Why no FPGA accelerator cards?

[runequester]

Are there a technical reason that we could not use FPGA's to create new amiga accelerator / processor cards ?
 
Is it more a question of investment (time and money) ?
 
Curious minds are wondering

[glitch]

You mean like a 200MHz '060 compatible core in FPGA?

[Crom00]

Yep that'd be great...

[desantii]

You mean like a 200MHz '060 compatible core in FPGA?

Even a slower one say, 040  66mhz or so, running with no fan and cool to the touch!

[fishy_fiz]

Something I've always wanted, but never really expected to get, is an accelerator card with some sort of rtg gfx solution onboard in addition to a cpu. Wouldnt need to be anything too fancy, even just 2d would do. Still unlikely to happen, but I guess with the popularity of fpga stuff these days it doesnt seem as impossible as it once did.

[Belial6]

Or maybe an accelerator card that has video, CPU, an SD card, memory, PS2 Keyboard/Mouse, and joystick ports.  Since the only think left from the original Amiga is the power supply, maybe we could get that running from a normal power connector.

[Forcie]

Or maybe an accelerator card that has video, CPU, an SD card, memory, PS2 Keyboard/Mouse, and joystick ports.  Since the only think left from the original Amiga is the power supply, maybe we could get that running from a normal power connector.

And then you'd essentially have a Natami.

Seriously though, we have considered putting our new N68050/N68070 architecture on an accelerator card. It would be quite expensive though - but it seems like a lot of Amigans put more value in their wedge cases than the hardware thats in it, so it might sell, even though it would be a much better price/performance deal to get a full Natami board.

[bloodline]

I think the big problem with building a powerful (I.e. Not a real 68k based) accelerator for a real Amiga is that (for example), if you pit an FPGA card in the trapdoor... You could add fast CPU, better gfx, better audio... Perhaps some USB ports, a nice fast mass storage device... Then you wonder why you have the original Amiga in the first place

[alexh]

The problem is the content. There is no 32-bit 68k CPU core, FPU or MMU (yet) to program into it.

Add to that the price of the FPGA (at least 2x as expensive as real 68060 for something that might be able to match performance).

[fishy_fiz]

I think the big problem with building a powerful (I.e. Not a real 68k based) accelerator for a real Amiga is that (for example), if you pit an FPGA card in the trapdoor... You could add fast CPU, better gfx, better audio... Perhaps some USB ports, a nice fast mass storage device... Then you wonder why you have the original Amiga in the first place

I've heard this mentioned before and while it's valid from one perspective, another side of the coin is that I'd simpley like to be able to continue using the amiga as I always have, and that includes the software I like, a lot of which is reliant on the custom chipsets. If that means Im effectively running a new machine with an a1200 motherboard (or whatever) attached for backwards compatibility then Im still happy.

Well, hypothetically anyway as Im running amithlon at the moment and have no classic gear.

[Khephren]

That's kind of what i'd like too. I want to keep my wedge, have a fast accelerator with high colour modes. Then i'd be happy.

I noticed Jens latest cards are quite small, lots of room to extend them with extra chippery perhaps?

[Hattig]

I've heard this mentioned before and while it's valid from one perspective, another side of the coin is that I'd simpley like to be able to continue using the amiga as I always have, and that includes the software I like, a lot of which is reliant on the custom chipsets. If that means Im effectively running a new machine with an a1200 motherboard (or whatever) attached for backwards compatibility then Im still happy.

Well, hypothetically anyway as Im running amithlon at the moment and have no classic gear.

FPGAArcade and Natami will provide classic chipset compatibility and the faster CPU.

However I thinks it a possibility to create an FPGA based CPU trapdoor expansion, once such an FPGA CPU is available.

As for new graphics modes, etc, that's another issue entirely. Maybe a standard P96 style graphics card could be implemented in the FPGA.

[the_leander]

Are there a technical reason that we could not use FPGA's to create new amiga accelerator / processor cards ?
 
Is it more a question of investment (time and money) ?
 
Curious minds are wondering

Tbh I was curious around the time that the Elbox dragon was being demo'd why you couldn't get any cpu with a 68k emulator on a rom on such a board. It seemed to me that there were some superb cpus out there that had more than enough grunt that could be got for pennies... I mean with some of these ARM SOCs you could even have limited RTG too if you wanted to go down that path...

[adz]

Why would someone spend a bucket load of time and money on r&d for such a small, if any, return? Doesn't make much business sense...

[A1260]

Why would someone spend a bucket load of time and money on r&d for such a small, if any, return? Doesn't make much business sense...

you talk about old amiga here, there are actually nearly no money in it, but there is a demand and of interest for some to make the old amiga a bit better. and there you find your answer why people like jens make these things he makes, it may not make you rich but the challange and thinkering is also the fun part of it.