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Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« on: April 05, 2014, 08:29:35 PM »
Quote from: Matt_H;761992
Amiga-news.de is reporting on an enhanced version of the MiniMig.

I wasn't terribly excited about the original MiniMig. It's of course an incredible technical achievement and milestone, and it has my infinite praise for that reason, but the fact that it replicated pretty much a stock A500 meant that I wasn't lining up to buy one.

THIS one, however, interests me greatly! I guess I missed/forgot the news on it when it was first announced. 030-comparable performance, plenty of RAM (chip and fast), modern ports, possibility of AGA - now we are talking! I just hope it's a standard form factor or they release a case for it.

Can't wait to buy!

Honestly I am not looking for AGA. I am looking for SAGA instead. New complete custom chipset all together...forcing AmiBlitz to update their engine to meet the new SAGA commands for example. Better, faster bandwidth for a starter, support 32 bit colors with no degradation of speed and regardless of the amount of sprite and size is a good start.

How about have a 3D custom chipset that compete with PS3 graphics....that is a beginning of enticing me to sell my A4000D for this "MiniMag+".  But if you are telling me it is the good old AGA with more CHIP RAM even if it is 1 GB CHIP RAM is nice...but I am ok with what I have.
 

Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2014, 04:25:41 PM »
Quote from: psxphill;762052
I think you have unrealistic expectations, even PS2 graphics would make your A4000 cry.
 
I'd settle for PS1 graphics without requiring a mortgage. It would at least be doable and would make some software possible that wasn't before.
 
It would just need 15 bit rgb chunky output and some new blitter modes.


I thought at 2014 I have realistic expectation.
 

Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2014, 11:42:16 PM »
Quote from: Darrin;762073
Check out Mike's site:
http://www.fpgaarcade.com/

Especially the forum where there's lots of discussion on the various cores under development.

Here's a pic of the FPGA board with the prototype 68060 board fitted on top.
http://amigatronics.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/060-daughter-board.gif

You can see the CPU, USB ports, extra RAM, clock, optical audio out, micro SD card (which can be used as a "real" Amiga formatted hard drive rather than using HDF files on the main board's SD card), and Ethernet port.

So in short you get the following:

Main board:  Various cores running different systems/arcade games.  Amiga core to feature:  Soft 68000/020 Core, 64MB RAM (user configured between Chip/Fast/etc), OCS/ECS and AGA chipset (with P98 RTG), SD card to hold ADF, HDF, Kickstart and core files, PS-2 ports for mouse & keyboard (optional USB ports for USB mouse and keyboard only), DVI video out (optional S-video and composite), stereo audio out, 2 x 9pin joystick ports, JTAG connector, expansion port (for daughterboard), Serial port, micro USB port for flash updates.

Daughterboard adds following (subject to change):  Real 68060 CPU, extra 128 MB RAM, Micro SD card slot (as hard drive), optical audio out, real time clock, USB, Ethernet.

While the daughterboard is being developed with the Amiga core in mind (and anyone can build their own cards for the slot), I see no reason why an old Mac core or Atari ST core couldn't make use of it either.

Can I order the FPGA Replay then now? Where can I go in the website to order it?
 

Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2014, 06:28:34 PM »
Mikej, I want to order the board as soon as possible. I will wait until it is available in your main website, but the problem with your website Mikej is it does not allow me to ship to Canada. Can you please put Canada part of the shipping country...it is much appreciate it?
 

Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2014, 09:09:45 PM »
It is official! I am selling my A4000D and instead I am getting an FPGA Replay instead.

Advantages are as follows:

1) Tiny size compared to the huge size of the Amiga 4000D
2) I can have 64 MB of CHIP RAM instead of 2 MB CHIP RAM
3) Faster bandwidth for CHIP RAM and blitting over the very slow one on A4000D
4) No more need to worry about real disk as everything can be done on ADF and HDF file
5) Build in scandoubler (build in VGA port)
6) Build in USB ports
7) Build in RTG
8) Allow me to expand it with 060 running at least at 110 Mhz if I wanted too with Ethernet port

All of those even if it cost me 800 dollars without the 060 expansion of course...all of this is going to cost me cheaper than getting an A4000 and expand it and still be weaker than FPGA Replay Arcade.

