Re: The Ultimate-64

On Mon, Jul 17, 2017 at 2:06 PM, Jim Brain <brain@jbrain.com> wrote:
> Possibly, but I think the joy connectors are a huge draw, and having to buy
> expensive adapters or cables just to enjoy the limited use of a port that
> has the least utility (save maybe for the cassette port, but there are
> passionate folks who guard the cassette port with their lives, while there
> evidently is only a handful of people so passionate about the user port).

I am passionate about the User Port, but I have no problems with it
not being clearly a 0.154"-spacing edge connector - one of the first
things I usually do is make a cable from there anyway, so a 24-pin
internal connector is just fine by me.

In the past, besides serial comms, I've used the User Port connector
for a 4-bit bidirectional port w/handshaking for binary transfer to
another Commodore machine (VIC-20 or PET), I've made external
keyboards, and I've made a variety of LED harnesses (including a
2-digit 7-segment display).  What I never did was use any sort of
8-bit-parallel add-on for JiffyDOS or the like, and perhaps that's
what has some people up in arms - their old cables won't just work.

I think it's an interesting design, and while I might not be able to
afford one, I do think that having _some_ way to access the User Port
is a lot better than _no_ way.

-ethan

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