Back in the twenty-teens (2015?) there was significant talk about enhancing the CoCo’s sound capabilities. There were a few emerging technologies as the time:
- the GMC (Game Master Cartridge) integrated a period correct sound chip – all you had to do was get your software onto a cartridge
- Simon Jonasen was pulling various software tricks “out of his hat” enabling the CoCo to play audio as a background process. Being software only gave this high compatibility, but gobbled up CPU time
- Alan Huffman proposed an hardware add-on called “SIR SOUND” and worked out all the theory and prototypes using an Arduino triggered by the CoCo serial port
- In a conversation about sound options Steve Bjork said, “If I was to pursue this, I would use an integrated MP3 triggered by the CoCo serial port”, similar to what he was doing with his Haunt Hacker projects (no CPU gobbling, whatever audio you want while)
Being a music / audio guy, the triggered MP3 player sounded like the perfect solution for me and I approached Jim Brain with the idea. Jim must have had some down-time (this is before he was elected President of the Glenside Computer Club, which hosts CoCoFest) as he put together a prototype for me to start using.
The audio playback was directed through the cassette port, requiring the Basic commands “audio on” to route it.
Side Lined
Whilst I was busily writing code and integrating the CoCoMp3 into my sequel to Forest of Doom (Realm of Doom), the prototype languished. COVID knocked us down a couple years and Jim Brain was far too busy to push the project any further. I began looking for another hardware vendor, preferably Canadian (I’m in Canada and cross-border hardware projects are a pain)
With the help of L. Curtis Boyle we had a possible Canadian manufacturer lined up, but that de-railed and the search began again.
Oddly enough, it turned out that there was a guy in my “backyard” who tinkered with retro computers and had just started attending CoCoFest.
Back on-track!
Working directly with Computer Engineer David Kroeker has moved the CoCoMp3 project through more prototyping and closer to Production.
