MINIMIG HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY & NEW TURBO MODE!

[Darrin]

Boing4000 as released "Turbo" versions of Yaqube's cores here:

http://asc.dyndns.org/minimig/download/

Simply fit a jumper to the Minimig to have it running with a 68000 at 14MHz!

[Darrin]

trekiej wrote:
It's Alive!

It will be nice to see Mini-Mig to get some upgrades in the future to allow for productivity software.
I guess UAE can help fill that slot for now.

I have plans for printer support on the Minimig, but I need Hard Drive/Hard File support first.  :-)

[Darrin]

My solution is to use a PC too, but with Siamese v2.5 running on that same serial link we use to update the PIC.

I've used this successfully on real Amiga computers to give them 8Bit and 16Bit RTG Workbench displays from 800x600 to 1024x768 along with the ability to access all the PC drives as if they were Amiga drives and print to the PC's printer as if it was connected to the Amiga.

So, a cheap 2nd or 3rd hand Athlon/P3 box running Siamese at startup could act as a "dumb" expension card providing the Minimig with RTG graphics, a large hard drive, CD/DVD ROM and printer support all in one and (hopefully as I haven't tested this) access to any media drives attached to the PC's USB ports.

Personally, I'm just interested in access to the CD ROM and printer capabilities.

[Darrin]

Belial6 wrote:
So, I looked up Siamese, and as far as I can tell, it is a commercial hardware solution that is out of production?  Am I missing something?

Obviously, I would never tell someone that they shouldn't work on the projects that they want, but I am still hoping someone will pop up with an Ethernet 'virtual port' add-on, as I would like to see something that COULD act on it's own, and it is unlikely that I would ever dedicate a full PC to running as a MiniMig card.  An app on my server, sure.  A full PC just for the MiniMig no.

Actually, the Siamese V2.5 is software only (the earlier versions were hardware/software combos.

Yes, it's out of production (and has been for over a decade), but it is easily found on the net (I have an original copy I bought when it was available).  You don't actually need a dedicated machine, as it could just hook up via the serial port to an existing PC.  It also uses Ethernet (and SCSI) to connect as an option, but I haven't got around to using that yet (Not musch use with the Minimig, but I must try connecting my A4000 to it over my home network).

[Darrin]

Interesting, but if I was to take a soldering iron to my Minimig then it would never boot again.  :-D

[Darrin]

Dwyloc wrote:
So has anyone tried running any benchmarks on the turbo core to see how much actual difference it makes to the speed of the minimig?

If nobody has done it by Thursday then I will.  :-)

[Darrin]

mahen wrote:
Any news about a possible PAL 60 Hz hacked build ?

Not yet.  Yaqube is a bit busy moving house at the moment (I believe).

[Darrin]

Just a reminder to let people know that there have been updates to the list of software, SD cards and Monitors.  If anyone can add some new items then please do.

Meanwhile, I've ordered a C-One board and if it arrives before I have to go to work then I'll start checking the software on that too.

[Darrin]

Palm wrote:
Is there differences  on the board you can buy (abube sell them i believe?) today, and the ones from last year ? I mean, am I screwed if I buy one today and when new fixes comes out, it will be HW dependant so I have to buy a new minimig board, or is all the fixes done in the SW of the card so I can flash it (new core?) ??

In short: Should I order one Today ? :-)

At the end of the day, unless you want to take on a major job of sourcing parts and doing some very fine soldering, you have 2 choices of boards to buy:

#1. The Minimig v1.1 from Acube
#2. The C-One from Indivision with Minimig expansion board.

The Acube Minimig v1.1 is the cheapest option.  It has been heavily tested and it has a potential exciting hardware add-on in the pipeline.

The C-One has the potential to deliver a lot more, but it depends on someone not just porting the Minimig v1.1 cores over, but also developing them and introducing board specific features.  The C-One actually has A1200 clockports, IDE headers, more RAM and a PCI slot, but these wont matter unless someone designs a core that will make use of them.  Of course, the C-One also costs a lot more.

I've had my Minimig for some time now and I love it.  Before I typed this reply I was busing playing Elite on it:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/darrin01311/SDC10256.jpg

When I first got it the games compatability was much lower and you couldn't save to ADF.  Now it performs like a true Amiga and you can load and save games.  The hardware add-on will give Hard Drive support and hopefully we'll see an update soon that will give a second emulated floppy drive.

