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Author Topic: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!  (Read 21935 times)

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Offline matthey

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #29 on: November 12, 2012, 12:59:26 AM »
Quote from: ChaosLord;714569

What does that mean?
You have programs that allocate memory they don't need just for no reason?


You have never had a buggy program allocate all your memory? Vbbc is the only program that has ran out of memory for me on a high optimization level but it also has some bugs.

Quote from: ChaosLord;714569

The SATA interface is a really really good point. Would be nice to use modern hard drives, and be able to use them at a decent speed.  That requires the SATA controller to be on the accelerator.  But Thomas said that adding a SATA controller chip is very expensive or complicated or maybe it was both, I can't remember.  That was why he did not put one on the Natami MB.

As to Ethernet and USB, those are good ideas too but there are already readily available solutions for the Amiga so they are of lesser importance.  

I am not saying that having all those features on an Accelerator card would not be totally awesome, but I think we have completely exceeded the time and money he is willing to put into the project :juggler:


Actually, what would be great and practical would be full speed PCI slots for GFX card, SATA, ethernet and USB. A new motherboard fitting a common tower standard with empty 68060 CPU slot, fpga for the custom chips (MiniMig code is available), PCI 5-7 full speed slots, ATX power supply connector, 2-3 1MB MAPROM flash slots (AROS kickstart needs 1MB kickstart) and 1-2 GB of ram. It should be priced $500-$1000 U.S for the motherboard.
 

Offline kedawa

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #30 on: November 12, 2012, 01:29:02 AM »
2GB would make for one hell of a RAM disk.
 

Offline ChaosLord

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #31 on: November 12, 2012, 01:31:25 AM »
Quote from: matthey;714598
You have never had a buggy program allocate all your memory?

Some kind of runaway Malloc() in a loop or somesuch?  Nope.

Quote

 Vbbc is the only program that has ran out of memory for me on a high optimization level but it also has some bugs.

Maybe it ran out of memory because you didn't have 3GB installed :)

With 128MB, you have only filled 1/32 of your memory map with actual memory.  Maybe Vbcc just expects more.
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Offline danbeaver

Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #32 on: November 12, 2012, 04:51:55 AM »
I would be happy to put support behind the UltimatePPC for the above but have a new source for USB, Ethernet, FlashROM style KS boards, SATA solutions and such. FPGA seems like a great way to integrate new hardware into Classic architecture and a more current PPC option that runs the OS 4.1 would keep me happy. Let us not forget that vintage USB solutions go for $200+, NIC's for $100+, PPC's $800 to $1,200, etc.
 

Offline TheRogueTopic starter

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #33 on: November 12, 2012, 07:41:19 AM »
Ok guys, I think some people are getting carried away and taking this in a direction that I didn't want. I can see what you guys want long-term and I will do everything I can to make it happen long term, but I need to think short-term as well. What I want from you now is what do you want NOW. What sort of thing, a realistic thing that can be done some time soon would you like produced? Think small. Don't think super-high-tech-revolutionize-way-we-use-our-Amigas, think small upgrade boards, think little projects. What's something simple that you'd like to have? Anything that's no longer in production that could be resurrected, like I am doing for the Thylacine? I promise you I will take all of your suggestions into consideration and really give a go at a fancy new accelerator or even replacement motherboard, but this is a long way away still, several months at least. Also, let me say again for those who missed it:

I AM NOT GOING TO PRODUCE COMPLEX MULTILAYER BOARDS WITH SUPERFINE TRACES IN HOUSE.

I think this has been a misunderstood issue and one that has taken away all the credibility of this project in the eyes of those who really understand PCB fabrication. I am well aware of what is involved in producing such things, and I have no desire to either spend many tens of thousands (at least) on the equipment or try and attempt to laminate my own multi-layer boards (the concept makes me shiver even thinking about it) so banish that thought. I am fully aware of how much cheaper it is to do it through a company, and I absolutely will be doing that. For simple small projects involving single or double sided boards with no internal layers, I will be doing the production myself because for single boards or small runs I have worked out I can save money and pass the savings on to you. If I get an order for 50 Thylacine boards for example, I am not going to make them all by hand, I will send them out. If I get someone who wants 1 and I have no other orders I can bundle together at the time, then I will churn it out myself because it's cheaper for me and cheaper for you.

