Download

FPGA Images

  • See the FPGA Update page for software requirements and programming procedure.
  • *.sof: RAM-only - temporary until you power-off your CoCoVGA board or press the "RECONFIG" button.
  • *.jic: Flash - permanent and loaded into the FPGA from serial flash on power-up.

0.92 (11/17/2019)

  • Added full support for Ed Snider's SAM accelerator, which enables true double-speed mode on the CoCo 1 and 2.
  • Fixed a bug identified by Pere Serrat in which it was not possible to reprogram CoCoVGA registers when starting from 64-column mode.

Software and Disk (.DSK/.VDK) Images

Compatible with DriveWire or CoCoSDC

11/2/2024

  • Robert Allen Murphy (Exile in Paradise) has published conversions of DamienG's fonts for use with CoCoVGA as custom character sets here.

4/30/2022

  • Version 0.2 of the CoCoVGA BASIC Extensions is now available here. Documentation is available here.

4/29/2021

  • A new solitaire poker game called Poker Squares: CoCoVGA Edition has been written by Paul Shoemaker which takes full advantage of CoCoVGA's VG6 128x96 16-color mode. Paul has given permission for the CoCoVGA web page to host free distribution of this game.

1/26/2020

  • Tools by Ed Snider for converting 128x96 PNG images to CoCoVGA 16-color VG6 images and viewing them. (Video demonstration by Ed here.) Windows and Mac tools provide a choice of 4 different conversion types (Floyd-Steinberg dither, diffusion dither, octree quantization with no dither, and closest color quantization) as well as manual editing of the resulting image. VG6 images may be loaded and viewed on Mac or Windows using the conversion tools themselves or a CoCoVGA-equipped CoCo using the VIEW.DSK.

11/17/2019

  • CoCoVGA0.92.zip (multi-DSK release 0.92; currently Dragon ports have not been updated from 0.90)
    • Added new CHARLOS.DSK containing character set designs by Carlos Comacho and SSAVER.BAS which is an OOP-in-C (CMOC-compiled) screen saver of characters roaming the screen and bumping into each other.
    • Updated CCVEDIT.BIN to optionally keep pre-uploaded palette set via VG6PALCP.BAS. Looks for text signature on first line of 32-column video memory ($400) to decide whether to reset the palette or not.
    • Created new SPLASH.BAS which enables display of a VG6 still before running another program.
  • VGA-Editor-Launcher_v5.9.zip - multi-DSK and VDK release from Pere Serrat. This is a full solution to configuration and launching of disk-based games and other applications which lend themselves to custom palette and/or character sets on both the CoCo and Dragon. Users of FPGA version 0.91 or older, please use the 32-column version of the palette editor, TST3259C.BAS (CoCo) or TST3259D.BAS (Dragon). Users of FPGA version 0.92 or later may use either the 32-column version or the 64-column version, TST6459C.BAS (CoCo) or TST5459C.BAS (Dragon). Documentation for this software can be found here.

5/8/2019

  • http://textadventure.net/ - Evan Wright's text adventures and authoring tools which take advantage of the CoCoVGA 64-column text mode

4/11/2018

  • 64-Column Text Mode NitrOS-9 Level 1 CoCoVGA Images - this is the latest snapshot of NitrOS-9 Level 1 images posted by Tormod Volden. Please look specifically for images which match the pattern NOS9_*_L1_*_vga_*.dsk and have been configured for your version of CoCo, 6809/6309, and drive image type (DW - DriveWire, CoCoSDC, etc.). NitrOS-9 modifications for CoCoVGA were made by L. Curtis Boyle and Boisy Pitre and tested by David Ladd and Ron Klein.

12/17/2017

  • Infocom_W64_2017_12_17.zip - this is the first multi-disk release of Infocom games ported for use with the 64-column text mode (W64) of CoCoVGA by Ed Snider. Contains 19 games.

