New hardware revision?

Talk about everything hardware related
simon
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Re: New hardware revision?

Postby simon » Fri May 03, 2013 4:07 pm

I still have the voltage monitor parts laying around. I want to test the circuit with a small drop-in PCB. :)

Simon

simon
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Re: New hardware revision?

Postby simon » Mon Aug 26, 2013 10:58 am

Hi,

I uploaded a draft of the revision 2 schematic design files in the internal forum for review. I ask you to check these (you will need gEDA/gschem) against my thread about the hardware issues.

Simon

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Re: New hardware revision?

Postby simon » Wed Sep 18, 2013 1:21 pm

Hi,

the new design is going to be ready for prototyping soon. The autorouter is working in optimization pass 101 and we can start to think about orders.
Shall we order a batch immediately? Do you want to order one by yourself (from the Gerber files I will offer anyway)? Do you want to donate some bucks to help me to fund the/a prototype PCB first?
I would prefer first. I don't expect the new PCB to be totally scrap so it should be possible for the advanced tinkerer to start when I do and we could take advantage of the dropping costs right from the first order.

Please spread the word and let me now.

Simon

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Re: New hardware revision?

Postby simon » Thu Sep 19, 2013 9:29 am

I used the online calculator of my PCB manufacturer. There is a new supply option. The price for a bare PCB will be around 100€...

Simon

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Re: New hardware revision?

Postby simon » Fri Oct 04, 2013 8:41 am

The autorouting has been finished. Anyone interested in a PCB? I need three others at least to order a batch.

Simon

Zbigniew
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Re: New hardware revision?

Postby Zbigniew » Fri Dec 27, 2013 2:54 pm

simon wrote:The autorouting has been finished. Anyone interested in a PCB? I need three others at least to order a batch.


I'm interested.

Impressive work, indeed! Please, be undeterred - this (momentary) small interest comes from the fact, that you have no advertisement at all. I'm interested in such projects since almost two years, and only yesterday - by accident - found your site. Have you considered adding your pages at least to Google and Bing, using a few significant keywords?

Regarding the proposals for improvements:

If I was going to enhance this design, I would replace the 68008 with a full 68000

Have you considered ARM CPU? It won't make your design that less "retro", since Archimedes was using one of the first ARMs - but it could make it much more powerful. I've got no idea, however, how much complication could it add to the electronics.

Oh, and one more: if this is more about "retro-computing" - maybe 65C816S could be a considerable option as well? It has 24-bit address bus, and AFAIK can be clocked up to 14 MHz.

I would also replace the almost-impossible-to-get SID chips with something easier to get. Maybe you could use a Yamaha YM family sound synthesis chip and some sort of raw DAC chip to handle sound effects and percussion and the things that the YM cant really do.
Such a combo has been seen on all kinds of consoles and arcade boards and I bet the YM chips are easier to get than SIDs.


For sound... There is the SwinSID which claims to be a drop-in replacement for the SID. My actual design went with the SID as I prefer it's sound over OPL chips (I have a YM262 OPL-3 laying around)

And I wasn't thinking OPL for the sound, I was thinking of a sound system more like that used in many arcade games that used a YM2151 FM synthesis chip and another chip to handle raw sound samples (used in the arcade games for sound effects and percussive samples that the 2151 couldn't do)


Being very fond of SID-tunes (my first computer was Commodore VC-20, bought in August 1984, several months later followed by C-64) I would to second the idea of replacing non-reachable anymore original soundchip with something more available.

And, actually, why not OPL-3? From what I see, it still could be ordered at far-Eastern distributors. It has nice capabilities, it gives pleasant FM-sound - and it could be completed with the mentioned chip "to handle raw sound samples".

If possible, of course it would be valuable to have VGA-connector - but not at a cost of disposing of any available presently video modes. Anyway, we can use PAL-VGA converters, available on the market for a few dollars (using such small box with my C-64/128).

Definitely it's interesting idea to be able to use ISA-cards. And having slots would mean, that your design would be expandable.

I would to add one thing, not mentioned: maybe could be possible to replace simplistic Atari-style sockets for game-controllers with the ones for NES game controllers? Having fond memories of C-64 gaming I have to admit, that it was always somewhat troublesome to use keyboard in case you only needed one more "fire button"... NES controller is the simplest one, that just "could do" offering two independent buttons, and two additional selection buttons. And it's available for peanuts. Yes, SNES controllers are even more extended, but I'm not sure, wouldn't it mean too much complication for the design. IMHO the older NES ones would be OK.

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Re: New hardware revision?

Postby simon » Sat Dec 28, 2013 10:30 am

Zbigniew wrote:I'm interested.

Impressive work, indeed! Please, be undeterred - this (momentary) small interest comes from the fact, that you have no advertisement at all. I'm interested in such projects since almost two years, and only yesterday - by accident - found your site. Have you considered adding your pages at least to Google and Bing, using a few significant keywords?


Great! We should stay in contact. I have a design ready to test but put in on ice when I didn't got much answers. Maybe it is time to resume. :)
About advertisment. There are pages on Youtube, Google+ and Facebook.

Your ideas for improvements come a bit late. At least for the rev. 2 as the design is available as PCB layout already. Anyway, if I would implement every of your proposals it would be a completely different computer... You are free to get my design files and use them as a starting for your own computer if you like. :)

Simon

Zbigniew
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Re: New hardware revision?

Postby Zbigniew » Sat Dec 28, 2013 12:40 pm

OK, then waiting for a message from you - meanwhile I'll read the docs, and probably be back with even more question/suggestions. :D

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Re: New hardware revision?

Postby simon » Sat Dec 28, 2013 5:35 pm

Great, I got some more resonance lately. Maybe the time is really ripe to continue. :) As mentioned here I am in London for the next few days. But when I am back I will definately pick the rev 2 up again. :)

Simon

e2k001
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Re: New hardware revision?

Postby e2k001 » Sun Dec 29, 2013 3:55 pm

simon wrote:Great, I got some more resonance lately. Maybe the time is really ripe to continue. :) As mentioned here I am in London for the next few days. But when I am back I will definately pick the rev 2 up again. :)
Simon


Just my .001 EUR ;-)
I would really go for the full mc68000. I know, you finished layout already. But layout is cheap, and PCB & assembly are costing money.
Just a hint, I didn't see in this forum.
There are so many accelerators for the mc68000 out there, and some can be bought cheap. So you could upgrade
your design to a 68020/68030/68040 etc, without changing the base board, if you desire a little more HP.

All you have to have (?) is a clean mc68000 in DIL on board, and some air space around ...

Once again, it is nice to sit on a couch and criticize other peoples designs ;-)

Cheers


cron