer AY3-8913 Programmable Sound Generator and an SPO256-AL2 Speech Processor
- Game Master Cart - Flash ROM and SN76489AN Digital Complex Sound Generator
- CoCo PSG - YM-2149F OPL3 Programmable Sound Generator
- MEGA mini MPI - YM-262F OPL3 FM Synthesizer
- The Voice - Speech Systems' Speech Synthesizer SP01
- Super Voice - Speech Systems' Speech Synthesizer device that could sing.
- Real Talker - Voice Synthesizer by Colorware
Bus Expander
- Tandy Multipak (26-3024)
- Tandy Multipak (26-3124)
- Colorburst By Maxsys
- Howard Medical Slotpak
- Orion Technologies XPort
- CoNect Xpander
- CoNect Y Box
- Y-Cable
- Solderless Proto Board
Computers & Clones
- TRS-80 Color Computers (A list of all available models)
- Dragon
- MC-10 Micro Color Computer
- CP400
- TDP-100
- LZ Color64 Brazilian clone
- Dynacom MX-1600 Brazilian clone
Tandy/Radio Shack Tape Drive Systems
Other Tape Drive Systems
Floppy Disk Controllers
- Other Floppy Disk - notes and information about the CoCo FD controllers
Tandy/Radio Shack floppy disk controllers
Third party floppy disk controllers
- SDC Floppy Emulator
- Disto Super Disk Controller
- Disto Super Disk Controller II
- Disto Mini Controller
- J&M/Owl-Ware
- Hard Drive Specialists
- Sardis Technologies 'no-halt' Controller
Hacking floppy disk
- Hacking Disk 40, 80 Track, 2 Sides
- 26-3029 CoCo Disk Controller High Density Modifications - (source)
Alternate floppy disk controller ROMs
Hard Drive Controllers
- Disto Hard Disk II Adapter
- Tandy Hard Drive Controller
- CoCo XT / CoCo XT-RTC by Burke & Burke
- KenTon - SCSI
- Gleside IDE Interface
- Cloud-9 SuperIDE Interface
- Cloud-9 TC^3 SCSI Interface
- Owl-Ware
Input Devices
Tandy / Radio Shack
- Joystick
- Deluxe Joystick
- Color Mouse (1 Button)
- Deluxe Color Mouse (2 button)
- Tandy Hi-Res Joystick Adapter
- Pistol Grip Joystick
Third party
- CoCo-150 - Flight Sim Yoke, Alban Scientific, The Rainbow Feb 1985
- The Glove
- Le Stick
- Wico Deluxe Joystick
- WICO Computer Command Trackball
- WICO Computer Command Analog Joystick
- HJL-57 upgrade Keyboard
- X-Pad
- Koala Pad
- Diecom Light Phaser Interface
- Comrex ComMander Deluxe
- Altai DR-2B
- Spectrum Mach II Joystick
- Spectrum Paddle
- Spectrum Stick
- MAXX Flight Control Yoke - 1991 Software Buyers Guide p. 71 listed it as CoCo compatible. Cat. No. 900-2176
- Advanced Gravis Mark VI Competition Joystick - RSC-22 p.38 listed Tandy-specific version Cat. No. 900-2380, also advertised in The Rainbow starting around Feb 1989.
Accessories
- Atari to CoCo Joystick Adapter
- Colorware Super Hi-Res Interface
- Hawksoft Dual Hi-Res Joystick Adapter
- Puppo Keyboard Adapter
- OWL Keyboard Adapter
- Cloud-9 AT Keyboard Adapter
Memory Upgrades
- Tandy 512K Upgrade
- Performance Peripherals 512K Upgrade
- Cloud-9 Triad 512K SRAM Upgrade
- Boyson Tech Boomerang 512K Upgrade
- Disto 512K Upgrade
- Disto 1MB Upgrade
- Disto 2MB Upgrade
MIDI Interfaces
Monitors and displays
- Radio Shack
- 26-3010 - TRS-80 Color Video Receiver introduced in the 1981 Radio Shack Computer Catalog RSC-4 and the 1981 Radio Shack main catalog.
- 16-230 - 13" color TV, model number TC-130. Introduced in the 1983 general Radio Shack catalog, and shown as the CoCo's display in that same catalog's back cover. Also shown on the cover of 1983's Radio Shack Computer Catalog RSC-8 and once in the CoCo section where the Color Video Receiver was still more prominent. Not fully shown in the interior of an RSC until RSC-9 later in 1983.
- 16-231 - a 13" TV. Introduced in the 1985 Radio Shack main catalog. Shown as the display in the CoCo's listing in that same catalog as well as (in 1985's RSC-12 Computer Catalog) on both the cover and the CoCo's own listings.
- 16-232 - a 13" TV/Video Monitor. Introduced in the 1986 Radio Shack main catalog. Shown as the display in the CoCo's listing in that same catalog as well as in 1986's Radio Shack Computer Catalog RSC-15.
- 16-233 - a 13" TV, model number TC-171. Introduced in the 1988 Radio Shack main catalog. Also shown as the display in the CoCo 2's listing in that same catalog and in 1988's Radio Shack Computer Catalog RSC-19.
- Tandy
- CM-8 Specifically made for the CoCo 3. Affordable but no composite input, thus many CoCo 1/2 programs would show in black-and-white.
- RGB-11 Listed in the Color Computer Archive. Perhaps only for composite input use rather than RGB.
- VM-4 Mentioned by Marty Goodman as being "perfectly compatible" with the CoCo 3 - but being monochrome was best for text use. Perhaps any monochrome composite monitor would work.
- Magnavox
- 1CM135
- 8CM505
- 8CM643
- 8CM515 - Analog RGB and composite color. The August 1987 Rainbow ran a favorable review by Ed Ellers (p.140-141) and a recommendation from Marty Goodman (pp. 70,73,75). Cloud-9 still offers a CoCo 3 adapter cable.
- Sony
- KV-1311CR. Howard Medical Computers and Spectrum Projects sold CoCo 3 cables for the analog RGB connection.
- KX-1211HG
Arithmetic Processor Units
Multi Devices
These are items that serve more than one purpose, such as Cloud-9's SuperBoard.
RS232 Devices
- Deluxe RS232 Pak
- Direct Connect Modem Pak
- Orion Technologies RS232 Pak
- Disto RS232 Pak
- PBJ Dual Serial Port Pak
- Kenton Dual Serial Port Pak
- Quad Serial Port Pak - Who made this?
- CoCoPro! RS232 Pak
- CoNect Dual RS232 Pak
- CoNect RS232 Pak
- CoNect 16550 Pak - what is the official name?
- Metric Model 101p Serial to Parallel Converter
- Dayton Industries Blue Streak Ultima Serial to Parallel Converter
- CoCo USB Serial Pak
Video Digitizers
Video Out
- Video without RF Box
- PBJ Wordpak/Wordpak II
- Lucas Industries 2000 AutoDim
- CoCo 1 Monochrome Video
- CoCo-1 composite video
- CoCo-2 Composite Monitor Adapter
- CoCo-3 RGB to CGA/EGA Adapter
- RGB to VGA Converter
- RGB to S-Video Converter
- CoCoVGA for CoCo 1, 2, MC-10, Dragon
- GIME-X for CoCo 3
- CoCo 3 RGB -> SCART -> HDMI