Software Image Descriptions

  • CoCoVGA*.zip
    • ModeDemo - (public domain source - feel free to modify files on this disk image for your own needs and redistribute)
      • MODEDEMO.BAS - a demonstration of all of the various SW controls as well as some palette-cycling animations
      • VG6.BAS - an independent example of using the 16-color VG6 mode
      • BORDER64.BAS - an example of using PRINT @ and SET/RESET with 64-column text mode (use WIDTH64.BAS first)
      • CIRCLES.BAS - a simple example of random circles in both RG6 and CG6. This program was used in a 64-column text mode demonstration video to show switching between 64-column mode and graphics modes.
    • SlideSho - (public domain source - feel free to modify files on this disk image for your own needs and redistribute)
      • DEMO.BAS - a demonstration of the all of the 6847-compatible text and graphics modes in each color set
    • Utils - (public domain source - feel free to modify files on this disk image for your own needs and redistribute)
      • CCVCONF.BAS - used to generate CoCoVGA SW control configurations (including color palette selection) which can be saved to disk and reused. See BASIC Examples for how to use this utility to enable CoCoVGA palette changes and other enhanced features in BASIC programs.
      • CCVEDIT.BIN - design and edit alphanumeric text and semigraphics character sets which can be applied to both 32- and 64-column text modes. To use, LOADM "CCVEDIT.BIN" and EXEC. Requires 64k DECB and CoCoVGA. May require a cold boot before use. A quick reference guide is available here.
        • As of version 0.92, may be used in conjunction with VG6PALCP.BAS, which can load a palette set into the appropriate VG6 slots so that appropriate colors may be seen when using CCVEDIT.BIN. Note that this version of CCVEDIT.BIN keys off of the string in the first line of 32-column text mode video memory at $400 to decide whether to keep the currently loaded palette or reset CoCoVGA and its palette information.
      • CCVCNF32.BAS (Dragon only) - CCVCONF.BAS compatible with Dragon 32. (CoCoVGA register page is kept below 16kB since some Dragon 32 systems cannot use pages above 16kB for video or for CoCoVGA configuration.)
      • WIDTH64.BAS - puts CoCo in all-RAM mode and patches ECB for compatibility with 64-column mode, then enables 64-column mode on CoCoVGA and copies old text video RAM region to new region. Note that to wipe out the patches to ECB and return to 32-column mode, simply switch out of all-RAM mode so the original ROM is mapped back in using POKE &HFFDE, 0.
      • WIDTH32.BAS - uses POKE &HFFDE,0 to return to 32-column text mode by enabling ROM and therefore wiping out RAM patches applied by WIDTH64.BAS (added with release 0.91).
      • SPLASH.BAS - VG6 single-screen display loader. Update this to display your own VG6 graphic and run your own program thereafter.
    • CCF2018 (CoCoFEST 2018) - (public domain source - feel free to modify files on this disk image for your own needs and redistribute)
      • CCF2018.BAS - the main demonstration slides shown during the lightning talk at CoCoFEST, focusing mostly on reconfigurable character sets
      • RPG.BAS/RPG.DAT - color set used with fantasy/medieval role-playing game mockup character set
      • RPG.SCR - video screen data for fantasy/medieval role-playing game mockup character set
      • *.CHR - character sets
      • COCOVGA.VG6 - VG6 data title screen
      • WIDTH64C.BAS - a 64-column text mode with custom character set, called at end of CCF2018 if 'Q' or 'W' are pressed at the fantasy/medieval role-playing game mockup screen. Note that to wipe out the patches to ECB and return to 32-column mode, simply switch out of all-RAM mode so the original ROM is mapped back in using POKE &HFFDE, 0.
      • First 3 slides require CoCoVGA FPGA revision 0.87 or later. All others (reconfigurable character set) require CoCoVGA FPGA revision 0.89 or later.
    • Charset - (public domain source - feel free to modify files on this disk image for your own needs and redistribute)
      • CHARSET.BAS - upload one of the respective *.CHR character sets to CoCoVGA and use INT/EXT (same as GM0 on CoCo) to enable use on static display
      • WIDTH64C.BAS - enable 64-column text mode with custom character set with BASIC patch, derived from Utils/WIDTH64.BAS.
      • SWEEP.* - progressively sweep INT/EXT down and back up display to demonstrate how a character set can be selected on a per-scanline basis
      • CCVEDIT.BIN - also placed on this .DSK image for convenience. See Utils/CCVEDIT.BIN and Utils/VG6PALCP.BAS for more information.
      • C4EDIT.BAS - a crude tool for editing semigraphics with a custom character set, was used to create CCF2018/RPG.SCR. Keystroke commands are:
        • Arrow keys - move cursor
        • C - change Color
        • P - change Pattern (selects which SG4 pattern)
        • S - Save to file
        • L - Load from file
        • H, J, N, M - warp cursor to top left, top right, bottom left, or bottom right, respectively
      • Requires CoCoVGA FPGA revision 0.89 or later.
    • CCVAUTO - (public domain source - feel free to modify files on this disk image for your own needs and redistribute)
      • A .DSK image appropriate to add to your CoCoSDC STARTUP.CFG which contains an AUTOEXEC.BAS example for the purposes of optionally automatically enabling 64-column text mode with or without lowercase and a software-uploaded character set upon boot of your CoCo.
      • Other files appropriate to setting up a custom CoCoVGA configuration include most of Utils along with CUSTOM64.BAS, called by AUTOEXEC.BAS.
    • CHARLOS - (public domain source - feel free to modify files on this disk image for your own needs and redistribute)
      • *.CHR - character set designs courtesy of Carlos Comacho. Further modify with CCVEDIT or use directly in your own programs with the creators' permission.
      • SSAVER.BAS - loader for CMOC compiled OOP-in-C demonstration of one of the character sets on this disk in which the objects roam the screen "interacting" with each other.
  • VGA Editor-Launcher
    • This is a zip archive of a multi-DSK and VDK release from Pere Serrat.
    • Documentation for this software can be found here.
  • Infocom_W64*.zip
    • This is a zip archive of Infocom games ported to use the 64-column text mode (W64) of CoCoVGA graciously provided by Ed Snider
    • Should be compatible with real floppies imaged from the .DSKs as well as with CoCo SDC. With CoCo SDC, mount the .DSK image, then type 'RUN@1' to switch to stock DECB ROM. Then use the 'DOS' command to boot the disks.
    • Requires CoCoVGA FPGA revision 0.87 or later.
  • Poker Squares: CoCoVGA Edition
    • This is a solo poker game in which you attempt to create the 10 best hands (5 vertical, 5 horizontal) on a 5x5 grid of cards, created to take advatage of the 16-color VG6 video mode and kindly provided by Paul Shoemaker
    • Requires 64k RAM
    • After mounting the disk image, use RUN"RUNME" to start the game
    • Use arrow keys to move your cursor and space bar to place or turn over a card
    • Further instructions are provided in-game
  • NOS9_*_L1_*_vga.dsk
    • NitrOS-9 Level 1 images which, by default, enable the 64-column text mode (W64) of CoCoVGA, thanks to the efforts of Boisy Pitre, L. Curtis Boyle, David Ladd, and Ron Klein.
    • Mount the appropriate disk image and use 'DOS' to boot it.
    • Requires CoCoVGA FPGA version 0.87 or later.

Additional Links