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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: TheDaddy on December 29, 2011, 03:16:03 PM
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Hi everyone,
I have received a few emails from people asking me to design a case for the FPGAArcade.
Anyone interested?
It would more or less follow the lines of my previous work:
http://www.loriano.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Scelta.htm
Possible colours, black, white or beige.
Let me know what you'd want to see apart from the fact that you want something sturdy to protect it.
Which ports would you want to be able to access?
How much space would you want inside? Etc...
Your ideas here please.
Thank you. :)
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First in list! Interested =)
Ok here are a few ideas:
1. Has to be small as possible
2. White!
3. Has to have the option to fit the daughterboard in case this is bought later.
4. Ideally comes with a PSU (if possible).
TheDaddy I really like your work, but I dont like the Minimig logo, especially with the huge dot on the 'I'.
Also what is the proper name Arcade FPGA? FPGA Arcade? Replay? I like Replay best, so maybe on the box it should say something like Amiga Replay or something like that :P
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Ok...
>>First in list! Interested =)
amigarulez@hotmail.com
>>1. Has to be small as possible
Can be done, it all depends on the size of it and future upgrades, including daughter board.
>>2. White!
OK
>>4. Ideally comes with a PSU (if possible).
Mike? :)
>>TheDaddy I really like your work, but I dont like the Minimig logo, especially with the huge dot on the 'I'.
That is the old one. It was expensive to make and difficult to apply. But something else could be used of course. It doesn't have to be that font.
>>Also what is the proper name Arcade FPGA? FPGA Arcade? Replay? I like Replay best, so maybe on the box it should say something like Amiga Replay or something like that :P
Replay sounds good to me, what do the others think?
Re-Play maybe?
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Well theoretically it can run other stuff not just Amiga. So I like RePlay.
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I'd like something along those lines, but with space inside for mounting some hardware (say a 5.25" bay for a USB DVD+RW or a 3.5" bay for a real hard drive.
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I'd like something along those lines, but with space inside for mounting some hardware (say a 5.25" bay for a USB DVD+RW or a 3.5" bay for a real hard drive.
Hi Darrin,
Why have a real hard drive? Not to say that it would make the case much bigger? Might as well buy a mini ITX case at that point =)
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Another question is whether people want to place a PSU inside or outside the case. Personally, I use a small PSU (designed for one of those IDE/SATA to USB multi-purpose adapters) and would prefer to keep it external.
Here's a quick pic of the FPFA with an early expansion card fitted to give you an idea of how small the actually cards are:
http://www.minimig.net/yaqube/images/RPX060PCB4.JPG
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Hi Darrin,
Why have a real hard drive? Not to say that it would make the case much bigger? Might as well buy a mini ITX case at that point =)
LOL. Just an option I'd like to have, but isn't essential as I could easily use a USB hard drive connected to an external USB port. I just fancy some space inside the case for any future expansion.
Personal preference. My laptop has an 18.1" screen, full keboard, 2 internal hard drives and weighs a ton. I'm not the sort of guy who goes for tiny gadgets that could fall through a hole in my pocket. :D
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Just wondering... how far can the Arcade FPGA be expanded? In a practical way though :P
Am I correct to assume that with the expansion card it can do the following through re-implementation (avoiding the word emulation here):
1. Real 060 processor
2. Amount of RAM???
3. Picasso card in FPGA
4. Real network card
What else? Do we really want to add PCI slots to this thing :)
Maybe we can have one inside an Amiga 600 case =) .... joking.
@Darrin
To power the Arcade FPGA do you use a simlar PSU for the minimig? Or you have to use an ATX Supply or a PICOPSU?
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Just wondering... how far can the Arcade FPGA be expanded? In a practical way though :P
Am I correct to assume that with the expansion card it can do the following through re-implementation (avoiding the word emulation here):
1. Real 060 processor
2. Amount of RAM???
3. Picasso card in FPGA
4. Real network card
What else? Do we really want to add PCI slots to this thing :)
Maybe we can have one inside an Amiga 600 case =) .... joking.
Zorro, PCI, and USB would be a dream come true.
