FPGA Replay Board

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If you can tell the microcontroller (ARM) what image to "boot" it's doable.

The open question is what machine/OS will be used as a platform for the menues, an Amiga might be overkill for the task. It will also require an interface from the computer side to interface with the microcontroller in a consistent manner without bootlenecks.

Block access might be convinient but may also make it possible to corrupt the entire fashmemory. An alternative is to limit access only to a single data block of configuration files.

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@mikej, Still waiting for those pesky FPGA chips?

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Where did you order the FPGA chips? (Digikey, Horizon, Avnet, Cedar)

Maybe it could pay to save upp enough money to buy 1000+ chips directly from the manufacurer. To get less lead times. And avoid further "shortages".

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Microsoft has the right to sue people for using the long filename feature (LFN). The FAT filesystem as such is free asfaik however (they lost the case). Except for ExFAT.

The rationale is to avoid any "standards" created by corporations.

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Yeah it's complicated. Because you have to update two filename tables that must be valid simultainiously.

In the end, FAT is Fücked up. It's bad. But has infected virtually all computers on this planet.

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Any pictures of the box, and it's interior ?

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Just curious how 100 FPGA:s are packed
(or 50?)

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Thecrow, Interesting!

@MikeJ, How many boards are taken out those 50 ?

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@psxphill, Use chip, connector, or pcb-layout-option that supports HDMI and the media-maffia sues you.
(not sure about the pcb-pad option route! thoe)

However an FPGA that supports the electrical interface of HDMI (Xilinx rocketport?) might be a way to deal with it. The hardware will be ok. And the producer isn't (hopefully) liable for what users do with it.

The problem with DisplayPort is the amount of video displays that supports it. Especially those fairly priced.

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I hope China FL00DS the market with DisplayPort -> HDMI adapters. Intellectual property doesn't score high in that county I read. That is they have to catch the packets in the customs because IP-suing isn't going anywhere in that country.

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MHL might be workable IF:
 * MHL to HDMI adapters are cheap enough (remember DVI is very straightforward!)
 * MHL is open and free
 * Chips implementing the TMDS interface can be bought in <100 qty for a fair price.

The alternative is to have an option board that turns DVI + S/P-dif or I2S etc.. into a combined HDMI signal. Ofcourse only the schematic, pcb layout, component list can be shared officially.


As for the 68060 additional board. I hope it will be fitted with a connector to make it possible to stack additional cards. Ie base fpga arcade + addon 68060 board + addon fpga booster + other..

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No S/P-dif output on the board !?
(or any other digital audio)

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Digital output is still desirable. But can I agree most TV speakers sucks big time.

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S/P-dif is the right direction. But even that interface suck. HDMI at least has some error protection for its sound transport.

If the S/P-dif port packet data can be modified to use CRC or similar it would useful for external FPGA/CPLD based adapters.

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Proberbly better signal/noise ratio with a direct DVI to SCART cable

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Good luck finding such a cable!  Failing that, you can't go very wrong buying one of my VGA to SCART cables

Finding?.. Make!