If you fancy an Amiga games machine that can connect to a standard monitor, use any old cheap PS2 mouse and keyboard, always leave your joystick plugged in and doesn't need to use those unreliable floppy disks then the Minimig is just what you need.

[Darrin]

Everblue wrote:
Hi there,

I am undecided whether to buy a Minimig or an Amiga 1200 (both would cost me more or less the same). The thing is that I want to play on a 15" TFT monitor, so an Amiga 1200 + Indivision would be the (very expensive) option. I am not really interested in AGA games. The monitor I will be using is a Samsung 15" 151s which according to the compatible monitor lists, works with both 50 and 60hz modes.

You sound like an ideal potential Minimig owner.  

Now on for the questions

1. A game that runs perfectly on an the minimig, if compared to the same game running on an A1200+Indivision, next to each other, is impossible to say which is which? I am asking this because I have played around a bit with WinUAE and the scrolling is never 'right'. There is always some sort of sudden skip every now and then. I was wondering if the minimig suffers from the same thing.

I don't use an Indivision, but I do use WinUAE and I have a scan doubled A4000, A3000 and A2000.

I have to say that personally I have not noticed any problems with scrolling on Minimig using the new cores (the older cores used to do some strange things).  However, I've never done a side by side test, but I to enjoy scrolling shoot-em-ups.

2. I would like to use  KVM (I will have a Sam440 connected to the same monitor/mouse/keyboard) - will it work alright with minimig? (I havent bought the KVM yet).

Never tried it myself.  I built my Minimig into a PC keyboard.  :-)

3. I have checked the list of compatible games, there are quite a few which are not.... Are there some known issues which have not been solved yet, and will be fixed in the future?

There is a new improved core right now with more fixes and 2nd floppy support, but it hasn't been released yet.  Also there is a add-on board to fit into the PIC socket to allow hard drive support and updating via a USB memory stick, but again this is still in the beta phase.  The genius behind this posts in this thread and we're lucky to have him.

4. I have been reading somewhere that minimig will always have problems with compatability because 'its not cycle perfect' - whatever that means. Is this true? How does this effect games?

Probably true to some extent, but then there are differences between Amigas regarding speed and chipsets so we have variations there.  Again, from a personal point of view, with the exception of using the F12 key to load disk images rather than inserting floppy disks, I feel no difference between the Minimig and (for example) my A2000 or A3000.

5. If I dont mount a floppy disk, will the minimig click every few seconds

Thanks!

LOL.  By one of those "ticking" pyramid things that pianists use and put it next to the Minimig.  :-D

[Darrin]

amigadave wrote:
I think you forgot another choice.........

What about Illuwatar's MiniMig in Mini-ITX v2.0 form that is looking more orders so it can go to production?  He is offering it as a bare board and also assembled, but the assembled ones will take some time to get, as he is doing all the work himself (I think) and putting them together one at a time.  It looks like a very good design and will fit standard Mini-ITX cases.  The cost for a bare board is very low.

True, but because he's a one-man operation and cannot give any timeframes I left him off the list.  I love his design and I'd like to see Acube or someone do a factory run, but if you want a pre-assembled board any time soon then you could be in for a long wait.

I was really tempted to get one myself (my kids love my Minimig v1.1 and I was going to let them have it in their room) and sent an email.  But due to the many variables involved I grabbed a C-One instead.

To the majority of people, including those with some soldering skills, a bare board is about as much use as a beer mat.  There are still people sat on bare v1.1 PCBs who haven't finished sourcing their own parts yet.

[Darrin]

Palm wrote:
Darrin: What hardware add-on ? Will this HW add-on be something specific to dennis' design, or possible also with the Illuwatar ITX version of the board ?

Palm

There's a link to it here with some details.  It will fit into the PIC socket on the "Dennis" v1.1 board.

http://www.minimig.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11

I don't know about the ITX board.

[Darrin]

Everblue wrote:

I have checked the manual. It says vertical frequency has to be between 56 and 75hz.

Isnt minimig 50hz (or 49.9 to be exact) at PAL mode?

This is the link for the Samsung 151s manual.

Yes, the unhacked PAL core needs 50Hz.

By that link it certainly needs the NTSC core or the hacked PAL.  However it states:  "Design and specifications are subject to change without prior notice.", so earlier ones might have been different.