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Why? Can't we have those through FPGA?
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Just wondering... how far can the Arcade FPGA be expanded? In a practical way though :P
Am I correct to assume that with the expansion card it can do the following through re-implementation (avoiding the word emulation here):
1. Real 060 processor
2. Amount of RAM???
3. Picasso card in FPGA
4. Real network card
What else? Do we really want to add PCI slots to this thing :)
Maybe we can have one inside an Amiga 600 case =) .... joking.
Well from my experience with my Deneb card in my A4000, once you get past RTG, just about everything else you want can be added via the USB ports. Plus, as you say, if there is room left over in teh FPGA then "hardware" can be added there too.
As an early Minimig user it has been fancinating to see how the core has developed over the years as individuals continue to push the boundaries. When I first got my Minimig I had 1.5MB RAM, OCS, 1 x Read Only floppy, no hard drive. It really was a stock A500 (with a scan doubler and a dodgy floppy). Then we got ECS, ARM Hard Drive (file) controller, read/write floppy support, then 4 x floppies, 2MB of extra RAM, hard file without ARM controller..... the list goes on...
We can expect to see the same evolution of the core with the FPGA Arcade until we end up with a "Super Amiga A6000+" and beyond. Not to mention the other computer cores and arcade machines.
This is going to be one hell of a machine.
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Zorro, PCI, and USB would be a dream come true.
USB we'll have via the expansion board. In theory there is no reason why Zorro and PCI couldn't be added to a future expansion board. In the future there is no reason why we should see a range of alternative expansion boards not just for the Amiga side, but for any other cores than run on the board. I can see AtariST fans wanting a board with a MIDI port, C64 users might want a real cartridge slot or floppy/printer/tape connectors, etc.
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Why? Can't we have those through FPGA?
We'll still need connectors or else we'll also have to fit the entire expansion cards in the FPGA too. :)
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It is going to be one hell of a ride ;)
But the good thing is that we start with something really really good from the start, so with every 'addon' it just gets more awesome.
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We'll still need connectors or else we'll also have to fit the entire expansion cards in the FPGA too. :)
What I mean is that, for example, a Picasso would be in FPGA format... or any other board, you dont have to buy Zorro cards and that ancient stuff any more.
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What I mean is that, for example, a Picasso would be in FPGA format... or any other board, you dont have to buy Zorro cards and that ancient stuff any more.
True, but someone still has to make the effort to work out how every pice of that hardware works and then recreate it in the FPGA. An expansion board with a Zorro connector or a PCI slot could open up the world to existing cards (drivers permitting) immediately.
Imagine if Elbox saw a market to make a PCI expansion board for the FPGA Arcade. They already have existing drivers for a number of cards. We could even add a real Radeon card and have 32bit 1920x1080 displays!
The potential is there to make the FPGA Arcade as expandable as a "real" big-box Amiga. Doing this via expansion boards keeps the cost down and means that people who want a games machine don't need to pay for a work-horse. :)
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I agree 100% :)
Can I make an Elbox joke?
:P
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I agree 100% :)
Can I make an Elbox joke?
:P
LOL, not if you want to see a "FPGA Arcade Mediator 5000". :D
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But is it ok if I buy the SharkPPC first (well after the Dragonfire)?
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But is it ok if I buy the SharkPPC first (well after the Dragonfire)?
LOL. Cruel. :D
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@Darrin
Not sure you saw this:
To power the Arcade FPGA do you use a similar PSU for the minimig? Or you have to use an ATX Supply or a PICOPSU?
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@Darrin
Not sure you saw this:
To power the Arcade FPGA do you use a similar PSU for the minimig? Or you have to use an ATX Supply or a PICOPSU?
I've powered mine in 2 ways. I used the original PSU for my Minimig v1.1 initially, but then I switched to a MOLEX connector from a IDE/SATA-to-USB adapter kit.
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Looking again at the board there is a 5v input. I assume I can use a laptop type PSU?
