add WiFi to CPC?

[Ynot.zer0]

Tiny WiFi modules, again

"Realistically, you can get an ATtiny, an exceedingly sparse microcontroller, or even a Commodore 64 or Apple II on the Internet with this. It's very, very cool."

anything they can do with a C64 or Apple, I'm sure a CPC can do better 


Adafruit CC3000 Breakout with Onboard Ceramic Antenna ID: 1469 - .95 :

[TotO]

Sure... Can do better by not using Wifi, as it's not appropriated for 8bit computers. 

[fano]

Why not  ? I've been interested to try theses types of modules in uart version with the CPCbooster but i found this a bit expensive, i prefer to use CPCbooster and PC as Gateway.That would be cheaper and nearly everyone owns a PC.

[arnoldemu]

Why not  ? I've been interested to try theses types of modules in uart version with the CPCbooster but i found this a bit expensive, i prefer to use CPCbooster and PC as Gateway.That would be cheaper and nearly everyone owns a PC.

modern pcs don't have serial or parallel ports so you'll need an older one?

[TotO]

Why not  ? I've been interested to try theses types of modules in uart version with the CPCbooster but i found this a bit expensive, i prefer to use CPCbooster and PC as Gateway.That would be cheaper and nearly everyone owns a PC.

The answers are in your post. 
- expensive
- better to use a PC as gateway

modern pcs don't have serial or parallel ports so you'll need an older one?

Modern PCs have USB and Bluetooth serial connexions. The last is my favorite.

[Sykobee (Briggsy)]

This board connects using SPI.


So the problem moves from attaching a WiFi chip to the CPC, to creating an SPI bus on a CPC.


Admittedly that does have some benefits - there are lots of different SPI-attached peripherals that could then attach to the CPC.


And as this chip does the TCP/IP stack internally, it should be easy to interact with from the CPC side of things, without requiring a bulky TCP/IP library on the CPC itself.

[TotO]

We already can see that on ST/Amiga... They are knelt. So, imagine with a 8bit computer.
But, I agree that SPI bus will be helpful for some CPC stuffs.

[Sykobee (Briggsy)]

Could a small FPGA be the answer?


Projects :: OpenCores,spi_master_slave


+ some logic to interface it to the CPC as a standard I/O port driven device, maybe even with the ability to DMA the CPC's memory.


Although the next step there is someone adding a blitter to the FPGA :p

[Bryce]

You don't have to go as far as using an FPGA, even the smaller PIC and AVR µPs offer SPI interfacing and enough pins for 8bit data and a few other pins you'd need.

Bryce.

[TFM]

.... and nearly everyone owns a PC.

Well, I always said ... and nearly everyone owns a 6128. But now it turned out that some only have 464's.

[TFM]

Modern PCs have USB and Bluetooth serial connexions. The last is my favorite.

Yes. Right. And with Bluetooth, that new Wi-Fi module and the Cell phone the cancer is guaranteed. 

Such a Wi-Fi thing is an interesting idea. However I would prefer cable. 

[ralferoo]

SPI would be a doddle to implement on the CPC anyway. You should be able to use the printer port or even abuse the tape port on a 6128 for it (MOT as CLK, RD as MISO and WR as MOSI) although you run the risk of killing someone's 464 tape deck if it gets run on there by mistake!

[fano]

Such a Wi-Fi thing is an interesting idea. However I would prefer cable. 

There are some ethernet modules for SPI too   (btw and for uart too)

SPI would be a doddle to implement on the CPC anyway. You should be able to use the printer port or even abuse the tape port on a 6128 for it (MOT as CLK, RD as MISO and WR as MOSI) although you run the risk of killing someone's 464 tape deck if it gets run on there by mistake!

I'd say , why making it complicated and dirty when you can do simple an cheap with an µc like ATmega (for example) as Bryce said.

[Bryce]

SPI would be a doddle to implement on the CPC anyway. You should be able to use the printer port or even abuse the tape port on a 6128 for it (MOT as CLK, RD as MISO and WR as MOSI) although you run the risk of killing someone's 464 tape deck if it gets run on there by mistake!

The SPI code would be wasting precious RAM used to buffer the download. Move as much of the code to the µP and you can free up RAM for a frontend and the buffer.

Bryce.

[TFM]

SPI would be a doddle to implement on the CPC anyway. You should be able to use the printer port or even abuse the tape port on a 6128 for it (MOT as CLK, RD as MISO and WR as MOSI) although you run the risk of killing someone's 464 tape deck if it gets run on there by mistake!

Printer port and tape port use 1 bit input. Do you really want to go through such a bottleneck??


No thanks, use the CPC Booster or the expansion port.

[Bryce]

Printer port and tape port use 1 bit input. Do you really want to go through such a bottleneck??


No thanks, use the CPC Booster or the expansion port.

SPI is a serial connection, so it only uses 1 Bit (for data) anyway. However a µP can read the serial data faster than the CPC so the data would be faster if the SPI protocol is being handled externally.

Bryce.

[TotO]

The Amcharge kit use the Joystick port to transfer serial data from the "Minitel" to the CPC. (faster than the tape port, all CPC compatible and don't make noise)

In France, it was the main (and only?) After Sale Service repairs problem on CPC...
The joystick port was not intented to plug/unplug so frequently a cable from it and caused the connector ripped.

[ralferoo]

This looks like another option too. In fact, I'm astounded by how awesome the hacking opportuinties for these cards might be...
Hax it!: Hacking Transcend WiFi SD Cards

[Sykobee (Briggsy)]

Amazing, a 200 MHz ARM9 Linux system with 16GB storage, 32MB RAM, and WiFi - all in the space of an SD card.

[redbox]

Amazing, a 200 MHz ARM9 Linux system with 16GB storage, 32MB RAM, and WiFi - all in the space of an SD card.

And if people learnt to code properly[nb]Yes, and by that I mean Linux too[/nb], that could actually be used as a normal 'computer'.