Gary, What are you complaining about... (time for a "log cabin story") try spending nearly an hour entering code into a non key-bounced (keypad) machine, then having it go off to never-never land when you tried to save the memory to cassette tape or some of the early 5.25" disks.
And the Vic 20 and 64 has/had a quasi serial floppy drive that still cracks me up just thinking about it. Circa 1984/85 one of the Service Monitor Mfgrs came out with a new product using the Vic 20 for an external computer interface. I of course wasn't interested because I was throwing my money into the TRS-80 Model I/III pit. That monitor (can't remember who they were) actually came out with the Vic 20 Interface option Wouldn't be hard to make a software repeater controller and a few people have offered both Parallel (printer) and serial port interfaces. I'm looking at the Manual for a PCRC II controller I picked up a few months back. Otherwise it's hard to beat the power of newer generation pic processors. The only serious caution I would place on any repeater running a computer type external repeater controller is to include a fixed hardware transmit logic time out timer... just so you don't become famous or smoke something. I haven't met a computer or repeater controller yet that hasn't locked up or farted at least once... with the possible exception of a Linux Machine or two.... where I would also include the hardware time out timer just to be able to sleep at night. cheers, s. > "Gary Glaenzer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > two words come to mind when recalling the VIC's > 'syntax error'........................AAARRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH ! > From: Brian > To: [email protected] > Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 7:18 AM > Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: software repeater controller > > > Hey > > Back in the late 80's I made a repeater controller with a vic20. I > added a little board to the I/O port for the TX transistor and cheated > by using a 555 timer for the cw osc :) . There was a second board > plugged into the 22/44 connector which had the program. The program in > the plugin board had a program on it so that the vic 20 would run the > controller program when it powered up. It was the same technique used > by the plug in games. > > All the software was in assembly language. I think I had 2 of them > running for a while, one ran for 10 years before I actually made a PIC > board, which now had been running on that same repeater for 7 years. > > 73 > Brian > ka9pmm > > Robert Pease wrote: > > > > You have to write it. It programs in basic. Just don't lose power or > > you will be reentering it > > > > Sent by Good Messaging (www.good.com) > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Mike Reed [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>] > > Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 12:09 AM Eastern Standard Time > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: software repeater controller > > > > Repeater software for Vic-20's? Have the machines, need the software, > > don't know where to find it. I could use a copy of it for local project. > > 73 > > Mike - N7ZEF > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: N0ATH > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 1:18 PM > > Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: software repeater controller > > > > > > Remember em? I am still using em! Dave / NØATH > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: jistabout > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 2:15 PM > > Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Re: software repeater controller > > > > > > --- In [email protected], "Alexandre Souza" <alexandre- > > listas@> wrote: > > > > > > > For multiple audio ports these days I'd recommend using USB audio > > > > devices. ISA slots are way gone and PCI slots aren't far behind. > > For > > > > an embedded PC controlling radios 24/7 you want something small, > > quiet > > > > and low power, most form factors that fit that description usually > > > > have few if any PCI slots. > > > > > > A PC controlling a repeater?!?!?! What is the problem of using > > a small > > > microcontroller, with some BASIC programming??? > > > > > > You are using a cannon to kill a microbe he he he > > > > > > > Not at all. Using a PC to control a repeater as complex as the system > > here with remotes etc. is a perfectly logical choice and allows > > nearly unlimited flexability. > > > > The original controller on the system here back in the mid 1980s was > > a Commodore VIC-20 :). Any young'ens remember those? > > - Darrell/KA7BTV