Nevermind, I see you already did that =)
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My laptop has an 18.1" screen, full keboard, 2 internal hard drives and weighs a ton. I'm not the sort of guy who goes for tiny gadgets that could fall through a hole in my pocket. :D
My laptop is 18.4
I got you beat....
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Looking again at the board there is a 5v input. I assume I can use a laptop type PSU?
Nevermind, I see you already did that =)
I am just guessing but a 80-90-120-150 or 160W picoPSU with external brick should work, we really need Mike to answer this...
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In that case, for simplicity (back on topic), the case should just have a hole on the back to connect the 5v pin. Then it is just a matter of getting a 5V brick as TheDaddy says.
Something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-VOLT-5A-DC-POWER-ADAPTER-SUPPLY-CCTV-SECURITY-UK-SAMSUNG-Q170B-V170-/250926915681?pt=UK_Computing_LaptopAccessories_PowerSupplies&hash=item3a6c68e061
But with more amps?
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My laptop is 18.4
I got you beat....
LOL. I'm going to have to hunt down a tap measure now. I've got a HP Pavilion dv8...
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In that case, for simplicity (back on topic), the case should just have a hole on the back to connect the 5v pin. Then it is just a matter of getting a 5V brick as TheDaddy says.
Something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-VOLT-5A-DC-POWER-ADAPTER-SUPPLY-CCTV-SECURITY-UK-SAMSUNG-Q170B-V170-/250926915681?pt=UK_Computing_LaptopAccessories_PowerSupplies&hash=item3a6c68e061
But with more amps?
Exactly, we need to know the exact power/voltages needed by the fpga.
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Exactly, we need to know the exact power/voltages needed by the fpga.
Well Darrin said that he used the Minimig PSU with it. I wonder if he had any problems with it?
Let us know Darrin =)
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Well Darrin said that he used the Minimig PSU with it. I wonder if he had any problems with it?
Let us know Darrin =)
None at all. The only reason I stopped using it was that I needed it again to run my Minimig v1.1 along-side the FPGA Arcade for testing software.
For the record, I use this PSU on my Minimig:
NEXXTECH "Universal AC/DC Adaptor"
Model: MAC500MA
Input: 120 60Hz 12W
Output: 3, 4.5, 6, 7.5, 9 & 12v DC
Current: 500mA Max
It also has a polarity switch (make sure it is positive on the tip). It works with the Minimig on the 4.5v or 6v setting (there is no 5v setting), but I have been advised by Mike that the FPGA Arcade should only be used on a 5v setting or the 4.5v setting using this adapter.
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This any good to power the Re-play up?
http://linitx.com/product/12383
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TheDaddy why bother with those? They are too expensive and you still need an external PSU. If you just use a normal PSU using the 5V pin, it is way cheaper.
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TheDaddy why bother with those? They are too expensive and you still need an external PSU. If you just use a normal PSU using the 5V pin, it is way cheaper.
I suppose you are right as long as people can find one.
I think the hole is the same as the one for the Minimig so that is covered ;)
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=)
I wonder how much power does the RePlay need when it is running with the expansion board with a '060 on top of it.
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LOL. I'm going to have to hunt down a tap measure now. I've got a HP Pavilion dv8...
toshiba qosimo
not real portable. like 16 lbs with the huge power brick:-)
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toshiba qosimo
not real portable. like 16 lbs with the huge power brick:-)
Same sort of thing here.
I travel a lot on business so I'm more interested in a "portable desktop" than a light laptop (and netbooks can go to hell). :)
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For the base board 5V 1A is fine (5W).
Measurements on the prototype daughterboard show total current of about 2.1A not
including USB power to peripherals.
So, say 3-4A to be safe at 5V. Thats 15-20W.
/MikeJ
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For the base board 5V 1A is fine (5W).
Measurements on the prototype daughterboard show total current of about 2.1A not
including USB power to peripherals.
So, say 3-4A to be safe at 5V. Thats 15-20W.
/MikeJ
Perfect. So are you going to leave it to the user to provide power or maybe include the power with the fpgaarcade? What does everyone think?
Is there a power adapter (like the ones for the Minimig) which satisfies those power requirements? Ebay?
