Minimig PCB run - interest thread

[AndrewBell]

Plug it into your PC, copy the files to the SD card (or the HDF on the SD card). Just like you would for WinUAE etc.

Absolutely, Why use one computer when you can use two. Maybe you could work a Mac into the process too.

I wonder what's next to be suggested?     Bluetooth I/O and sensor bar input for a Wiimote to allow "lightgun emulation" on LCD panels?

I know, what is it with these people who want to make a new Amiga that supports modern hardware standards?
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[Colin_Camper]

The blank pcbs are back on Ebay.

[AJCopland]

Actually one possible reason for real IDE would be to have CDTV emulation once ECS is working.

It'd also be good for later v2.x MiniMigs with a 32bit bus and AGA so that the CD32 can be properly emulated.

If it's as easy to do IDE as people have been saying then it makes sense to try it now as one of the low-hanging-fruit kind of tasks.

alexh wrote:
@crumb
Plug it into your PC, copy the files to the SD card (or the HDF on the SD card). Just like you would for WinUAE etc.

I wonder what's next to be suggested?

Bluetooth I/O and sensor bar input for a Wiimote to allow "lightgun emulation" on LCD panels? :-)

[alexh]

freqmax wrote:
How much ROM does CDTV / CD32 use ..?

CDTV 256Kbytes
CD32 1Mbyte

[alexh]

AJCopland wrote:
Actually one possible reason for real IDE would be to have CDTV emulation once ECS is working.

CDTV is OCS ;-) (Well half OCS, it has a FATTER Agnus)

The CDTV doesnt use IDE :-(

It'd also be good for later v2.x MiniMigs with a 32bit bus and AGA so that the CD32 can be properly emulated.

1) Put ISO images on SD card?
2) Solve other v2.x problems (RAM, CPU, FPGA) first?

[alexh]

AndrewBell wrote:
Why use one computer when you can use two.

It's a one off operation. Not like you'd have to keep the PC connected all the time.

AndrewBell wrote:
Maybe you could work a Mac into the process too.

Last time I looked a Mac was a PC.

AndrewBell wrote:
I know, what is it with these people who want to make a new Amiga that supports modern hardware standards?

Exactly my point. Glad we agree.

[freqmax]

@alexh:
Guess it's useful to make the kickstart loader have 256kB granularity at minimum then.

AndrewBell wrote:
I know, what is it with these people who want to make a new Amiga that supports modern hardware standards?

No one hinders you from doing schematics, pcb routing, looking up datasheets, order components, and do smd soldering. Possible with BGA chip packages. And then do fault search on all components with a oscilloscope.

[AndrewBell]

freqmax wrote:
No one hinders you from doing schematics, pcb routing, looking up datasheets, order components, and do smd soldering. Possible with BGA chip packages. And then do fault search on all components with a oscilloscope.

They'd better not.
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[AJCopland]

alexh wrote:
CDTV is OCS ;-) (Well half OCS, it has a FATTER Agnus)

The CDTV doesnt use IDE :-(

1) Put ISO images on SD card?
2) Solve other v2.x problems (RAM, CPU, FPGA) first?

I'd like to help out with some of those other problems, the SD-RAM one seemed like the biggest immediate win actually. I have no idea how to do the layout for it though.

My initial plan was to figure out what SD-RAM chip to use, someone linked to a 32Mbit (4MByte) 100/133Mhz. Then to figure out how to interface it to the FPGA, so theres some board layout to be done.

I figured that the SD-RAM would need another clock source since there are only 20MHz and 4Mhz clocks currently on the MiniMig. The example of interfacing to SD-RAM required at least 25Mhz as an input but I hadn't looked into it any further than that.

I was also hoping that Dennis or someone else would respond as to why the MiniMig would have trouble actually using SD-RAM as opposed to SRAM so there'd be a bit more information about what problems are going to be encountered.

Andy

[alexh]

freqmax wrote:
@alexh:
Guess it's useful to make the kickstart loader have 256kB granularity at minimum then.

Or do as is done at the moment, pad the file to 512kB. The CDTV uses a standard 256Kbyte A500 KS1.3.

It also has extra roms, sometimes called PROMS, sometimes called extended ROM's. These contain the CDTV menu system.

[Fester]

Colin_Camper wrote:

The blank pcbs are back on Ebay.

Thanks for that. I just purchased one. With Plaz' Digikey parts list, I may try and build myself a Minimig...

[freqmax]

Xilinx have SDRAM application docs, so no big problem on the hardware side. One DCM will be occupied however. And a feedback line to the clock input of the SDRAM is needed. Maybe, maybe it can make do with a fake DCM clock from the MCLK or so.
I think the big obstacle is the pipeline architecture of the DRAM. Meaning the Minimig would request a memory access and get the answer ~3 memory clocks later (depend on Cas latency). Meaning the memory might have to be clocked at current memory speed x3.

PCB wire impedance, signal skew, rise time, reflection, decoupling, power supply ripple etc.. all come into play for this.

[little]

I am thinking, an added bonus (besides de extra 100k gates) the XC3S500E FPGA has over the XC3S400 in the actual design is that it has a "Low-cost, space-saving SPI serial Flash PROM". What use would that be? Take a look here and scroll down to place where it says "SD card proto pcb". If such a design could be added to the minimig then no PIC controller would be required at all; that is, if the extra code to access the SD/MMC card as a floppy disk (or hard disk or CD-ROM) can be put inside the FPGA.

[little]

I was also thinking, if the 68k is succesfully placed inside the FPGA, that means there are enough free I/O lines to do one of the following:

A) IDE disk interface. Albeit if hfs (and maybe iso) support for the SD/MMC card is added it might be a little redundant, it does open the posibility of using one of those cheap IDE to SATA or IDE to CF adaptors.

B) Floppy drive interface. Albeit if write support for adf files is added and ipf support is written it might be redundant, but if it functions like the catweasel adapter (reading all kind of floppy disks) it might be very useful.

C) Parallel port. For people with amiga friendly printers, people that still have one of those ZIP drives or people that have one of those adapters to add two extra joysticks. It might also be used to implement a video slot.

D) SCSI port. If the A570 expansion/A2091 card is implemented in full, it would allow a real SCSI port (besides a virtual SCSI hard disk via hfs files) to connect external scanners, hard disks, removable media. etc.

[JosephC]

I desperately need parallel port and IDE.

Anyone who considers himself an Amiga gamer must have a 4-player adapter that plugs into the par port.  Great fun at parties!!  :-D

[TobiFlex]

little wrote:
...if the 68k is succesfully placed inside the FPGA...

The 68K is succesfully placed inside the FPGA by me! Also the SDRAM Controller and the Spihost for floppy emulation! You can try it if you have a DE2 Board from Terasic.

I hope i can finish the port for the DE1 Board next week.

Viele Grüße
TobiFlex