Update PIC on Minimig

[TheDaddy]

@all

What are the following pins on the Minimig for?

JTAG

Spare I/O

FPGA

and 15KHz/31KHz

Thanks :-)

[boing4000]

Hi TheDaddy,

JTAG is a basic communication with "intelligent" chips. some mobile CPU also have a JTAG interface. more to find with google search for the term.

Spare I/O is a user programable Input/Output part of the FPGA. It possible to create a jumper settings e.g. NoFastMem or in the NTSC-patch for bilinear video filtering. Also possible to program real data in/output.
ps: Closing pin 9+10 (jumper next to the FPGA) will disable the floppy simulation in the PIC.

FPGA/MCU is to select where the RS232 data will send FROM the minimig TO the RS232. Set to FPGA allow "Amiga" to use RS232, set to MCU allow PIC to use RS232 (Firmware update as in the thread name).

15/31KHz should be self-explanatory, it will set the VGA connector H-Sync signal to the selected frequence, in fact this is the onboard scandoubler of the Amiga3000 inside the FPGA to use a VGA compatible monitor/TFT.

[TheDaddy]

>>JTAG is a basic communication with "intelligent" chips. some mobile CPU also have a JTAG interface. more to find with google search for the term.

Spare I/O is a user programable Input/Output part of the FPGA. It possible to create a jumper settings e.g. NoFastMem or in the NTSC-patch for bilinear video filtering. Also possible to program real data in/output.
ps: Closing pin 9+10 (jumper next to the FPGA) will disable the floppy simulation in the PIC.

FPGA/MCU is to select where the RS232 data will send FROM the minimig TO the RS232. Set to FPGA allow "Amiga" to use RS232, set to MCU allow PIC to use RS232 (Firmware update as in the thread name).

15/31KHz should be self-explanatory, it will set the VGA connector H-Sync signal to the selected frequence, in fact this is the onboard scandoubler of the Amiga3000 inside the FPGA to use a VGA compatible monitor/TFT.

Do any of these pins need to be accessed from outside my case? Or do you just open the case up, do what you need to do and then close the case again?

Thanks for your explanation!
 :-)

[boing4000]

For normal use you dont need to switch or access this jumpers or pins. The only one could be "15/31KHz" to switch between PAL/NTSC and VGA output.
All other jumpers are mostly static. JTAG is only necessary for raw testing or programming the FPGA without (working) PIC.

So you can set or leave the jumpers as it works for you and close the case
Access to SD/MMC card, Reset and maybe Menu should still be possible.

[TheDaddy]

I am going to the factory tomorrow to talk about my design.

They should tell me if it's possible to do it and add the things I want.

I have this feeling that since I haven't told them how many I need they might charge me a fortune! :-(

[BraindeaD]

Hi there!

Anybody knows which PICKit2's demo boards, from Microchip, are capable to program the Minimig's PIC?

Thanks in advance

[boing4000]

Dennis used a PICKit-2 Programmer for his minimig. I dont know if this demo board can do the same job.
In pictures it looks like a programmer using USB connection, but Im not sure!

[BraindeaD]

@Boing

Hi! I've the PICkit2 (the programmer itself) and a low pin demo board, which is not usable to program MiniMig's PIC. There are several boards for PICKit2, but I'm sure which of them are useful for the PIC18LF252. I think that this one is compatible:

Pickit 2 - 28 pin board

but I'm sure and it's unavailable, atm.
I don't know if there is any other board compatible...

Regars

[TheDaddy]

Guys,

Question:
Can the Minimig load up other systems?

If so which ones?

 :-)

[boing4000]

This other system must be recompiled to a Spartan-3 FPGA core and has to be adapted to the board layout. It should be possible to run every other thing.
Simulating an Atari-ST is also possible, this could additional use the onboard 68000 and dont need to be simulate in FPGA :-)

I found some Spartan-3 code that simulates an old Pac-Man gaming machine, this should work on the minimig after pin-adapting the VHDL source.

Minimig is open-hardware if you want it this way.
Unfortunately I still dont know how to (re)compile, I would test much more and try to fix some bugs if I could.

[Darrin]

TheDaddy wrote:
I am going to the factory tomorrow to talk about my design.

They should tell me if it's possible to do it and add the things I want.

I have this feeling that since I haven't told them how many I need they might charge me a fortune! :-(

Please don't take this the wrong way.

Nobody can deny your enthusiasm for the Minimig, but I'm worried when I read about you using money for your car to produce a board when you haven't even researched the function of every pin and connection on the Minimig to ensure your design is practical.
I'm also concerned about how many of these boards you will actually need to sell and at what cost in order to recover your money.

Don't get me wrong, I think it is great that you're doing this, but you don't seem to be using "spare cash" and I'm afraid that you could end up seriously out of pocket on this venture.

Before you sign and commit to anything, take a big deep breath, get someone else to go over the figures with you and make sure that you're convinced that your play is viable.

[TheDaddy]

@boing4000

Thanks.

So if you wanted to run some other system you'd have to reprogram the FPGA?

Is it an easy task?

And do you have to do it every time you want to run a particular system?

Thanks. :-)

[TheDaddy]

@Darrin

>>Please don't take this the wrong way.

No at all...

>>Nobody can deny your enthusiasm for the Minimig, but I'm worried when I read about you using money for your car to produce a board when you haven't even researched the function of every pin and connection on the Minimig to ensure your design is practical.

I am quite happy to use the money from my car, pc and some borrowings because the Minimig deserves a case. Even if it's just a metal or plastic enclosure, surely it's better than having it naked on the desk with all the things that could happen to it; liquid spillages, kids, static and so on.

Also I have just designed a case. The question I asked was to know if those pins are needed to be accessed all the time and as somebody else suggested they won't be needed to be accessed all the time, on this basis I have deducted that my case should be able to be opened quite easily without having to go through screws and all that.

>>I'm also concerned about how many of these boards you will actually need to sell and at what cost in order to recover your money.

The costs are high for a single individual who is using his own and some borrowed money. It is surely a huge risk. Consider this; the prototype alone is going to be very expensive but as you said if peole like it and want their Minimig protected then they'll buy it and I SHOULD get at least the production costs back...

>>Don't get me wrong, I think it is great that you're doing this, but you don't seem to be using "spare cash" and I'm afraid that you could end up seriously out of pocket on this venture.

I appreciate your concern, it is very kind of you but I think it needs to be done. I have already spent 4 months on this, through research, sketches, travelling, phone calls and gathering the money so I can't stop now. I just hope people will appreciate the massive effort.

>>Before you sign and commit to anything, take a big deep breath, get someone else to go over the figures with you and make sure that you're convinced that your play is viable.

I will. Thank you Darrin. :-)

[Darrin]

TheDaddy wrote:
So if you wanted to run some other system you'd have to reprogram the FPGA?

Is it an easy task?

And do you have to do it every time you want to run a particular system?

Thanks. :-)

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.  :-)

[Darrin]

TheDaddy wrote:
It is surely a huge risk. Consider this; the prototype alone is going to be very expensive but as you said if peole like it and want their Minimig protected then they'll buy it and I SHOULD get at least the production costs back...

I appreciate your concern, it is very kind of you but I think it needs to be done. I have already spent 4 months on this, through research, sketches, travelling, phone calls and gathering the money so I can't stop now. I just hope people will appreciate the massive effort.

I will. Thank you 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

[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.
 :-)