Here is why? In order to get a voodoo card or PCI ethernet card for example I need to pay 440+ for the mediator. Ok my Amiga 4000D already cost me 700 dollars stock version before shipping and handling which would cost me another 200 dollars.

So my stock Amiga 4000D cost me 900 bucks plus 440 equal to $1340.

Then if I want to expand it to 060 running at 050 Mhz it is going to cost me something like 700 dollars what with the market in the eBay and in AmiBay etc. So my Amiga 4000D end up costing me now with expansion $2040. Do not forget if I am ordering them in the internet I have to add shipping and handling cost so let us add another $100 bucks so it cost me $2140. What if I want to expand the RAM from 16 MB to 128 MB in AmigaKit.com it cost me 104.82 before shipping and handling for RAM so now the total amount I spend on the Amiga 4000D will be 2144.82. Bare in mind I am still stuck with 2 MB CHIP RAM and bottleneck of this hardware. Even if I went extreme and I halved it and I actually spend $1072.41 expand the Amiga 4000D that is way more than an FPGA Replay Arcade which gave me all this already as default setting with the exception of 060 daughterboard and still 10x faster than the original Amiga 4000D in all regards including graphics blitting, etc.

Ok so the one disadvantage FPG Replay may have that it does not support PPC as say Amiga 4000D does, but if you think about it that is not really a lose. The Amiga 4000D in order to support PPC it will use an outdated garbage card that cost 2000 dollars easy and still be weak enough not to run anything say like the NG does. So this feature in my A4000D I will never use in my life so I lost nothing.

Ok one could say the daughterboard 060 could easily be the same cost as an fgpa replay say 800 dollars. Even if I get the fpga replay plus expansion to be 1600 dollars it is still cheaper than the A4000D had I decided to go full force expanding it. But with the A4000D I am still limited with 2 MB CHIP RAM and severe bottleneck. With FPGA Replay I could do things that I can never be able to do on classical Amiga.

I am sure you guys could come in again and attack me or have a point you guys wish to proof, bring it on :)
 

Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2014, 03:15:07 AM »
Quote from: Darrin;762471
@ AmigaClassicRule:

You're thinking along my lines.  My main Classic Amiga is my A4000 with a 68040, Mediator/Radeon/SpiderUSB/SB128, FastATA400.

I expect my FPGA Replay to replace this as my main Classic machine once the daughterboard is released.  OK, we're not going to have any Zorro/PCI slots, but since I installed USB in my Amiga, I've expanded it using those ports anyway.  I can actually close the case at last!  :D


EXACTLY!
:laugh1::):) Darrin, even if the daughterboard somehow never managed to be released ever in existence for whatever reason...still the FPGA Replay by default setting is a major expansion and improvement over my original A4000D and still faster than my 040 @ 25 Mhz could ever muster and I have even feeling I can watch .hv movies on my FPGA Replay by default with 20 fps running smoothly over my A4000D running now which is crawling and only doing 4 fps with sound...* shivers * AND I am getting 64 MB CHIP RAM! NO more worrying about coding tricks and moving data from fast to chip and and and..no more worrying about how much size sprite needs to be, amount of color, speed, out of chip ram YOU NAME it! No more have to worry about all that...I am now free as a programmer instead of being jailed by the limitation of a restrictive hardware.

So in the end it is a win-win for me...and the size is tinier than my A4000D. So if someone in eBay wants to buy it out of my hand for fetish of just owning it...go for it.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2014, 03:21:42 AM by AmigaClassicRule »
 

Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2014, 06:41:37 PM »
Quote from: Darrin;762512
I don't have heat issues, I'm just always poking around inside swapping cards/drives.


