Commodore CASSIOPEI, User Manual

Page: 29 / 76

ATTENTION:
When configuring the Cassiopei through the menu program on your CBM computer, be aware that
changing the computermodel settings could result in a non functional Cassiopei on that machine.
Example: if you have you Cassiopei connected to the C64 and you choose a C16 computermodel,
then the Cassiopei no longer is able to communicate to the C64, because you have told it should be
working with a C16. And the electrical connections are not compatible therefore communication
isn't possible. In order to resolve this situation, reset the Cassiopei and configure the device through
the OLED display or use the web interface.
If you do need to change the computer model using the menu on a CBM computer then you must
be aware that it is only possible if you switch between electrically compatible systems. The C16
and Plus4 are compatible with each other but not with any other model. So you can safely switch
from a C64 to a VIC 20, but not from a C64 to a C16 or Plus4 (the C16 and Plus 4 are not
compatible with the C64 or any other CBM model). Also you can safely switch from a C16 to a
Plus4, but not from a C16 to a C64, VIC20 or any other Commodore computer model.
Therefore, changing the computermodel settings using the menu on a CBM computer is not
recommended. And in some cases it is identical to sawing off the branch of tree while sitting on
that branch, you must be seated on the correct side of the branch or otherwise unexpected
behaviour will be the result. Rest assured that, the Cassiopei (or the Commodore computer
connected to it) cannot be damaged by these actions
Some people might ask, why it this possible if it is not recommended. That is a very good question,
though the answer is simple. The menu structure for the CBM, the OLED display and the web
interface are all based around the same piece of code. It would be very difficult, inefficient and
cumbersome to write 3 different types of code for menus structures that can (almost) do the same
and look alike. By using only one type of menu structure the code required for this structure is
much easier to test and maintain. The result is an interface that looks and feels the same under all 3
conditions but it requires some logical thinking of the end user. Knowing that Commodore
computer users are smart people this was a design decision that will be expected to cause no
(significant) problems in daily use.
2019-10-27 Page 29 of 76 CASSIOPEI v2.0