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With the level shifting out of the way, I think I have found a usable variant of the PIC32 to play with: Datasheet[^]
With 80 MHz it should be able to generate a video signal and address the graphics memory quick enough. I intend to use the PIC's internal RAM as double buffered graphics memory. The CPU can access it over the PMP/PSP feature. The resolution and color depth will not be very high anyway. An old 8 bit CPU can't handle very large video memory and maintain an acceptable frame rate.
Since the PIC also has a USB port, It could also be used to access a memory stick or to emulate an IDE port. It's program memory is also big enough ro implement a file system and take care of the access functions. The CPU simply requests the directory or a file and the PIC will load it into its memory, which can again be accessed over the PSP. The other way around, the CPU can write data into a buffer and then let the PIC do all the work of storing it in the file system. That's not cheating. The C64's disk drives worked in a similar way, only that they used a serial connection and the controller boards in the drives were less capable than the PIC while being somewhat larger.
There is only one big question left: I planned to build a simple single board computer and hook up it's bus to a breadboard. This way I could expand the computer one step at a time without soldering and have boards made when everything was worked out.
Now, how can I do some prototyping with these PICs?
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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CodeWraith wrote: Now, how can I do some prototyping with these PICs?
There are quite a few companies out there offering PIC prototype boards, which "break out" the pic pins to external headers you can wire up: pic prototype boards - Google Search[^]
They aren't generally expensive, and they will be an order of magnitude more reliable than a wire-wrap solution.
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Selfish nut provides bad service. (4, 4)
Apologies for the delay, my allergies have been acting up.
Perhaps the clue is still too difficult... Should I edit to make the solution easier?
Alright so here's another clue.
United measures wine, divided is a pub. (4, 4)
Hog's Head.
modified 11-Sep-19 8:27am.
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Is this another Harry Potter spell name?
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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No, but it is still related to Harry Potter. As suggested yesterday I've expanded the theme.
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The object of a CCC is to make it a bit challenging, but always solvable - if good cryptic solvers ( there are a few on here ) can't solve your clue it's very likely to be because it's poorly written. 
"We can't stop here - this is bat country" - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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How did you come up with that Richard ?
"We can't stop here - this is bat country" - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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Have you tried Talk Talk's broadband service?
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They keep ringing me: "This is Talk Talk Customer service. We have detected a problem with your internet. Please hold to fix it." In a robotic Indian accent.
For some strange reason, that's when I put the phone down and use "14258**"
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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What? I thought it fitted the clue perfectly. 
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How is Hogs Head a pub ? - apart from there are pubs called that
"We can't stop here - this is bat country" - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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Hog's Head is a pub in Hogsmeade the only all wizard village in Britain. It is known for its disreputable clientele.
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I said Harry Potter is big enough in pop culture to be a WSO CCC OTD theme, but I think the CCC's answer needs to be something well known enough such that the CCC would still stand on it's own if there were no theme.
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In the first year that is where Hagrid found the Dragon, later to be named Norbert, Harry, Hermoine and Ron among some other students met in their 5th year to form a secret club, the owner of the bar also provided refuge to the trio in Deathly Hallows. These are all instances from the movies, in the books it is mentioned a lot more.
Having said all that, anyone wanna take over for tomorrow's? It seems I'm not coming up with usual suspects.
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Peoplesoft user interface is absolutely horrible. Everything starting from UI design, to error/information messages to handling of user actions. Everything.
"It is easy to decipher extraterrestrial signals after deciphering Javascript and VB6 themselves.", ISanti[ ^]
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Now don't beat around the bush. Tell us what you really think of the product!
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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It is garbage.
"It is easy to decipher extraterrestrial signals after deciphering Javascript and VB6 themselves.", ISanti[ ^]
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Do you have the option to not use it ?
«One day it will have to be officially admitted that what we have christened reality is an even greater illusion than the world of dreams.» Salvador Dali
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Nope.
"It is easy to decipher extraterrestrial signals after deciphering Javascript and VB6 themselves.", ISanti[ ^]
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You know when you demo your new feature to a manager, it suddenly stops working, goes into 'Management Mode' as I have heard it referred to. Well, there is another 'Mode' one often sees. Nerd Mode.
This is when a colleague is demonstrating something to you and feels the need to type as quickly as possible, to change windows as fast as he can, imitating every hacker you see in films, and evidently trying to convince you they are some kind of whizz.
And of course when they are working on their own they behave normally.
It is very odd behaviour, displays immense insecurity.
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There is a guy on my team, right now, that is just like that. What I find to be funny AF, is when he is going so fast that he can't actually do anything correctly (typing, navigation), and he is forced to slow down. He gets so flustered. 
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Hahaha! Yeah, they go into a kind of frenzy, making so many mistakes, it really is quite odd!
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Yeah, I recognize this. Especially when I ask colleagues to explain why it doesn't work, what he did to fix the problem so that I can handle similar situations myself next time, and they turn me down: It works now, just go ahead!
I get even more frustrated when I have the fifth request from the same person about the same problem, having four times spent great effort in explaining slowly and clearly what he/she is doing wrong, and they just ignore it: Just make it work for me! I write several pointed lists of why and how, but even half a screenful is too much: Why can't you highlight what I should do so I don't have to read these useless explanations?? .. and this comes not from end users, but from professionals, who ought to know the explanation but simply doesn't care to. Spending time on understanding can negatively affect their code lines per day ratio ...
But then: I have been teaching courses to customers where I have ended up in situations where I've had to say "Just a few seconds, please - you don't have to worry about these details", and then hurried on to set up the correct configuration, or whatever is required to go on. There may be students insisting that they will know all the advanced details from day one, and try to follow me even though I said they shouldn't be concerned (at this stage) about it, getting crossed when I do not explain the things I am doing. But that's what I told them.
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