Update PIC on Minimig

[TheDaddy]

>>As long as each core is happy to run with the code on the PIC, all you will need is a flash card for each system you want to emulate loaded with the "core" for that system, any ROMS required plus the software you want to use.

In theory, you could have an SD card marked "Amiga", another marked "Atari ST", etc. You just insert the card for the machine you want to run and switch the Minimig on.

In theory.

This is good news...for my case too...in theory. Let's hope it can be done.
 :-)

[TheDaddy]

@Darrin

>>You're welcome.

OK, I feel better now. I just didn't want to find you living under a bridge in a few months, drinking meths and eating raw pigeons to survive.

 :-D

Uhm...pigeons... :-)

[TheDaddy]

@All

I have come back from my 2 hours meeting with the engineer. We have discussed my case design and solution for the Minimig and there are positives and negatives.

Negatives:
The original design will have to go through some SERIOUS revisions unless people are prepared to pay around the £75 (GBP) mark for it!

So to reduce costs and bring down the final price these are the things that I have been forced to drop:

1) The switches for the reset and menu buttons..............gone :-(
2) Fancy chromed bits..............gone  :-(
3) LED acrylic window...............gone  :-(
4) Aluminium cover....................gone  :-(
5) Engraved lettering....................gone (replaced by printing) :-(
6) Power acrylic window (to display the power LED).........gone  :-(
7) Choice of different colours cut from ANY to 2  :-(

Positives:
Price should be cut dramatically and the prototype for the new revisioned case should be ready next week.

And they want me to pay for it on delivery.

So there you have it...you are up to date.

I am a bit depressed but this is what is like creating a custom case for such a small market...

Anyway I am going to pay for the prototype next week and then post some pictures. If enough people want to buy it I can order a batch otherwise I will be the only one with a very expensive custom made case for the Minimig!  :-)

Thanks.

[TheDaddy]

@All

I have no pictures to show yet but these are the specs:

Plastic enclosure
IPod white/cream or metallic silver finish
It encloses the Minimig completely
All the ports are accessible
Hole for the reset switch
All the ports are identified/marked with their names
Rubber feet
No screws assembly (to be confirmed)

Also to be confirmed (this might push the price slightly up)

EMI/RFI screening
CE marking (if needed)

Thanks.
 :-)

[boing4000]

TheDaddy, should this be a new kind of minimig or "just" a new case?
If it is a complete new design and board, you are welcome to start a separate thread for it :-)

When I get my new PIC with tiny bootloader inside, I want to start testing and adding some features (e.g. write support in adf files) for the original minimig (Dennis' board).
A new design will make it impossible to test the same files because some wires or codes would be changed.

For other systems running "on" the minimig, the FPGA needs to know its hardware. Atari-ST custom chips or maybe Amstard CPC or C64 hardware has to be loaded into the FPGA via existing PIC or JTAG.
The PIC does not care what kind of "hardware" is going to upload into the FPGA. Once uploaded the FPGA will start its work and silulate/act as the loaded system.
Therefor the simulated system should "know" about the environment as the "Amiga" does. The same PIC also can provide .adf files for Atari-disk-files or big-D64 "adf" files for C64.

This is all theory now, but it can be done with knowledge of the emulated system and its behavior in accessing drives or external ports.

[TheDaddy]

@boing4000

>>TheDaddy, should this be a new kind of minimig or "just" a new case?

Just the case, a custom made one just for our Minimigs.

>>When I get my new PIC with tiny bootloader inside, I want to start testing and adding some features (e.g. write support in adf files) for the original minimig (Dennis' board).

Cool I can't wait!

>>For other systems running "on" the minimig, the FPGA needs to know its hardware. Atari-ST custom chips or maybe Amstard CPC or C64 hardware has to be loaded into the FPGA via existing PIC or JTAG.

So this means that you could have an Atari on a SD Card and an Amiga or C64 on others? :-)

[mikej]

"So this means that you could have an Atari on a SD Card and an Amiga or C64 on others?"

Yes, absolutely. The FPGAARCADE board goes a step further and has a boot menu which allows you to pick a "platform", so it can be PACMAN, AMIGA, ATARIST, VIC20 etc etc (assuming you have the FPGA binaries for these platforms). I will try and back-port the AtariST code to the Minimig board when it is finished, but there a quite a lot of differences in the board.

My board also uses an AVR but it may be possible to port the firmware to the MiniMig PIC.
/Mike

[TheDaddy]

>>Yes, absolutely. The FPGAARCADE board goes a step further and has a boot menu which allows you to pick a "platform", so it can be PACMAN, AMIGA, ATARIST, VIC20 etc etc (assuming you have the FPGA binaries for these platforms). I will try and back-port the AtariST code to the Minimig board when it is finished, but there a quite a lot of differences in the board.
My board also uses an AVR but it may be possible to port the firmware to the MiniMig PIC.

