Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!USU.BITNET!SLMYQ
From: SLMYQ@USU.BITNET
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: My Amiga has a retarded brother...
Message-ID: <8804230308.AA03358@jade.berkeley.edu>
Date: 23 Apr 88 03:07:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Lines: 32

I myself used to have a VIC-20.  (Three *whole* K all for me! :)

Take a look around the VIC-20 and see what you can think up.

o       Controller ports:  You could use these with the Amiga's port 2,
        and have up to three joysticks along with the mouse at the same
        time, or four joysticks without the mouse!  Great for multiplayer
        games.

o       Cartridge slot:  Use this for anything you want - you can do
        practically anything with this.  You might want to hook the VIC-20
        up to the Amiga through here if you don't want to tie up the
        user port.

o       Video port:  You could have two screens on your Amiga!  One could
        be for detailed graphics (the Amiga screen), and the other could
        be for a short (!) descriptive text or status screen or some such.

o       Cassette port:  As mentioned, you could make the VIC-20 into a
        tape backup system with the cassette.

o       User port:  You could use this for communicating to the Amiga, or
        if you can find a way to use the cartridge port for this purpose,
        you could use this port for other things.  I can't remember much
        about the VIC-20's user port, but if it's a lot like the C64's
        (which I believe it is) then it's quite easy to hook up your own
        homemade hardware to this port.  Use it for a robot controller!
        (BTW, that's one thing I really wish the Amiga had: an easy way
        to hook up your own hardware.)

Anyway, these are some ideas to munch on.

                                Bryan Ford (SLMYQ@USU.BITNET)