Amiga 500 Vampire is alive

[eXeler0]

@demolition you can get your clockport on a 600 with the 604n expansion (although currently out of stock). As for A500 isn't the ACA 500+ supposed to give you some expansions as well ?

[demolition]

Originally Posted by eXeler0

@demolition you can get your clockport with the 604n expansion (although currently out of stock).

If that will work, then I guess there is no need for it on the V2. Most people will probably want 2MB chip in their 600 anyway.

[grond]

you will get the 2MB chip included once the chipset is emulated inside the FPGA. I suspect that a clockport in a physical chipmem expansion won't work any more at that point but I can't tell for sure. And I'm pretty sure that we will see nice add-on boards from kipper for the v500 with USB and/or networking options. I wouldn't worry about a morse speed clockport...

[demolition]

I think Kipper2k's A600 chip expansion also has a clockport header (it looks like it although it is not mentioned in the description).

[dirkies]

I side with Mastja, just get the core/basics working, all the rest (network/clockport) sounds overkill (and A500-irrelevant TBH) for the intended purpose: an A500 on steroids with SD card slot. All the rest can be done already with more suited machines anyway.

[demolition]

Network etc. is definitely not overkill. Putting a V2 in an A500 is, and a V2 is as irrelevant as such expansions.

On the contrary having network connectivity makes a lot more sense with the Vampire, e.g. for streaming audio, downloading files, IRC, basic web browsing which I would be likely to do on an Amiga when it has a Vampire in it.

[cmsj]

Originally Posted by demolition

It is true that a clockport is slow, but it will add a lot of compatibility with old expansions, e.g. existing USB controllers.

Which means you're either scouring eBay/Amibay for expensive rare hardware, or hoping that Jens has stock. Neither of those options is particularly amazing really

[demolition]

Originally Posted by cmsj

Which means you're either scouring eBay/Amibay for expensive rare hardware, or hoping that Jens has stock. Neither of those options is particularly amazing really

I could also already have the hardware that I want to use.

[dirkies]

Originally Posted by demolition

for streaming audio, downloading files, IRC, basic web browsing

Why burden this great project with extras you can already do a zillion times better on existing MODERN cheap PC hardware?

I would never use my Amiga for such things, it was not really intended/designed to be an "online" machine (C= died before internet went mainstream anyway), for me it is purely for oldskool & nostalgia. A500 is nearly THIRTY (30) years old.

Please do not delay the release of a Vampire500 with farfetched features only a small minority of users will use.
Otherwise soon it must require USB, SATA, NIC, 16bit audio, dual monitor setup, bluetooth and whatever silly things we are so used to in the PC world being forced onto 30 years old hardware

[demolition]

Originally Posted by dirkies

I would never use my Amiga for such things, it was not really intended/designed to be an "online" machine (C= died before internet went mainstream anyway), for me it is purely for oldskool & nostalgia. A500 is nearly THIRTY (30) years old.

Then I don't get why you want a Vampire at all? The Vampire is neither oldschool nor nostalgic. It is meant to take the Amiga to the next level. You can play all your oldschool games just fine without it using other existing expansions. Yes, the machine may boot a few secs faster but is that all you want the Vampire to accomplish?

[clebin]

Originally Posted by dirkies

Please do not delay the release of a Vampire500 with farfetched features only a small minority of users will use.

I agree with not delaying the release for these things but there's no chance of that anyway - the design is out there (and looking fantastic, majsta!)

I'm glad that there is the possibility of future expansion though and I don't mind if that's clock port or whatever - that's just details. I also don't really care if dirkies or anyone thinks it's pointless or stupid - I want USB and networking and I will use it, just like many amigans do already. I use it on my other amigas already. It's useful for downloading stuff from aminet and copying files from a usb stick among other things. There's a load of stuff that amigas weren't intended to do by your argument, including half the stuff shown in the vampire videos like playing mpegs and mp3s, running late 90s games etc. It's all just a bit of fun anyway so what's the big deal if someone wants to do that??

Anyway, to come back to the v500.... It's looking fabulous. Good luck with finishing it majsta!

