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Author Topic: Minimig Review completed!  (Read 21758 times)

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Offline freqmax

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Re: Minimig Review completed!
« on: February 29, 2008, 10:07:06 PM »
The software  list is updated.
All your Amiga is now Minimig :-D
 

Offline freqmax

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Re: Minimig Review completed!
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2008, 11:56:31 AM »
The FPGA can't turn itself off in the current design. But it would be possible to snoop the keyboard. And make the MCU forcefully reload the FPGA and let the FPGA clear the memory on boot.
Any better than this will require a hardware modification. My personal opinion is that the power supply part should have an onboard +5V regulator. Putting that requirement on the external adapter is a bad design practice.

It's very easy to change the software list wiki by yourself. But I have updated some now:
http://www.opencircuits.com/Minimig_Software_compatibility

Please date any findings/additions. It makes a lot easier to update anything. An explenation as to why the software fails may be useful for futire bug fixing. Just a tip ;-)

The MCU (PIC18) could be updated by makeing a small circuit board that stack an ICSP connector + MCU socket. And then use that to wire to a programmer. The next minimig board maybe should have an onboard ICSP connector.
(ICSP - In circuit connector for programming)
 

Offline freqmax

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Re: Minimig Review completed!
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2008, 08:22:26 PM »
I do not have access to any Minimig. So it's a compilation of what's available from other sources.
Minimig will load whatever is in the file 'KICK.ROM' and expect it to be of 512 kByte size no matter what. And use it as kickstart.

I don't know which kickstart that was used to run the games.
 

Offline freqmax

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Re: Minimig Review completed!
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2008, 09:23:19 PM »
An onboard linear regulator is easy to accomplish. A switched solution is more complicated and costly.
S-Video/Composite will complicate and add cost.
Unless the current MCU is too small for floppy write capability and HDD emulation. I don't see the need.

Designing a new board, a switch solution can be tricky due EMI interference.
 

Offline freqmax

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Re: Minimig Review completed!
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2008, 08:00:56 PM »
I think it's possible to make the FPGA update the PIC, provided that the MCLR and some other pins can be used for this.
However, there's currenly hardly ANY i/o pins available. I would suggest to use a XC3S500-PQ208 for the next version.
 

Offline freqmax

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Re: Minimig Review completed!
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2008, 11:21:28 PM »
No I/O available, change fpga or no room for this.
(maybe there is but it will be REALLY tight)
 

Offline freqmax

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Re: Minimig Review completed!
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2008, 03:35:43 AM »
@HenryCase:
Now you got to check:
1) Does using these pins "the wrong way" interfere with anything else?
2) How to handle the MCLR.

I assume the PIC18 is 3.3V or we have another issue aswell.

I suspect with a special HDL-code and the user holding down the PROG button. One can reprogram the PIC18.
Provided power glitches doesn't happen and certain bits aren't set which requires highvoltage reprogramming.
 

Offline freqmax

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Re: Minimig Review completed!
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2008, 02:52:08 PM »
Minimig requires the KICK.ROM to be exactly 512kB (524288). In the case of a 256kB rom you can simple pad the rest so that it becomes 512kB. It doesn't matter.

As for using different kickstart, it's a simple matter of reprogramming the OSD menu. Then we can have KICK13.ROM, KICK20.ROM etc..