I didn't enter that model myself (only Samsung I own is a multisystem VCR and a digital camera), but I'm sure I checked online when you asked either in a online manual or on a online shop's specifications page (Tiger Direct, Newegg, etc).  The manual in the link does not look familiar.

If in doubt don't buy it.  It's kind of annoying now because I don't know whether to trust what has been entered or go with the manual.  I think I'll change it to PAL = NO to be safe.  It makes me wonder whether it may have been tested by a user with the 60Hz PAL core without even knowing it.

If you have that monitor at home then stick to the NTSC core (but try the PAL).  One thing I discovered when testing all of those games is how few are actually PAL only (Rodland is the only one that springs to mind), some have a PAL/NTSC toggle while the rest are obviously NTSC when viewed on a PAL screen as indicated by the larger border at the bottom of the screen than the top.

[Darrin]

Everblue wrote:
I went ahead and ordered a Minimig

Excellent.  :-)

Meanwhile I am preparing a folder with .adf files... I have 5 main qustions:

1. Is the filename for .adf files limited in length?

Yes, it is 8+3 characters max (eg. "ELITE.ADF" or "RODLAND.ADF").  However the name can be longer but it will be displayed as "ALIENB~1.ADF" instead of "ALIENBREED1.ADF" and take up the space of 2 files.

So, I highly recommend you name your ADFs something short to fit into the file format.

Also, the files don't list alphabetically when you put them on the SD card, however Jacub wrote a nifty program to run on the PC which will shorten your ADF file names for you and sort them into alphabetical order.

PM me with your email address and I'll send it to you.

2. Can I use subfolders (for example put multi-adf games in 1 subfolder)?

No.

However, you can have subfolders for storing extra files in.  I keep the old cores, different Kickstarts, etc in folders on the SD CARD.

The equivalent of changing your Amiga's ROMS on a Minimig is dragging the ROM image you want out of a folder and into the root directory of the SD Card.

3. I have noticed in the game compatibility  list that there is version '080408'. What does this mean?

That was the core released by Jacub on 08/04/2008 with ECS and floppy write support enabled which I used to re-test programs that had previously failed.  That's why you can see the same program listed more than once.  It allows you to see which programs wouldn't work initially and which ones now do.  If Jacub releases his dual floppy core for Xmas then you'll start seeing games tested with "122508" (Not that I believe this will happen - it's just an example).  

4. In case that my TFT doesnt do 50hz, I could run the games in NTSC mode for 60hz... How do I do this?

Jacub releases each core as separate PAL and NTSC files.  Put both in a folder on our SD card and then copy the NTSC one to the root and boot the Minimig to see if everything works.  You should see the Minimig initialize and the "floppy hand appear".  Load a game and make sure everything works.  Now, replace the NTSC core in the root directory with the PAL one and try that.  If you get a picture then your Monitor supports 50Hz and you can stick with it, otherwise just put the NTSC core file back in the root.

5. Is it possible (just wondering) to use an RGB/SCART cable with minimig for a normal TV?

Depends.  As long as the TV supports the refresh rates then you'll be OK.

Anything else I should be aware of, please let me know

thanks!

I always keep a copy of my SD Card on my PC.  Be aware that your Minimig is just like a real Amiga.  If you load an ADF image that has a virus in the boot block then you'll infect the Minimig - but it won't write the virus to the SD Card.  Now, if you swap ADF images using F12 while infected then the virus could write itself to the new ADF.  I had this happen just before I left home where a virus from (I think) "POW" took out my bootblocks on Speedball2 and Rodland (Rodland had a virus checker that warned me it had happened).  Fortunately all I had to do was copy the uninfected ADFs from the PC back to the SD Card and to make sure that I switch the Minimig off after playing POW and before loading another game.

If you have any questions then feel free to email me and I'll be happy to help if I can.

Also, there's a support site at www.minimig.net.

[Darrin]

I'm not sure if FAT32 will work - I use FAT16.

[Darrin]

Everblue wrote:

If I remember well many PAL games did not go down on the screen all the way, so my guess is that with NTSC mode, those games will fill the screen nicely. Games making use of all the screen would have the bottom bit chopped off.

Correct.  The only one I've noticed this on so far is Rodland which is clipped at the bottom in NTSC and fine in PAL.