Any need for a MiniMig 3.0?

[freqmax]

The useful suggestions seems to be:
 * Zorro-II bus (AJCopland,freqmax).
 * PCI slot (billt).
 * PCMCIA slot (Sparky).
 * SDRAM to the full 16 MB (AJCopland). (Any leftover could be used for RAM disc)
 * SODIMM slot (billt).
 * Yaqube's ARM (AJCopland).
 * Secondary FPGA to allow TG68 development (AJCopland).
 * 4-bit path to SDcard to speedup transfers (freqmax).
 * Floppy drive port (Sparky).

Guess Zorro/PCMCIA expansion slot. 16 MB SDRAM. Secondary XC3S500e FPGA. And 4-bit SDcard path would be useful and still not rocket science. It's very much about priorities.

[Krusher]

Minimig board should fit into a Mac Mini case  :-D

As for features: more compatible!

* Clockport
* SODIMM over SDRAM slot
* 16bit 44khz audio in and out with compatible ahi drivers
* aga support (needs 68020?)
* sata/ or pata hdd connectivity

[freqmax]

SODIMM = DDR => CAS latency and double clocking => A pain to code. Don't think 16-bit 44 kHz is compatible with much classic software.

AGA supports needs 32-bit dataport I think. And thus 68020 is a requirement. And the reason to push softcore 68020.

S-ATA is a pain to find interface chips for. The only one I found has a chip bug. And P-ATA uses lot's of pins and is an electrical soup from hell. Flashmemories like SDcard is way easier to handle.

[denli]

I really really like the concept of a handheld Amiga :-D
Go for the Mini Minimig (uMig?)

[persia]

AmiPad!

[Methuselas]

persia wrote:
AmiPad!

I agree here. If I could get an Amiga 500 (A1200 would be better, but out of the idea point right now) that was built like a Gameboy, I'd be happy. I'd shell out the extra cash for one if it had a d-pad, two buttons and a decent-sized screen. Keep the USB ports and VGA port for externals and it would be a sweet little system.

[Darrin]

Illuwatar wrote:
After reading about the success with the FPGAArcade project and the development of NatAmi, I start thinking of maybe quit the line of MiniMig designs. The 2.0 is completed, fully tested and with a few happy owners (I have basically sold out all units I had, more could be ordered if there are enough interest). The FPGAArcade is the biggest competitor to the MiniMig and if he can bring down the end customer price below €250 for a working board, then I can't compete price-wise even with the 2.0 MiniMig. In my plan, there is an improved 2.0 that integrates the Yaqube ARM-controller and more SRAM, but is there any idea to continue with it?

To be honest, I always viewed your design as the Minimig v2.0 and the FPGAarcade as the 3.0.  If you're going to continue your excellent work then I'd take one of 2 paths, either expand on the FPGAarcade design or look at your 2.0 design and either look at ways to reduce the cost of it or add more functionality for the same price.

I think there's room in this market for a low end budget model and a high end more expensive one.  Currently we have:

Minimig v1.1 (with optional ARM HD controller)
Minimig v2.0 (your updated design)
C-One (Jen's limited production mobo with extra RAM + HD)
FPGAarcade (close to release)

in addition we also have the Clone A in development and the NatAmi which I'm not going to hold my breath for.

The C-One and FPGAarcade should take care of the high end, but there's still a market for a low cost v1/v2 solution for those who just want to play ADF images in an A500 type environment.

[mikej]

My 4.3" LCD screen arrived today, it fits nicely on the Replay board.
Guess what's next

I'll put some pics up at the weekend.
/Mike

www.fpgaarcade.com

[persia]

Please do keep us informed, if AmiPad does come about count me in!

[Illuwatar]

mikej: what company are you using for your boards? If they are able to put the BGA in place for me as a step in the manufacturing process, there will be new possibilities for me to both extend and shrink the design.

I did a quick look at Digikey for the Spartan 3 models available. There are two bigger models (1000k and 1500k gates) possible. They should be good plug-in replacements for the XC3S400 if more gates and I/O are needed. Or I can turn the idea all around and use a BGA version of the current FPGA and shrink the design even more (compared to the Mini MiniMig). Time for 6-layer board maybe...

[billt]

@Norway

His web site has PCB files in Protel/Altium format, so he;s already got something that may be a little more advanced than Eagle is. Eagle is an OK tool though, I have had schematic module for a while and just bought the layout module this morning. I hear Eagle's autorouter module leaves a lot of users wanting better, so I didn't pay for that one, I'll have to tough it out the hard way by hand. I've got other projects in mind though, I don't expect I'd have time to fiddle, and I'd want a big BGA FPGA and thus be better off starting over anyway.

I think it should be relatively easy to test a soldered BGA FPGA alone. All those pins go somewhere, right? Have a couple different FPGA test configurations to check for 1's and 0's in whatever pattern makes sense. Might take a while to hand-probe, but I've hand-probed boards with 8 BGA sockets of many hundreds of pins each before. (special test boards, you wouldn't normally socket a BGA chip for an end-product) Time consuming and tedious, but doable, and you get faster after doing a few, but I don't think it'd be particularly "hard".

[billt]

@Illuwatar

I haven't made an FPGA board myself before, but would like to consider it at some point. I think I'm fond of the Xilinx FGG676 package, mostly because of the variety of chips in that form, a number of Spartan3A with and without DSP, the Spartan6 product table lists it for a number of those... I haven't gone so far as to prove to myself that all FGG676 are pin-compatible with all other FGG676 chips, but it at least has potential toward that. I'd rather go FGG484, but some of the Spartan3's I'd be interested in (XC3S1500) are in a FGG456 instead of 484. :/

[mikej]

mikej: what company are you using for your boards? If they are able to put the BGA in place for me as a step in the manufacturing process, there will be new possibilities for me to both extend and shrink the design.

I get everything done in China (I am working over there a lot). Any production house here in Stockholm should be able to reflow a BGA as long as it is first on the board.

/Mike
p.s. it takes over 12 hours to hand assemble a Replay board, machine assembly is definitely the way forward.

[freqmax]

One could use a row of pads on the PCB and some string of nails to connect quickly for testing BGA chips?
(like "bed of nails")

I think any Stockholm house will be expensive

[kolla]

I just want the ultimate DeluxePaint animation workstation, really :-)

Native chipset, lots of chipram, as many colours as possible ("smart" HAM8 that filters away the artifacts?), wickedly fast, perhaps adjustable speed, with lots of RAM for frames.

Yes, I can do it in UAE with 8MB chipram, but the speed and timing is far from perfect. :-)

[ChaosLord]

Please do not make a new minimig unless:

A: It has 24-bit video output and an FPGA big enough and fast enough to hold an enhanced AGA chipset.  You do not have to implement AGA yourself, someone else will come along and do it for you.

or

B: it is really really tiny, like a gameboy or a PSP, with built-in screen.

I do not personally want option B: but others do.  That is why I listed it.

or

C: Stop making minimigs and devote your time, energy and money to helping Natami or FPGAarcade.

 

I vote for option A: or C:

Have fun  :-)