FPGA Replay Board

[yaqube]

Seems Mikej upgraded to 64 MB.

The design can accept 32 or 64 MB memory chips but all the produced boards are populated with 64 MB. Frankly speaking I don't know why some people spread around false information about installed memory size.

Anyway any hinderance to make use of the full 16 MB maximum the 68000 can address ?

The TG68K in 68000 mode can access full 32-bit address space (like a real 68012 CPU) and use additional 48 MB of RAM. But because some programs  cause problems when running in this configuration I have decided to limit address space to 16MB when 68000 mode is selected. Full address space is accessible in 68020 mode.

[freqmax]

Frankly speaking I don't know why some people spread around false information about installed memory size.

Asfair he used a 32 MB chip in an earlier PCB schematic. But technical data has to be compiled from different sources and files. Thus mistakes are easy.

(ie find the hopefully latest schematic, find the DRAM chip in the schematic, lookup the datasheet, calculate for ddr/bit width etc..)

The TG68K in 68000 mode can access full 32-bit address space (like a real 68012 CPU) and use additional 48 MB of RAM. But because some programs  cause problems when running in this configuration I have decided to limit address space to 16MB when 68000 mode is selected. Full address space is accessible in 68020 mode.

My thought was more on make use of all memory ranges. Even those that can't be expanded on a real Amiga. In particular CHIP ram tend to be scarce. And there should be no reason for that to be that way using FPGA+DRAM.

[wizard66]

Where is the statement that it's 64 MB onboard?, last update on that issue said 32 MB asfaik.

Boy's and girls, the replay board is fitted with a 64MB RAMChip.

2  MB chip
2  MB slow (minus 512kb for kickstart just like the minimig) so you have 1.5MB left.
8  MB A2091/A590 Fastmen
48 MB XRAM usable for fastmem or chip so you can have a total of 50MB chipmem ;-)

Look @ The picture for the memory menu..

[digiflip]

@wizard66 i have amiga os3.9 installed on a sd card with rdb instead of fat and smart filesystem, will i be able to load off that? or will i need to convert my card to hdf? has to use with fpga arcade

[wizard66]

@wizard66 i have amiga os3.9 installed on a sd card with rdb instead of fat and smart filesystem, will i be able to load off that? or will i need to convert my card to hdf? has to use with fpga arcade

You NEED a HDF file if you want to use a harddrive on the replay.
Make a HDF with winuae.

[digiflip]

so would amikit amiga forever version and amisys amiga forever version will they work has they are in hdf? or would I need make them from scratch on fpga arcade ie like rebuild work bench from amikit installation.

[mikej]

Asfair he used a 32 MB chip in an earlier PCB schematic. But technical data has to be compiled from different sources and files. Thus mistakes are easy.
.

The baseboard on all revisions has always had a 64MByte chip. I made a mistake on the comment on the schematic originally and labled it as a 32M chip.
/MikeJ

[AJCopland]

Hi Mikej,

Any news on when you might be putting these into production?
Or a rough guess when we can order one of the final-but-pre-production boards?

I know it can be hard to judge these things but I'm also ever optimistic

Andy

[mikej]

soon.
I'm waiting for the FPGAs to be delivered - should be this week.
I am still checking stock, but I believe I have everything else in place and am starting to kit for production of the 44 production pre-run.
If all goes well, these should be with me mid July, and they can be shipped out immediately.
/MikeJ

[digiflip]

Hi Mikej,

Any news on when you might be putting these into production?
Or a rough guess when we can order one of the final-but-pre-production boards?

I know it can be hard to judge these things but I'm also ever optimistic

Andy

@ AJCopland

same to you for the natami mx boards consumer version (edit found my answer whilst browsing vesalia september 2011 is the tentative date). Im getting my fpga arcade board hopefully in next few weeks when mikej builds next batch.

got nice clear case, 68060 for it and pico psu 80 watts hopefully powerfully enough to run daughterboard too when thats released.

[AJCopland]

@Digiflip,
I'm having trouble accessing the rest of the site but I think you've already had your answer answered in the other thread. I don't personally know why Vesalia thinks Sept 2011 but I'd guess that they've just put the figure there as a guess.

[freqmax]

If there's demand for another batch. How long would it take to realise?

Btw, do the boards come pre-assembled with the BGA mounted FPGA from China. Or is that done by the same machine that do the other components?
BGA tend to be a pain-in-the-ass

Regarding expansion boards. Maybe a solid power supply solution should be planned for so that it won't overload weak or loose DC-plugs, fit common power supplies, don't become a birds nest etc..

[digiflip]

@Digiflip,
I'm having trouble accessing the rest of the site but I think you've already had your answer answered in the other thread. I don't personally know why Vesalia thinks Sept 2011 but I'd guess that they've just put the figure there as a guess.

well at least they are not taking peoples money for it yet

[Darrin]

so would amikit amiga forever version and amisys amiga forever version will they work has they are in hdf? or would I need make them from scratch on fpga arcade ie like rebuild work bench from amikit installation.

They're configured for WinUAE and if you try and do a straight copy off the AmigaForever disks to a real Amiga or a Minimig then it won't work.

That said, I used WinUAE to set up Bloodwych ClassicWB hard files and then copied that to my Minimig v1.1 (ClassicWB 68000) and also to my A4000 hard drive (ClassicWB 3.x) and they work fine.

[Darrin]

If there's demand for another batch. How long would it take to realise?

Btw, do the boards come pre-assembled with the BGA mounted FPGA from China. Or is that done by the same machine that do the other components?
BGA tend to be a pain-in-the-ass

Regarding expansion boards. Maybe a solid power supply solution should be planned for so that it won't overload weak or loose DC-plugs, fit common power supplies, don't become a birds nest etc..

The FPGA Arcade allows you to connect 5v power in 3 ways:

1.  2 pin adapter in the bottom corner next to the power switch.
2.  Round 5v DC adapter as used on the Minimig v1.1 on the right side of the power switch.
3.  Standard "PC" hard drive/CD ROM drive 5v adapter on the right of "2" (I use this with a cheap power supply from one of those USB-SATA/IDE cable kits, but you could easily use a PC power supply assuming it will stay "on" without being connected to a PC on/off switch).

[digiflip]

They're configured for WinUAE and if you try and do a straight copy off the AmigaForever disks to a real Amiga or a Minimig then it won't work.

That said, I used WinUAE to set up Bloodwych ClassicWB hard files and then copied that to my Minimig v1.1 (ClassicWB 68000) and also to my A4000 hard drive (ClassicWB 3.x) and they work fine.

well i copied all workbench folder in hidden folders to a working compactflash drive within winuae to use on a real amiga and booted to amiga forevers workbench 3.x without problem ps i found this smaller than a normal os 3.9 installation too.