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I like that way best, as long as these are not too difficult to find.
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I found this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Genuine-EURASIA-HK-HH-A05-5V-5A-POWER-AC-ADAPTER-/230569291520?pt=UK_Computing_Networking_SM&hash=item35af002f00
Is that good? Including tip polarity?
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Is possible to use usb onboard the arcade replay?
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Eventually yes it seems.
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Same sort of thing here.
I travel a lot on business so I'm more interested in a "portable desktop" than a light laptop (and netbooks can go to hell). :)
I did have a picture of the qosimo in one of those airport screening bins. It actually perfectly goes into one of those, and you can't get your fingers in beside it when you go to remove it which is really frustrating when you have no belt or shoos.
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The PSU looks ok, note the connector is a 2.1mm jack on the board but a 2.5mm will fit but may be slightly lose.
Please make sure you use 5V regulated supply, the 5V rail has some protection for overvoltage but it is not regulated on board.
The USB in the base board is used for re-flashing the ARM, it is not designed for connecting stuff to.
/MikeJ
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I did have a picture of the qosimo in one of those airport screening bins. It actually perfectly goes into one of those, and you can't get your fingers in beside it when you go to remove it which is really frustrating when you have no belt or shoos.
I know that feeling too. Those damn plastic bins are crap, but Houston airport has special flat laptop bins which makes life easier.
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Keep it small, but big enough for the expansion card. As others have said - if you want something bigger, just go with an off the shelf Mini-ITX case. Why reinvent the wheel?
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Mike already made Mini-ITX backplanes... Seems like the logical choice. Although I've always bought and liked Loriano's cases...
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The PSU looks ok, note the connector is a 2.1mm jack on the board but a 2.5mm will fit but may be slightly lose.
Please make sure you use 5V regulated supply, the 5V rail has some protection for overvoltage but it is not regulated on board.
The USB in the base board is used for re-flashing the ARM, it is not designed for connecting stuff to.
/MikeJ
Do you mean the onboard USB pins or the port on the side? Which one can't be used?
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The PSU looks ok, note the connector is a 2.1mm jack on the board but a 2.5mm will fit but may be slightly lose.
Please make sure you use 5V regulated supply, the 5V rail has some protection for overvoltage but it is not regulated on board.
The USB in the base board is used for re-flashing the ARM, it is not designed for connecting stuff to.
/MikeJ
What size is the outer diameter on the power jack?
Thanks!
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Is there a way to connect a DVD-RW and floppy disk drive or 3.5" HD to the fpgaarcade?
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With the expansion board, yes. This will be done via the Poseidon stack.
(http://www.minimig.net/yaqube/images/RPX060PCB4.JPG)
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The Daddy:
Considering that the Arcade FPGA without the expansion board is what most people would require (it is fast enough to run WHDLoad with enough RAM to run the games) - I guess most people would not be interested in the expansion board.
Did you consider making 2version of the case, or it would be too much work?
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I see...
What about a SATA or IDE DVD drive?
Floppy disk and SATA/IDE HD?
I am talking internally not external devices via USB.
It's to decide if we need space for such things.
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Well from what I am understsanding, the current expansion board does not have IDE or SATA. But there is nothing from stopping someone else to do an expansion board with IDE and/or Sata connections....
The possibilities are endless, but you might as well buy a MIDI ATX case then =)
If I was me, I'd go for the real basic setup (to design a box).
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Also...when will the daughter board be available? Do the connectors on the daughter board fit within the space of the I/O panel or are they outside this space?
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They fit within the I/Panel as far as I know. But you have to punch your own holes for the expansion board in the I/O panel.
What I find 'strange' is that there are connection on BOTH sides of the board. If this is a standard mini-itx motherboard, how would you use that in a real mini-itx case?
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They fit within the I/Panel as far as I know. But you have to punch your own holes for the expansion board in the I/O panel.
What I find 'strange' is that there are connection on BOTH sides of the board. If this is a standard mini-itx motherboard, how would you use that in a real mini-itx case?
The picture you see here is the daugtherboard from Yacube (the mainboard is a other version of replay board).
