Denial

As they don't seem to be available anywhere I'm considering building a limited number of Final Expansion 3 cartridges. I'm not looking to make a profit on these, I'd estimate the price will be around £40-50 each (depending on volume). Is anyone interested in buying one? This is primarily addressed to people in the UK, shipping to Europe may be possible, I'll have to check the current import regulations into the EU.

I would love to buy one, but alas, I'm in the US.

Oddly, I've just found this seller, who seems to be in the US.

srowe, would your cartridge look like an old-style VIC cartridge?

Merytsetesh wrote: ↑Sun Mar 31, 2024 11:00 am srowe, would your cartridge look like an old-style VIC cartridge?

I'll only be able to offer a bare circuit board, no plastic case.

I'll be completely transparent, my friends: I am at an impasse as to whether I should buy a PU+2, a wAxpander, or (now) an FE3 -- especially as it seems I would only really ever "need" one of the three.

I am, however, much more interested in a VIC-1010 (or VIC-1020) configuration, using original memory cartridges manufactured by Commodore; for example:

• a VIC-1210 (or VIC-1211A) servicing memory locations 1024-4096 (3K)*

• a VIC-1111 servicing memory locations 8192-24575 (16K)

• a VIC-1110 servicing memory locations 24576-32767 (8K - DIP: 0100)

• a VIC-1110 servicing memory locations 40960-49151 (8K - DIP: 1000)*

---------* memory locations not accessible from BASIC

This said, I was very disappointed to hear about the fitment problem of the X-Pander 3 VIC, and would love to resurrect it -- perhaps through a PCBWay project -- albeit as a six-slot design that incorporates the fixes tokra mentions regarding the DIP switches and traces. (Please don't tell Mike, but I am much more a "hardware" guy than a "software" one! )

Thoughts?

OGM

I mostly use a Cardboard 6 including authentic 80's style foil wrapping around the ribbon cable so it actually works reliably.

doug_in_nc wrote: ↑Mon Apr 01, 2024 8:14 am I mostly use a Cardboard 6 including authentic 80's style foil wrapping around the ribbon cable so it actually works reliably.

If I could only get one, Doug (and from a reliable seller)! -OGM

Orangeman96 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 31, 2024 8:09 pm VIC-1110 servicing memory locations 40960-49151 (8K - DIP: 1000)*
---------* memory locations not accessible from BASIC

At the risk of being picky, block 5 is accessible by BASIC through the use of POKEs: it's just not usable by the BASIC interpreter for code by reason of being discontiguous from the rest of memory. It's a good place for data, though, if you can get used to dereferencing pointers.

Merytsetesh wrote: ↑Mon Apr 01, 2024 2:03 pm

Orangeman96 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 31, 2024 8:09 pm VIC-1110 servicing memory locations 40960-49151 (8K - DIP: 1000)*
---------* memory locations not accessible from BASIC

At the risk of being picky, block 5 is accessible by BASIC through the use of POKEs: it's just not usable by the BASIC interpreter for code by reason of being discontiguous from the rest of memory. It's a good place for data, though, if you can get used to dereferencing pointers.

Guilty as charged, Meryt., although as I have now learned on page 18 (cf. Figure 5.1) in Bruce Smith's VIC 20 Machine Code, I reckon the same can said of other locations such as the tape input/output buffer (e.g., memory locations 828-1019), or even the 2K from memory locations 38912-40959 (i.e, input/output-2 and input/output-3) where POKE-ing and PEEK-ing are concerned. In fact, I believe Mike installs and executes his MINIMON from these memory locations to be that "baked-in" VIC-20 monitor you sometimes speak of. -OGM