Thank you for your exhaustive feedback.Badger wrote: ↑Wed Jan 29, 2020 7:25 pmThey could work in an oric, but you'd still need some code to read the time.HigashiJun wrote: ↑Tue Jan 28, 2020 1:41 pm
Wouldn't pass-through RTCs like Dallas DS1216E run in our machines ?
A couple of disadvantages I can think of are :-
No longer manufactured (I dont know if there is a replacement) so would rely on Ebay etc for supplies and is more expensive than the I2C module equivalent.
Would need to open the Oric to fit and I dont know if there would be enough clearance inside the case for the extra height. I dont think we need to worry about voiding the warranty though
Would need bespoke code to read the time whereas the I2C modules uses a defined standard protocol for data across any module you care to fit.
They also have a battery which at some point would need replacing. Harder to do with an internal module rather than external.
Having said all that, there is no reason I can see that it wouldnt work , and its an interesting scheme they came up with to be able to read and write to the device by reading rom addresses in a certain order.
A quick update on my module testing is that I now have the RTC fully functioning and testing an LCD display connected to the same I2C bus. If that works then it will proove that both data read/writes are working as they should.
Next step is see if it is possible to use an Arduino of some description to to act as a go between I2C on the Oric and USB on a PC. That could pave the way for an initial way of getting file tranfers from PC->Oric and even Net connectivity. Thats still a way off though.
I'll keep plodding along
Ian
The reason why I'm thinking about the DS1216E is because I have its equivalent (DS1216F) in my Atari 1040STE and it works flawlessly...
Even if the battery inside the chip is quite everlasting, you can however disable it and add an external one as described in the link below:
http://www.minuszerodegrees.net/5160/ds ... arning.htm
As you mentioned it, an issue would be the clearance, but I think it's possible to desolder the Atmos ROM and solder the RTC directly on the mainboard, avoiding thus a socket and then insert the ROM on top of the RTC module.
These RTC modules can be easily found on Ebay and are not so expansive, so I might give it a try...
The other issue would be to get a code for time reading, and I am not a specialist in this field on Orics.
Cheers.