The final daughterboard will be different, and redesign (because some connectors are stacked on the replay v.b01 board)so I think most connectors on the daughterbard will be on one site to fit the io panel.
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I was looking at this. There are two layers there. Is that the expansion board on top, becasue I don't see the network socket?
@TheDaddy Do you plan to use the I/O plate on the back? In the long run it may be worth it because it would be able to accomodate various expansion boards assuming these become available.
(http://fpgaarcade.com/common/replay_io_pan.jpg)
Last thing, anyone got a photo of the final design of the arcade FPGA (Populated)?
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I'll put a hi-res photo of the main board on my website when I remember.
The connectors on the daughterboard for USB and Ethernet will sit in the IO area above the SD and DVI connectors.
/MikeJ
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Last thing, anyone got a photo of the final design of the arcade FPGA (Populated)?
Here are some pictures from my fpga build into a A590 case there are also some picutes of the mainboard
http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=58994&highlight=fpga+arcade+a590
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I'll put a hi-res photo of the main board on my website when I remember.
The connectors on the daughterboard for USB and Ethernet will sit in the IO area above the SD and DVI connectors.
/MikeJ
So that means that you'd have to do the I/O panel again?
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So that means that you'd have to do the I/O panel again?
I recall Mike saying he will do a rerun of the I/O panels with daughterboard holes.
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I recall Mike saying he will do a rerun of the I/O panels with daughterboard holes.
Great so I can go ahead and design it...
I might need the replay board and the daughter board though just to make sure.
So you are saying in white? No black or beige?
And the pins for the power switch and LEDs will be present I believe.
The RS232 (serial port?) is this going to be used?
I/O for external controllers...what are they for?
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Well I like White, not black or beige =)
Don't know about anyone else.
The rest of the questions... I don't have an answer I'm afraid :P
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About to buy an 8GB SD Card for use with the Arcade FPGA. Is SDHC ok?
Was gonna get one of these here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8GB-SanDisk-Class-4-SD-HC-Secure-Digital-Memory-Card-8-GB-NEW-/380396239649?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_PDAsAccessories_MemoryCards&hash=item589161fb21
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About to buy an 8GB SD Card for use with the Arcade FPGA. Is SDHC ok?
Was gonna get one of these here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8GB-SanDisk-Class-4-SD-HC-Secure-Digital-Memory-Card-8-GB-NEW-/380396239649?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_PDAsAccessories_MemoryCards&hash=item589161fb21
SDHC is alright.
I use a Transcend SDHC 32GB Class 10 with my replay board.
I have 2 4GB HDFFiles on it and about 13000 .ADF files, still room for more .
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Hmmm maybe it is worth spending a bit more for a complete ADF File collection on it =)
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I wonder if having a DVD-RW and a HD when you can have a 32GB SD Card isn't just a waste of time...maybe it's better to keep it compact? Or would you like a floppy/DVD-RW?
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Hmmm maybe it is worth spending a bit more for a complete ADF File collection on it =)
Alway's handy to have the floppy's around ;-)
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I wonder if having a DVD-RW and a HD when you can have a 32GB SD Card isn't just a waste of time...maybe it's better to keep it compact? Or would you like a floppy/DVD-RW?
To be honest, I see no need to have a CDROM around.
Is it possible with Replay (maybe in the future) to mount a CD ISO? We have to play T-Zer0 somehow =)
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Alway's handy to have the floppy's around ;-)
Defenitely. All 13000 of them.
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I think a CD/DVD player is not needed (CD ISO will work I think).
However A HD is welcom to store all your data for all your .iso files :-) and other stuff.
I have build-in a 1TB 2.5 HDD and sits under the replay PCB (see my pictures in the link above A590 build).
It's not working yet but with the release of the daughterboard it will.
There is also a MicroSD slot on the daughterboard so you can use a other sd cart there.
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Come on guys, with 32GB and possibly larger SD Card who needs HDDs? And well if you really must use a HDD get the expansion board and hook up an external one, or even a thumbstick.