Excellent news! I have been following your site for a few years and I am impressed.
I will design a case for your FPGA board too!
 :-)

[Darrin]

mikej wrote:
Yes, absolutely. The FPGAARCADE board goes a step further and has a boot menu which allows you to pick a "platform", so it can be PACMAN, AMIGA, ATARIST, VIC20 etc etc (assuming you have the FPGA binaries for these platforms). I will try and back-port the AtariST code to the Minimig board when it is finished, but there a quite a lot of differences in the board.

My board also uses an AVR but it may be possible to port the firmware to the MiniMig PIC.
/Mike

Excellent.  I look forward to following the work on that project.  :-)

[mikej]

Thanks!

It should fit into a Mini-ITX case, even with the daughter port for port expansion. I am in the middle of redoing the website, but I'll start to put up some more details when I get time.
/Mike

[HenryCase]

TheDaddy wrote:
So to reduce costs and bring down the final price these are the things that I have been forced to drop:

1) The switches for the reset and menu buttons..............gone :-(

TheDaddy, I think it is very sensible of you to try and reduce the cost of the case. However, I would not get rid of the switches for reset and menu buttons. It is the difference between having a Minimig box and a proper Minimig case, so please reconsider.

TheDaddy wrote:
So this means that you could have an Atari on a SD Card and an Amiga or C64 on others? :-)

Even better than that, if the PIC was upgraded with new firmware and the C64 (and ST, CPC, Megadrive/Genesis etc...) firmware files for Minimig were created then you could run all games from one SD card without changing the hardware.

[bloodline]

HenryCase wrote:

TheDaddy wrote:
So to reduce costs and bring down the final price these are the things that I have been forced to drop:

1) The switches for the reset and menu buttons..............gone :-(

TheDaddy, I think it is very sensible of you to try and reduce the cost of the case. However, I would not get rid of the switches for reset and menu buttons. It is the difference between having a Minimig box and a proper Minimig case, so please reconsider.

How Unamiga... Should not these functions be performed by the keyboard as is the Amiga way? I think so ;-)

[HenryCase]

bloodline wrote:
How Unamiga... Should not these functions be performed by the keyboard as is the Amiga way? I think so ;-)

D'oh! Got me there! However, I think my point still stands, as what happens when you create HDL-Megadrive for Minimig? No three finger salutes then eh?!  ;-)

[bloodline]

HenryCase wrote:

bloodline wrote:
How Unamiga... Should not these functions be performed by the keyboard as is the Amiga way? I think so ;-)

D'oh! Got me there! However, I think my point still stands, as what happens when you create HDL-Megadrive for Minimig? No three finger salutes then eh?!  ;-)

Very good point... Perhaps the PIC should handle such functions, thus the keyboard would always offer a menu and reset option.

[HenryCase]

bloodline wrote:

HenryCase wrote:

bloodline wrote:
How Unamiga... Should not these functions be performed by the keyboard as is the Amiga way? I think so ;-)

D'oh! Got me there! However, I think my point still stands, as what happens when you create HDL-Megadrive for Minimig? No three finger salutes then eh?!  ;-)

Very good point... Perhaps the PIC should handle such functions, thus the keyboard would always offer a menu and reset option.

That's a possibility, but it means keeping a keyboard plugged in all the time. What about when you want to take your Minimig around to your friends house to play a few games? Keyboard is a bit unnecessary then, you should be able to just have joysticks/joypads and the main Minimig unit itself. Which requires that you can use the Menu and Reset buttons on the Minimig, preferably without removing the case.

[bloodline]

HenryCase wrote:

bloodline wrote:

HenryCase wrote:

bloodline wrote:
How Unamiga... Should not these functions be performed by the keyboard as is the Amiga way? I think so ;-)

D'oh! Got me there! However, I think my point still stands, as what happens when you create HDL-Megadrive for Minimig? No three finger salutes then eh?!  ;-)

Very good point... Perhaps the PIC should handle such functions, thus the keyboard would always offer a menu and reset option.

That's a possibility, but it means keeping a keyboard plugged in all the time. What about when you want to take your Minimig around to your friends house to play a few games? Keyboard is a bit unnecessary then, you should be able to just have joysticks/joypads and the main Minimig unit itself. Which requires that you can use the Menu and Reset buttons on the Minimig, preferably without removing the case.

Then you should by the MiniMIG console case :-D If/when I get a MiniMIG I plan only to run it as an Aaiga...