FPGA Replay Board

[billt]

FPGA emulation - using a multitude of look-up tables and other basic logic elements embedded in a programmable integrated circuit to implement high-level logic algorithms.

 * parallel by nature, real-time processing of input & output
 * compact, most bus connections are internal
 * recompilation needed for use on a different host platform
 * host platform can be expensive

Just a couple clarifications there:

it's not real-time processing of inputs & outputs, it's real-time propogation. There's no "processing" going on.

You don't recompile, you resynthesize to another FPGA architecture, or to another "size" of the "same architecture".

I'm not sure about compactness. The way an FPGA is made to be generic, and (re)configurable, makes it kindof big compared to the ASIC equivalent die space for the given user logic circuit. I'm not sure what you're comparing with.

[Johan Samuelsson]

Great news mikej!... I can't wait until i get mine!....

[TheDaddy]

Certainly won't make any money on it, but that's not the aim. I would like to recover my costs, which are over 10K usd so far...

Welcome to the club!

I have finished the PCB design and software for the USB adapter (which sits in place of the PS2 connectors). This works nicely with mouse and keyboard, and also through hub.

Let me know when one is available so I'll test it inside my X500 case.
Keep up the good work!

[Blizz1220]

[ElPolloDiabl]

If it is cycle exact hardware, what is the difference? He can't use the original chipsets because of copyright or patent.

The BoXer was going to have the AGA chipset put in an FPGA.

If Commodore had done a next gen Amiga, AGA and OCS would have been turfed (or really just crammed in somewhere for backward compatibility) in favour of chunky mode 24-bit graphics.

I am tolerant of those who like the old hardware, however I wish to have something modern. Old rusting and failing Amigas would cause me sadness and not joy.

[AmigaClassicRule]

If it is cycle exact hardware, what is the difference? He can't use the original chipsets because of copyright or patent.

The BoXer was going to have the AGA chipset put in an FPGA.

If Commodore had done a next gen Amiga, AGA and OCS would have been turfed (or really just crammed in somewhere for backward compatibility) in favour of chunky mode 24-bit graphics.

I am tolerant of those who like the old hardware, however I wish to have something modern. Old rusting and failing Amigas would cause me sadness and not joy.

Heheh and you also have a giant CHICKEN for an avatar lol :roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:

[Blizz1220]

[freqmax]

Chipset mask and routing is copyrighted. Their function is not but may be patented. However they are so old that the patents have expired.

The implementation in FPGA is a functionally equalient without using the original masks.

[_ThEcRoW]

Any news on the boards?. It's been a long time since the last email received from Mike.

[mikej]

I got a bit of a bonus with work in December which means I can build the next 100 boards - I already had a lot of the parts and the sourcing company has got a complete kit now.
The PCBs are being manufactured now, so I should see these boards back for test in around three weeks. The money I get back from these will build the next batch etc.
/MikeJ

[gaula92]

And what about the cores, Mikej? Mine has been collecting dust, waiting for cores to use it... The current Amiga core isn't very compatible and I haven't seen any arcade, Atai 8 bit or ST cores to use it

[freqmax]

I haven't seen any arcade, Atari 8 bit or ST cores to use it

There doesn't exist any such core asfaik. So just fire up Xilinx ISE and you can make one most proberbly from gluing together existing HDL-cores.

Perhaps the ARM software has issues with a non-Amiga core?

@mikej, How large price difference per board would it be to produce a 1000 batch instead of 100? that also open up for direct sourceing of the BOM from the suppliers.

[mikej]

Yes they do, just not releasable yet. I've had the ST/BBC B and most of the arcade games running on it. The ARM software is completely re-written now.

1000 is still small numbers, Xilinx etc will not deal with you directly unless you are much bigger than that.
/MikeJ

[Darrin]

I've had the ST/BBC B and most of the arcade games running on it.

Drool

[freqmax]

1000 is still small numbers, Xilinx etc will not deal with you directly unless you are much bigger than that.

The thinking was more on the support circuitry like eeprom, resistors, mosfet, regulators etc.

[matthey]

1000 is still small numbers, Xilinx etc will not deal with you directly unless you are much bigger than that.

I bet you could do 10000+ with a Kickstarter at a slightly reduced price. The more cores the more interest outside of the Amiga community IMO. More console emulation like NES, SNES, Genesis, Neo Geo, x68000 etc. might be the biggest retro draw.