To be honest all I need is 6GB for KillerGorilla's collection + CD ISO support for T-Zero. Thats all!
=D
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I think a CD/DVD player is not needed (CD ISO will work I think).
However A HD is welcom to store all your data for all your .iso files :-) and other stuff.
I have build-in a 1TB 2.5 HDD and sits under the replay PCB (see my pictures in the link above A590 build).
It's not working yet but with the release of the daughterboard it will.
There is also a MicroSD slot on the daughterboard so you can use a other sd cart there.
How would you connect the internal HD to the board?
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How would you connect the internal HD to the board?
Just modifying one of the USB Connectors to keep the usb connector inside, I have already the SATA/USB controller on my harddisk (from a external case)
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So you have USB to SATA adapter?
I see...so basically a floppy drive should be easy or even a card reader?
Interesting...
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So you have USB to SATA adapter?
I see...so basically a floppy drive should be easy or even a card reader?
Interesting...
Correct. Just the same as plugging devices into a Subway or Deneb on a real Amiga. The principle is the same.
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Correct. Just the same as plugging devices into a Subway or Deneb on a real Amiga. The principle is the same.
I am just thinking about the best way to have everything inside and integrated rather than having bits sticking out :)
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I am just thinking about the best way to have everything inside and integrated rather than having bits sticking out :)
That was my reasoning behind having a 5.25" or 3.5" bay or two. It would allow users to decide for themselves what they wanted to mount internally or just dangle via the external USB ports.
Personally, I wouldn't mind a real hard drive (2.5" or 3.5") and a DVD+RW mounted internally.
To keep the footprint small, the bays could be located either under or over the FPGA Board.
At the end of the day though, if costs are to be kep to the minimum then I can live without the bays.
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I take it that it's not possible to read Amiga (or any other systems) floppy's using floppy drives plugged into the USB ports?
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What kind of price do you have in mind TheDaddy for the final case?
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That was my reasoning behind having a 5.25" or 3.5" bay or two. It would allow users to decide for themselves what they wanted to mount internally or just dangle via the external USB ports.
Personally, I wouldn't mind a real hard drive (2.5" or 3.5") and a DVD+RW mounted internally.
To keep the footprint small, the bays could be located either under or over the FPGA Board.
At the end of the day though, if costs are to be kep to the minimum then I can live without the bays.
I agree but it's all down to cost. I wouldn't mind having the possibility of a HD and DVD personally. I'll see what I can do :)
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What kind of price do you have in mind TheDaddy for the final case?
No idea. I would like it to be very cheap obviously but it depends on how many people are interested. The more the better of course. I'd have to finalise the sketches (which I already started months back) and put them into CAD...
I am thinking slightly larger than the board with a 3.5" space and a 5.25" slot. A bit of space on top of the board itself for the daughter board...
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Can you make the 5.25" slot laptop style CD ROM drive slot?
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Can you make the 5.25" slot laptop style CD ROM drive slot?
:D
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Well I would live without a CD slot to be honest...
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Well I would live without a CD slot to be honest...
We'll see. I am pretty sure we'll come up with something quite nice and functional.
Is anyone going to use the connectors on the front (where the serial is)?
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No idea... I have yet to see a picture of a fully populated final version of Arcade FPGA :)
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There is this picture :
http://www.fpgaarcade.com/common/replay_overview.jpg
The serial port is mainly used for debug, but it could be extended to the rear panel with a cable.
I don't really see the point in dvd/cd/harddisks to be honest. The SD card is quite fast/large, and we may put a second much higher speed slot on the daughter card directly connected to the FPGA.
/MikeJ
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Thanks for the picture =)
I would have no use for the serial port myself :) And I agree 100% with the DVD/CD/HDD point of view.
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I don't really see the point in dvd/cd/harddisks to be honest. The SD card is quite fast/large, and we may put a second much higher speed slot on the daughter card directly connected to the FPGA.
/MikeJ
It's a personal thing for me. I hope the FPGA Arcade will replace my expanded A4000, so the ability to read or write data CDs/DVDs or have bucket loads of storage space (hard drive) would be nice. The C-One had the nice feature of being able to use a real 2.5" hard drive.
