TID: Mystic BBS 1.12 A46   
   MSGID: 1:387/26 5a12eda4   
   REPLY: 1200.clascomp@1:2320/105 275bf00b   
   TZUTC: -0500   
   On 12 Aug 2022, Mike Powell said the following...   
    MP> > To top it all off, some Chinese FPGA development boards complete with ca   
    MP> > input, display output (including HDMI), a respectable amount of RAM, and   
    MP> > SD slot have become available for around $20 pre-shipping. These are per   
    MP> > for implementing small CPU designs as found in older processors.   
    MP> I occassionally will find a video where someone is using a GPU board to   
    MP> "simulate" (is that the right word?) a DOS machine.  They are usually   
    MP> doing it for gaming.  I sometimes wonder if there are any with an actual   
    MP> RS232 serial port that could be used for some BBSing purpose.   
      
   I'm not sure what they're doing with GPU boards; I think they're mostly used   
   for crypto-mining and the like.   
      
   FPGA dev boards typically have lots of I/O pins for connecting with the   
   outside world. The FPGA design software also usually includes pre-built   
   modules from the vendor that one can use in one's designs, and most of them   
   have a UART as a pre-built module. With a soft UART at one's disposal there   
   are a couple of options:  MAX232 module ($2 on Amazon) or an ESP-12 module   
   ($15,29 for five on Amazon).   
      
   A MAX232 module connects to a UART on one side and  DB-9 RS232 port on the   
   other, and handles the voltage differences as well.   
      
   ESP-12 modules can be programmed to all sorts of things, but almost all of   
   them come from the factory programmed to be a WiFi modem. They behave pretty   
   much just like a Hayes-compatible modem, but instead of dialing phone   
   numbers, one dials internet addresses. They accept AT commands and generate   
   the usual "CONNECT" and "RING" messages, although there are some additional   
   AT commands available to facilitate things like searching for and connecting   
   to a WiFi network.   
      
   Either of those would facilitate making an older machine (or a facsimile of   
   one) into a BBS.   
      
   Jeff.   
      
   --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Raspberry Pi/32)   
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