Well, C2N Power! v2 is manufactured and the first few units are assembled, Hopefully, this weekend I can verify electrical operation and then I’m hoping to ship a few of them to developers for software creation. The offer is still open for assembly programmers who want a small weekend challenge.
The unit is shown assembled for Real Time Clock operation, with a Maxim DS1307+ installed under the unit, with I2C pullup resistors and the MOTOR line conversion transistor in place. On top, a lone 3V3 Lithium battery powers the RTC when CBM power is absent.
Given a need to order more C2NPower cassette port power adapters, RETRO Innovations has revamped and expanded the functionality of this tiny product. In addition to providing a tap for 5VDC for powered peripherals and a layout that includes holes for the Atmel ATTINY24/44/84 AVR microcontrollers, the new design also includes support for the MAXIM DS1307+ (and compatibles) Real Time Clock and the 24CXXXX line of serial EEPROMs.
Before we roll this new design into production, we’re looking for a couple of proficient assembly language developers who could help us develop some functions for reading and writing the time to the RTC and reading/writing data to the EEPROM. The protocol is I2C, using the MOTOR and WRITE lines for SCK and SDA, respectively. The only nuance is that MOTOR line is inverted. We’re hoping some folks would like to compose a bit of code in exchange for a free C2N Power! unit (with EEPROM and RTC supported). Ideally, we’d like to create some common 6502 code for the basic routines that can be used on the PET, 40XX, 80XX, VIC, 64, and C128 machines with only minor variations among platforms.
Thus, if you or someone you know could help, please let us know via our contact page. Feel free to repost as appropriate.