Of course, all of these thinsg could simply be plugged into the FPGA Arcade as external USB devices, but this is my dream case we're talking about here. ;)
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It's a personal thing for me. I hope the FPGA Arcade will replace my expanded A4000, so the ability to read or write data CDs/DVDs or have bucket loads of storage space (hard drive) would be nice. The C-One had the nice feature of being able to use a real 2.5" hard drive.
Of course, all of these thinsg could simply be plugged into the FPGA Arcade as external USB devices, but this is my dream case we're talking about here. ;)
I'll see what I can do.
My problem is that from what I can see here there are only three people interested which makes the whole project doubtful. I am not sure how many have ordered/bought the board already, do we know the number? From Mike's original thread there seems to be a lot of interest but it looks like nobody apart from Darrin and Nostromo have replied asking for features/making suggestions which makes me think that people would rather prefer choosing the case themselves. I wouldn't like to be in the position of spending time and money for something that then nobody wants.
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@TheDaddy,
I have an FPGA Arcade Replay board now and I am interested in a case for it. Once MikeJ has worked out any remaining features he wants to have in the firmware and is ready for the next production run (which I believe he stated would have all components installed by the company doing the PCB production), sales of the Replay should then proceed without further delay and should number in the several hundreds, if not several thousands. So, I believe that there will be a demand for a quality case design from many of those future buyers.
Make it so it can use MikeJ's I/O plate, as Mike has offered to sell them and also to take trade-in's when the daughter board is released for a new I/O plate with additional holes for the daughter board's ports in addition to the standard Replay board's ports.
I think there will be a demand for two designs. One small as possible design and perhaps a second design that is like the A500, A600, A1200 wedge cases that include a keyboard.
I see the FPGA Arcade Replay board and it's daughter board (when released) as a good alternative to an A1200 w/accelerator & accessories, but not as a replacement for big box Amiga's with Zorro slots. Not unless MikeJ decides to make an expansion board that can connect to the Replay board that will give us a larger daughter board that has Zorro & PCI slots, so we can build a system out of it to rival our current big box Amiga systems.
As someone else here has already stated, the possibilities for future expansion and features are not limited and this project will most likely have a long and glorious future ahead of it. It has only just begun!
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As long as it's not made of plastic crap i'm happy. I'd like to see a cnc aluminum case in the lines of a macmini style case but with more than 2 usb ports. A case made of wood would also be a good idea because we know it would float well.
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To be honest I don't see the point for making a case for a Replay upgraded with Zorro slots and all that. The board is Mini ITX case standard so theoretically it would fit into ITX cases if you want all that =)
One more thing, at the moment (I think) the interest for cases is low because there are VERY FEW people out there owning a Replay. Maybe once it comes readily available I am sure interest for cases will go up a couple of gears!
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To be honest I don't see the point for making a case for a Replay upgraded with Zorro slots and all that. The board is Mini ITX case standard so theoretically it would fit into ITX cases if you want all that =)
One more thing, at the moment (I think) the interest for cases is low because there are VERY FEW people out there owning a Replay. Maybe once it comes readily available I am sure interest for cases will go up a couple of gears!
I agree that designing a box case that will also house slots for Zorro, or PCI cards is a waste of time, as there are so many other readily available cases that could be used for something like that. In fact, I suggest that MikeJ make expansion connectors that allow the Replay to be used as a motherboard replacement for all models of existing Amiga cases, so that when those Amiga's die, they can be brought back to life by using a Replay board and the appropriate expansion board that fits a certain Amiga model.
That is also why I suggested only compact cases designs that are barely bigger than the Replay board itself, or perhaps a wedge case like the A500, A600, or A1200 that includes a keyboard. Those are the only two case designs that I think would sell in larger quantities. Nothing except drawing a design should be done until MikeJ has production of hundreds of boards going. Once a few hundred boards are sold and about to be put into the public's hands, then someone could make some money making cases for them.
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I'd say just make a case which fits the board with the expansion =).