[pandy71]

I can add only suggestion to HW designer that to simplify level translation such things like IDE, clock port etc (i.e. relatively slow I/O) can be wired to FPGA with help of some TTL serial to parallel/parallel serial interface where TTL will perform level translation to simplify PCB and reduce pin count use on FPGA at a marginal increase FPGA usage.
For example using LV165 or HC597 as 8 bit input (Parallel to Serial) and LV/HC595a as 8 bit output (Serial to Parallel).
Something similar to PC LPC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Pin_Count

[dirkies]

Originally Posted by demolition

Yes, the machine may boot a few secs faster but is that all you want the Vampire to accomplish?

Vampire solves the only issue I have using the Amiga today: impatience
With the SD card workbench becomes appealing, and this is where the speed factor becomes important. But playing mpegs or google drive... nah.
Kipper's A508IDE is excellent, but it still lacks of course the speed we are used to today. The V500 will solve all of that.

Again, if it would be "easy" to add this for future release (through some generic unprogrammed port), sure, but not if this means months of delay, risk of extra bugs and maybe never-surfacing extensions.

I don't intend to use my A500 for 'new' purpose which are virtually all web related. I already have a good setup at home.

[clebin]

Originally Posted by dirkies

I don't intend to use my A500 for 'new' purpose which are virtually all web related. I already have a good setup at home.

Different strokes for different folks...

[kolla]

USB host adapter that would be the most useful thing to add, after that it would be just a matter of software to support anything you can plug into a USB port.

[majsta]

Regarding support for other hardware and compatibility to it. Let's say that I don't care much, because let's say that all of those things can be replaced with cheap arduino modules rated and sold for 3USD. Only bad feeling I have here is why so much ppl spend so much money on something that in reality cost nothing. I won't build something new that will work only on specific port/slot on vampire. I don't have any kind of intentions to milk money from the people by constantly selling them something designed for Vampire only. Final goal is that we use cheap devices everyone else in the world use for various projects. They cost nothing, and in our case only thing that could request money are device drivers. How will that part of the story go we will see. There is sentimental value for various hardware parts, but let's be honest I can't have any sentimental value about something build year ago and based on the old 80's schematics.
I ll give you just one example.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ESP8266-Remo...AAAOSwezVWzsM6

[pandy71]

Originally Posted by majsta

Only bad feeling I have here is why so much ppl spend so much money on something that in reality cost nothing. I won't build something new that will work only on specific port/slot on vampire. I don't have any kind of intentions to milk money from the people by constantly selling them something designed for Vampire only. Final goal is that we use cheap devices everyone else in the world use for various projects. They cost nothing, and in our case only thing that could request money are device drivers. How will that part of the story go we will see. There is sentimental value for various hardware parts, but let's be honest I can't have any sentimental value about something build year ago and based on the old 80's schematics.

As a principle i share same feelings - maybe because i'm from very similar country like yours.
Mentioned ESP8266 is somehow crap as WiFi in PC world nowadays but from Amiga perspective it more than better i also have no sentiment, even crappiest RPi board is more powerful than any Amiga HW.

But... people enjoy to be milking cow... look at Apple products... they are OK, quality is quite OK but ... Apple profit is more than 100% and people are happy to pay - maybe someone will create Vampire with luxury version - 24 karat gold cables, ebony box etc... but i hope normal version will exist too.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by majsta

There is sentimental value for various hardware parts, but let's be honest I can't have any sentimental value about something build year ago and based on the old 80's schematics.
I ll give you just one example.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ESP8266-Remo...AAAOSwezVWzsM6

Agreed.

[clebin]

Originally Posted by majsta

Only bad feeling I have here is why so much ppl spend so much money on something that in reality cost nothing.

In most cases we've never had a choice before. Not that it bothered me much - the alternative reality would have been paying piss-take prices for a "VINTAGE! RARE! 1mb memory expansion" on eBay.

Final goal is that we use cheap devices everyone else in the world use for various projects.

Sounds cool. I'm looking forward to getting a plipbox for the 500+ but it's obviously limited by the speed of the parallel port. I'd like to see hardware like that on a super-fast expansion bus.

[utri007]

Hopefully board shape is not final? Board in video would requite CPU adapter to locate towards back of amiga. It would also require some other stands to get it more up.

Shape should be more like these CDTV ramboards, they would fit every 68000 amiga. Note "more like", not a excatly like.

http://www.bigbookofamigahardware.co...ct.aspx?id=993