Good news!! I am in the pre-order list of FPGA Replay! My setting include the entire S-Video, Composite Port, DVI Port and able to install any LED for my power and HD activity to my favorite casing of choosing!! That means I can order X500 and have the power LED on the X500 case turn on/off for the Amiga audio filter or it flashes if the Amiga core crashes hahahahahahah!!!!!
 

Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2014, 08:24:39 PM »
Quote from: billt;762518
Everything is of course a tradeoff. If one wants, PS3 graphics, as the person I replied to suggested, then one will pay for it. If one wants something relatively inexpensive, then one might not get PS3 level graphics. Especially in an FPGA, compared to Sony's custom ASIC. The overhead that makes an FPGA able to "be anything" will slow it down compared to the custom ASIC. Plus, Sony had a big team of specialists and a huge budget, as do Nvidia, AMD etc., compared to the people willing and able to work on such things for open-hardware, or even proprietary in our kind of market, so our results may differ from theirs from those things as well. :)


Actually I am thinking of PPC to FPGA Replay is not a bad idea!! :D THIS WAY I do not have to worry about buying a NG hardware that cost me 10k for example...I can have OS 4.1 running in that adorable, tiny cute little squishy FPGA Replay Arcade hehehhe even if it cost 1000 dollars for the CPU only it is still affordable over say 3.3k for X1000!

:D I like this...now I want this FPGA Replay even more...it is truly the best toy ever!!

No need for NatAmi, no need for C-One, no need for MiniMig...this is what we want :D
 

Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« Reply #8 on: April 14, 2014, 08:58:56 PM »
Quote from: Darrin;762526
For the X500 case, make sure you order it with the USB keyboard connector and adapter.  My FPGA board is the old type with the PS-2 connector and I've got to return it to Mike for an update (or get another one) before I can use it properly in my X500 case.


I think I will keep it with it's original case. The case is really tiny, cute,, adorable and have a good size fan :D :D. The X500 case is nice but it is TOO BIG...takes a lot of my table for nothing. The FPGA Replay is too small and I am not taking all the space of that case...not worth it.  I think my FPGA Replay will have PS/2 ports which is good for me! I can get an ps/2 keyboard and mouse from value village for like 6 bucks in total! Or I can just get the keyboard for 3 bucks and use my original Amiga mouse!

Like for example this is my default case: http://store.antec.com/productimages/Originals/root/ISK100_sbe.jpg look at that faaaaan :D :D :D :D :D :D What I will do is buy the loudest fan possible and install it in there Mmmmmmmmmmmm
« Last Edit: April 14, 2014, 09:12:12 PM by AmigaClassicRule »
 

Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« Reply #9 on: April 15, 2014, 06:15:51 PM »
Wouldn't it be awesome to have PPC card on the FPGA Replay Arcade :D?
 

Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« Reply #10 on: April 15, 2014, 07:29:22 PM »
Quote from: ElPolloDiabl;762592
Well there is a port there for upgrading, what should you do with it?

Or put rasberry like expansion or an x86 or something fun :D Or keep it there just for the giddy feeling you have an expansion port that is not used but it is there :)
 

Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« Reply #11 on: April 15, 2014, 08:28:01 PM »
Quote from: ferrellsl;762602
The word "Amiga" did not appear in my earlier post a single time.

You are sure? :insane:
 

Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« Reply #12 on: April 15, 2014, 09:53:09 PM »
Quote from: mikej;762612
Possible, the SDRAM controller sits in the main board FPGA.
In theory the soft processor could be used internally with both the external DDR and SDRAM.
/MikeJ

Mikej, plllease can you give us an update when can I order the FPGA Replay from you? As in, can you give us an idea when the AGA and Amiga core is going to be completed??
 

Offline AmigaClassicRule

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Re: MiniMig+
« Reply #13 on: April 16, 2014, 12:24:39 AM »
* goes into complete dance mode * * jumps up and down and dances left and right * I am happy...mmmmmmmmmm...oh yeah baby!!!