Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!wuarchive!uunet!esseye!jdbbs!wybbs!kennii
From: kennii@wybbs.mi.org (Kenn Booth II)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.tandy
Subject: Re: Extending the Color Computer
Summary: No!!! Instructions are (mostly) incorrect...
Message-ID: <438@wybbs.mi.org>
Date: 3 May 91 09:37:23 GMT
References: <2622@lee.SEAS.UCLA.EDU> <1486@seq.uncwil.edu>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Micro-Data Consultants
Lines: 51

In article <1486@seq.uncwil.edu>, session@seq.uncwil.edu (Zack C. Sessions) writes:
and cccph@jessica.cs.ucla.edu (Charles Hobbs) writes:

CH] I'm looking for a quick and dirty way to add Extended Basic to my
CH] TRS-80 color computer. I heard that Tandy had stopped supporting
CH] this machine, so am I out of luck?
 
ZS] I assume your CoCo is an earlier model and only has Color Basic and
ZS] Not Extended Color Basic? You can upgrade it yourself by removing the
ZS] Color Basic chip and replacing it with the ECB chip. The chip is
ZS] available via mailorder from several advertisers in The Rainbow.
ZS] The safest way to remove the chip without damaging the motherboard
ZS] is the destructive method. (destructive to the chip, that is!) You
ZS] clip all the leads of the rom and carefully de-solder out all the
ZS] pins from the MB. The install a SOCKET into which you will insert your
ZS] new ECB rom.


Well, (in my CoCo) there is an extra chip socket right next to the standard
basic chip. (I was lucky enough to get one that had every single chip in sockets
and not soldered into place :) ) Just plug your extended-basic chip into that
socket... be careful not to bend the pins or rub your shoes on the rug...
that should be all there is to it. I've experimented with writing graphics 
programs for some friends with only color basic and removed my ECB chip
from time to time...

YOU MUST HAVE BOTH CHIPS IN THE COMPUTER TO RUN EXTENDED BASIC!
The ECB chip still calls the majority of routines in the Standard Color
Basic (SCB) chip, like the i/o routines, text screen handling, most of the
BASIC keywords... the ECB chip simply adds to the SCB chip, but will not 
run on it's own... (sorta like a 80x87 co-processor, but different... sorta...)


You might want to subscribe to comp.sys.m6809 as this group is devoted to
the CoCo family.

Also, once you get the chip working, and you can't get a hold of a ECB manual,
let me know... I don't use mine anymore, and it's in reasonably good shape.
You're welcome to it. (just please, could we split shipping costs if you want
me to send it? :) )

Oh, definitely get a subscription to Rainbow(tm). It is probably THE BEST
magazine for the CoCo.

Later!

Kenn "Jazz" Booth II -- Micro-Data Consultants
[kennii@wybbs.mi.org] [...!uunet.uu.net!mailrus!sharkey!wybbs!kennii]

"I know you believe you understood what you think I said, but I'm not sure,
you realize that what you heard is not what I meant!!!!!"