CoCoIO Again Some More

And some more more. We've got another developer bent on recreating the entire BSD library in OS9.

Bummer. (not bummer)

As of Jan 2024, this is obsolete. Earlier cards only need a firmware update. It's a socketed chip, will send free or install if you send your CoCoIO here.

Two configurations that still don’t work. A CoCo3 with 86 GIME and 6309 CPU, running NitrOS9, 6309 version won't init the Wiznet. The quick fix is run NitrOS9, 6309 version. The hardware itself is fine, it’s some gremlin in the optimized code vs. the not so optimized 86 GIME that we are irritating. I've gone as far as socket an 86 gime CoCo... so far it won't run NitrOS9 6309 reliably. Somebody is messing with me.

The other bad is a CoCo3 with a ProTector3, the latest 3 chio version. The only workaround we have right now is remove the Pro-Tector3, which misses the point.  The issue seems to be timing. There are 4 degrees of CoCo Buss buffering, from none to almost everything.

CoCo1,2 cpu directly on buss
CoCo3 data lines are buffered
ProTecktor address lines also buffered
ProTecktor3 certain control lines buffered

we've learned to live with the first 3 options, and the last is waiting on a faster GAL, which is still backordered, but not as much as before.

Fun!

Michael Furman is honing in on drivewire, the ethernet edition. Along the way he's released some important utilities for OS9, basic stuff like ping and ntpdate. Real Time Clock jokes aside, debugging code on a physical CoCo is much easier with proper timestamps on all the files.

And another network guy tosses hat in ring! Henry Strickland is putting together a network stack 'FrobIO' in CMOC + lwasm. Released so far: ping, arp, tftp,ntp and dig. Check out his github

And don't forget my github. This is a new repo that is better named and properly organized(RSN), so if you'd like to follow along fork this one instead of the original. The version in main 'works' but I've just about fixed my RAM issues, expect an update soon. 

There are other irons in the fire, we'll wait until an official announcement before committing anybody to anything. But feel free to be committed(wait...) volunteer. General thoughts in the CoCo Discord, network-interface-cards channel, else ping ricku5 or MarkO(verholser) - DC-13 about a more serious development hangout for CoCoIO and CoCoNic.