Please don't take me as being rude, I love your suggestions and I love the ideas people have expressed, but can we please move the discussion away from the long-term and theoretical and more to the concrete short-term? I value every one of your thoughts and suggestions, but let's not get caught up on one thing and lose sight of what I'm really trying to do initially.

Thank you.
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Offline SamuraiCrow

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #34 on: November 12, 2012, 07:58:25 AM »
Quote from: ChaosLord;714594
If you are going to add RTG to the card then might I suggest something cheap and well documented with tons of example source code for the driver writers: The same chip that the Raspberry Pi uses.


Umm... The Raspberry Pi uses an SoC.  That's System on a Chip in case you haven't heard the term before.  It means the CPU and GPU are both on the same chip.  Surely you don't want the ARM v6 processor introduced into the design, do you?  Also, only the user-level registers are documented publicly for the GPU.  The video BIOS for it is still a closed-source binary blob.
 

Offline Lord Aga

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #35 on: November 12, 2012, 09:49:09 AM »
Quote from: TheRogue;714621
What I want from you now is what do you want NOW. What sort of thing, a realistic thing that can be done some time soon would you like produced? Think small.

Some sort of USB solution for wedge Amigas ?
Keyboard membrane replacements ?
« Last Edit: November 12, 2012, 09:56:13 AM by Lord Aga »
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Offline TheRogueTopic starter

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #36 on: November 12, 2012, 10:12:36 AM »
Quote from: Lord Aga;714638
Some sort of USB solution for wedge Amigas ?
Keyboard membrane replacements ?


A USB solution for the A500 will be no problem to offer immediately, I will do up a version of the Thylacine for the A500. The 600 and 1200 will be a bit more difficult, but I think some sort of clockport solution shouldn't be very hard to accomplish.

Keyboard membranes will be offered in short order. Someone on another forum is sending me a bunch of membranes for me to either clone outright or make functional equivalents of. My equipment can already handle keyboard style membranes with no issue, so I will keep you posted as to the progress on those.
Go up to your brother, kill him with your gun. Leave him lying in his  uniform dying in the sun. War, it\'s never been so much fun!:destroy:
 

Offline Lord Aga

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #37 on: November 12, 2012, 10:37:51 AM »
Whoa man you are really great :)
I'll have to find some additional jobs so I can buy everything you make :D

Quote from: TheRogue;714641
A USB solution for the A500 will be no problem to offer immediately, I will do up a version of the Thylacine for the A500. The 600 and 1200 will be a bit more difficult, but I think some sort of clockport solution shouldn't be very hard to accomplish.

Yes, well A600 and A1200 need it more :) I wouldn't have much use of it on my A500. But sure would on my A600 and A1200. Still, A500 will get more important as IDE interfaces on various cards start selling.
« Last Edit: November 12, 2012, 10:40:15 AM by Lord Aga »
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Offline Thorham

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #38 on: November 12, 2012, 10:51:38 AM »
Quote from: Lord Aga;714638
Keyboard membrane replacements ?
Yuk, membrane keyboards :( Isn't it time our Amigas got quality mechanical keyboards with Cherry MX switches?

Quote from: Karlos;714563
2GB of RAM would be the absolute safe limit for OS3.x, simply due to the signed pointer / size arithmetic that goes on here and there as mentioned by matthey.
You're kidding, right? I mean, signed pointers and signed size arithmetic? What the hell were they thinking? Makes no sense at all.
« Last Edit: November 12, 2012, 11:48:43 AM by Thorham »
 

Offline Lord Aga

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #39 on: November 12, 2012, 11:00:32 AM »
Quote from: Thorham;714645
Yuk, membrane keyboards :( Isn't it time our Amigas got quality mechanical keyboards with Cherry MX switches?


Do you mean complete new keyboards altogether ? Or to modify the existing ones ?
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Offline ChaosLord

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #40 on: November 12, 2012, 11:21:23 AM »
Quote from: Thorham;714645
Yuk, membrane keyboards :( Isn't it time our Amigas got quality mechanical keyboards with Cherry MX switches?


10000% agree!