The size with of such case with or without the expansion would most probably be the same anyway.
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I'd say just make a case which fits the board with the expansion =).
The size with of such case with or without the expansion would most probably be the same anyway.
Also what about the name?
I do like Replay or Re-Play what do you think?
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I think Replay is better, but to be fair, MikeJ should have the last word on this, no?
Edit: It says "Replay" on the board.
http://www.fpgaarcade.com/common/replay_overview.jpg
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You can see on the development site the Replay and fpga arcade logo.
http://www.fpgaarcade.com/dev/drupal/
Please don't try and log in, the site design is still in development.
There are about 60 RevB boards in existence. I have a waiting list of over 200 hundred so far. I don't feel I can comment on the commercial viability of a case and suggest you ask people who are interested to mail you once you have a draft proposal.
Best,
MIkeJ
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I think Replay is better, but to be fair, MikeJ should have the last word on this, no?
Edit: It says "Replay" on the board.
http://www.fpgaarcade.com/common/replay_overview.jpg
Replay it is then :)
Is the mini USB on the right usable? Or it it just for flashing? I mean can you connect devices to it?
What about pins for ON/OFF switch, LEDs?
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Verrry nice site MikeJ! Let us know when it is up and running :)
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There are full mechanical drawings on my website, including the io connector positions.
The USB on the left is for flashing the ARM only, usually you would use soft-update.
The LEDs are visible through the back panel.
The 5V 2 pin header can either be used to feed in 5V or drive an external LED (with a resistor).
I have suggested using the io patch panel to drive copies of dsk and pwr LEDs, so we can come up with a standard for that.
I can fit a header there as an option, normally it is unpopulated.
The power switch on the back would be left in the "on" position if it's in case, and either the 5V supply switched, or the ATX power control PCB can be used to switch on/off an internal power supply using the case power button.
/MikeJ
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>>The USB on the left is for flashing the ARM only, usually you would use soft-update.
OK so if this is covered it won't matter much...
>>The LEDs are visible through the back panel.
I'd prefer to have them at the front of a case so your idea of "using the io patch panel to drive copies of dsk and pwr LEDs" is the better option in my opinion.
>The power switch on the back would be left in the "on" position if it's in case, and either the 5V supply switched, or the ATX power control PCB can be used to switch on/off an internal power supply using the case power button.
That would make life easier :)
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Just wondering... to what Amiga equivalent does an Arcade FPGA (Unexpanded) equal to?
I would imagine:
Amiga 1200 (AGA Support)
64MB RAM
CPU '30/50 <==== Not sure?
Hard Disk (Via HDF)
4 floppy drives <==== Not sure?
Anything else?
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Just wondering... to what Amiga equivalent does an Arcade FPGA (Unexpanded) equal to?
I would imagine:
Amiga 1200 (AGA Support)
64MB RAM
CPU '30/50 <==== Not sure?
Hard Disk (Via HDF)
4 floppy drives <==== Not sure?
Anything else?
Certainly a turbo A1200 with 4 floppies, HD, extra RAM and a scan doubler.
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What kind of turbo :)
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What kind of turbo :)
Currently SysInfo says I have a 60MHz 68020 which makes it 2.5 times after than a stock A1200 or 5.5 times faster than a stock A600. Expect better with the next core update.
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Nice stuff =)
Hopefully I receive some juicy news re my Replay soon.
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What I mean is that, for example, a Picasso would be in FPGA format... or any other board, you dont have to buy Zorro cards and that ancient stuff any more.
I believe that Yaqube has implemented a very basic chunky graphics core, and will be expanding upon it in the future. No need for any of the ancient Amiga Zorro graphics cards when that's available.
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Chaps, what's the status of the FPGAArcade boards? Are they shipping yet? Is the AGA core usable/available?
I've tried to get in touch with MikeJ over email but had no response.
I'm wondering if I can actually buy one yet? or is the project not finished as yet?
Cheers
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Yes, I am working through the emails. I just returned from China again.
/Mike
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OK Mike, Thanks for letting me know!
Yes, I am working through the emails. I just returned from China again.
/Mike