----- Original Message ----- From: Gmail To: Model 100 Discussion Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 11:22 AM Subject: Re: [M100] TDock
Ken, Tell me more! Pretty well everything that's being discussed is already available today; connect to an old laptop via Bluetooth and you've got your display interface, USB/SD/HD storage, WiFi etc. If that $9.00 SBC becomes a reality it should be able to do the same thing, sort of a wireless super-NADSbox.. That's the way I'd go, a separately powered portable standalone device linked to the ModelT via (internal) Bluetooth. When I put the M100's display up on the big screen TV it was usually for playing M100 format text games and puzzles while reclining on the couch so 80 column mode wasn't really an issue for me, but I did investigate the 80 column screen mode a bit way back when with no success. I then assumed it was part of the DVI DOS but I gather it's actually included in the basic BASIC; any hints about how to get at it, preferably redirecting out the serial port? And of course then there's the issue of drawing graphics on an 80x25 equivalent display... ;-) m ---------------- Hi Bob, Actually no ROM changes are needed. The existing ROM already supports 80x25 text mode displays (though not for the MENU program). Ken Sent from my iPhone On May 20, 2015, at 7:18 AM, Bob Pigford <[email protected]> wrote: I agree with Van and others: TDOCK needs to be a Dock (not portable) and may be powered with a wall wart. For me, an 80 X 25 display would be the ultimate goal, not just duplicating the ModelT screen on a larger display. For instance, I think one might already be able to run VirtualT on a Raspberry Pi and have a virtual ModelT on a larger screen, but what is the point in that. I want to have the great ModelT keyboard, serial & parallel ports, etc, on my desk while looking at a full screen of characters. The hardest part of that might be the changes to the ROM. I will point out that Steve���s REX can be operated in ROM replacement mode such that a custom modified ���soft��? ROM (adjusted for 80 X 25 display) can be used without actually creating or requiring a new physical ROM. SD card storage in TDOCK would also be terrific freeing the serial port for BlueM. I think that HDMI may be the best video solution for TDOCK, and there are many small HDMI screen choices available. For example, see http://www.adafruit.com/category/63 If you only have a VGA screen, then an HDMI to VGA adapter could be used. I am doing this now with a RPi and a VGA screen. I think that Wifi and internet connectivity delivered directly from TDOCK might be way down the road, but Ken���s initial design could allow design ���space��? for that later enhancement. As to Ken���s question about I/O capability (like A/D and digital pins), that would be nice but not necessary. If you want to touch the real world of sensors, motors, and the like, a serial connection to an Arduino will suffice (cheap hardware and easier programming on the ModelT end). Of course, if a Raspberry Pi were to be used as the engine under the TDOCK hood, I/O pins and HDMI are already there, as well as USB ports for add-ons like Wifi. \