Membrane keyboards are horrifically antiergonomical and evil. :destroy:

Certain A2000 keyboards came with Cherry Black switches.  ahhhhh what a joy to type on. :knuddel:

Sadly, no A3000 or A4000 keyboards came with Cherry switches and the A3000 diabolically evil membrane keyboards in particular were prone to failure after some years.

I would like to propose as a project that you produce an AMIGA keyboard using uniform 45g Topre switches and a PS/2 interface.  You could sell a lot of these to nonamiga users too because normal Topre keyboards have been rigged by the manufacturer to NOT WORK with PS/2. :pissed:

I have spent all week trying to buy a $300.00 Topre keyboard but Japan Inc. just won't sell me one.  They will sell me several different models of Topre keyboards but they are all USB and have been sabotaged to not work with a PS/2 adapter.

I have had a PS/2 adapter on several of my Amigas since 1990s and I want to buy a couple of Topre keyboards for them.  Grrr.  Looks like I am stuck buying  and trying Cherry Reds instead.  I will probably end up spending $2000.00 on different keyboards since nobody will make the consumer what the consumer actually wants.
Wanna try a wonderfull strategy game with lots of handdrawn anims,
Magic Spells and Monsters, Incredible playability and lastability,
English speech, etc. Total Chaos AGA
 

Offline Thorham

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #41 on: November 12, 2012, 11:48:06 AM »
Quote from: Lord Aga;714646
Do you mean complete new keyboards altogether ? Or to modify the existing ones ?

New ones. Amiga keyboards suck.

Quote from: ChaosLord;714648
Membrane keyboards are horrifically antiergonomical and evil. :destroy:

Membrane and rubber dome keyboards are a load of crap :)

Quote from: ChaosLord;714648
I would like to propose as a project that you produce an AMIGA keyboard using uniform 45g Topre switches and a PS/2 interface.

Topre is expensive, and Cherry MX switches are fine.

Quote from: ChaosLord;714648
Looks like I am stuck buying  and trying Cherry Reds instead.

Nothing wrong with Cherry.
 

Offline Lord Aga

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #42 on: November 12, 2012, 11:55:04 AM »
Quote from: Thorham;714651
New ones. Amiga keyboards suck.


That's fine with me, but they must have Amiga keys layout. No PC keyboards with stickers and adapters. If it's gonna be done, it has to be done right :)
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Offline ChaosLord

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #43 on: November 12, 2012, 12:01:15 PM »
Quote from: Thorham;714651
New ones. Amiga keyboards suck.

Yes they do, except for the ones with Cherry Black switches.


Quote

Membrane and rubber dome keyboards are a load of crap :)

True dat.

Quote

Topre is expensive, and Cherry MX switches are fine.

True dat 2.  But there are so many Cherry switches.  Hard to pick just one :)

Quote

Nothing wrong with Cherry.

My fingers are 1000x more sensitive than yours.  I want to try both Cherry and Topre.   Neither are perfect.  The perfect keyboard switch has yet to be mass-produced.  It is just that both Cherry and Topre are 128x better than membrane high-impact antiergonomical evil diabolical treacherous devious smash-ur-finger-into-an-immoveable-object-on-every-keypress keyboards.
Wanna try a wonderfull strategy game with lots of handdrawn anims,
Magic Spells and Monsters, Incredible playability and lastability,
English speech, etc. Total Chaos AGA
 

Offline ChaosLord

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Re: New project for the benefit of all classic computing!
« Reply #44 from previous page: November 12, 2012, 12:09:54 PM »
Quote from: Lord Aga;714652
That's fine with me, but they must have Amiga keys layout. No PC keyboards with stickers and adapters. If it's gonna be done, it has to be done right :)


You can simply buy keycaps with the Amiga "A" printed on instead of that abominable M$ logo.  But u hafta buy 1000+ at a time.

Or you can just buy blank keycaps without having to do anything special.  And you can buy as many as u want.  If the Amiga keys are blank, everyone will know what they are.  Or u could put a sticker on it if a blank key bothers u.
There are many solutions.
Wanna try a wonderfull strategy game with lots of handdrawn anims,
Magic Spells and Monsters, Incredible playability and lastability,
English speech, etc. Total Chaos AGA