MiSTer: FPGA Amiga + loads more

[EAUniW]

..

[hitm4n]

Heatsink and PSU arrived just now, so final build is happening. Exciting...
Been getting the HDF files and setup files too, hoping for an easy install with immediate Amiga HDF ready to rock, but still awaiting a bigger SD Card to arrive as well.

Anyway, i have a new question.

I intended to use VGA out from the IO board, but i've just seen my TV doesn't have a VGA in - DOH!! Not to worry.

Is it better (and does it work) to use an adapter on the VGA to make it HDMI, or just go with the straight HDMI connection?

If i go with HDMI, my TV supports ARC and i have a soundbar, will i see issues. I intend to connect the MiSTer directly to the TV, not through any switcher and not via the soundbar but i do expect the soundbar to output the sound IF its on. Will this then avoid any ARC/CEC issues? The TV only has one ARC port and its in use by the soundbar, so i'm hoping it'll be fine.

If not, does anyone know a reasonably priced HDMI adapter (UK Amazon) that cuts the CEC line, or a way to modify a cable to remove pin13?

Thanks all.
I'll be plugging it in later today so may get some of these answers first hand soon.

[hitm4n]

BUILT !!

Sorting SD Card now.

[MickGyver]

Originally Posted by hitm4n

Anyway, i have a new question.

I intended to use VGA out from the IO board, but i've just seen my TV doesn't have a VGA in - DOH!! Not to worry.

Is it better (and does it work) to use an adapter on the VGA to make it HDMI, or just go with the straight HDMI connection?

Go with direct HDMI. Use the VGA port if you want to connect to a CRT monitor or CRT TV with RGB scart.

Look into mister.ini and this setting to get lowest possible lag:

; Set to 1 for automatic HDMI VSync rate adjust to match original VSync.
; Set to 2 for low latency mode (single buffer).
; This option makes video butter smooth like on original emulated system.
; Adjusting is done by changing pixel clock. Not every display supports variable pixel clock.
; For proper adjusting and to reduce possible out of range pixel clock, use 60Hz HDMI video
; modes as a base even for 50Hz systems. 
vsync_adjust=0

vsync_adjust=2 is the best option but will not work on all televisions/monitors. You can also set the settings in mister.ini per core. Here is an explanation of the ini: https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Main...guration-Files

[hitm4n]

Hi MickGyver. That's some useful info, i've bookmarked for now, many thanks. Settings per core is going to be very useful i think as i dig in more. Most of my testing so far has been with the Minimig core (but i've had a bit of Vectrex and ZX81 lovin' too.)

I went with straight HDMI and i did enable the vsync=2 option but i have seen some strange issues on TV. TV losing sync to image and flashing in and out and not grabbing a stable picture. This never seems to be during using a core or during a game, only upon loading a core or loading a game. So it does feel like a change in screenmode, sync rate or whatever, is causing this issue. I've set it back to 0 and it seems better but i need to play a bit more. Its only been running 1 day I naively thought a TV that cost over £1k might deal with some variable sync rates a bit better, oh well.

Last comment on this sync subject for now. I haven't tried vsync mode 1 yet. It sounds like this will likely be even worse with it trying to sync to original rates. Isn't that 15khz for Amiga, way too low for most modern TVs?

So aside from the little niggles here and there, an update on where i am.

At first i could NOT get this thing to work. SD card refused to update, using MrFusion installer. It would put the image on a 32gb formatted card no problem. Then i'd transfer to mister, let it install, reboot (still okay at this point). Then i connect to WIFI.

And WIFI was my first hurdle. I don't have DHCP enabled on my router. Conditional access is on using MAC addresses and EVERY device in the house has a fixed IP address, fixed on device. Never had issue with this. From what i can tell, the MiSTer will ONLY ask for the IP from DHCP and i haven't been able to find a way to fix it so it doesn't need to speak to DHCP. For now, DHCP is enabled, it is using a fixed IP based on MAC in the router, but DHCP must still be on for it to pick up that address. The next thing i want to fix is this WIFI issue. I want to be able to turn DHCP off again on my router.

OK, so once i got to the stage where it was loading up and connecting to WIFI (most of the weekend has passed by), i was able to run the "update" script. That seemed to go through okay and reboot. Then.....

No boot. Grrrrrrrrr.

Upshot was the 32gb card was foobared, maybe fake, not sure where it came from but it was old. I snapped it in half and binned it (i did a test on it).

Started all over again on the original 8gb card that came with the DE10. Bye bye Terasic linux. All good. Now i have a booting MiSTer. Neat.

Next. Get the Amiga set up. One of those prebuilt MegaAGS images will do for a start. The one i found uses a 5gb HDF stuffed image, got that all working without issue and been playing some games and demos i hadn't seen before Excellent. I was smiling throughout.

Now for some tinkering time.

Started playing around with customising the MiSTer. Theres a rather large font set floating around for switching out the main menu font. Some crazy fonts in there, some funky ones that would work well, but i like clean and as "normal" as possible. You can thank me later for this info, but i think the Atari8 font i've decided on has made a big improvement in clearness and readability of the MiSTer menus. It is a very "normal" font, very clean letters, not thin, not italic, no weird switched out characters, but its all 1 pixel shorter than the default one, so when lines of text are one over another (like everywhere!), the font doesn't all merge into one blob, theres always a teeny line between lines and it makes things so much clearer to read. Atari8 guys, its the way forward. Trust me i looked through EVERY font in this pack comparing many of the characters for the best and tidiest set.

Next was backgrounds. I now have a wallpapers folder, a whole bunch of images and a random one loads at each power up. Very nice.

Found the "update_all" script at this point, fired that up. Still fine.

Now... Bear in mind i have this 5gb HDF for the amiga on this 8gb card. I then found the RetroDriven update suite (looking for bios files for all cores). This will grab official stuff and updates, but also unofficial cores and the roms required for them. OK, i gave that a go.

And... It stopped downloading files as it ran out of space. DOH !! Deleted 3 large MAME type roms on the fly via WinSCP (about 150mb) and the script finished. So i now have a fully configured MiSTer, with Amiga set up, but no room for anything else.

I knew this would be a problem, even with the 32gb card, so i had already ordered a 256gb card. No sooner had i finished the suite update, a knock on the door. SD card from Amazon arrived and i had to start all over again... LOL.

Did it slightly differently this time. Backed up the media/fat root folder to my PC using WinSCP and put the 8gb card to one side (backup).

Prepped the 256gb card with MrFusion, did the install and wifi and update. Got to a working MiSTer bootup then dumped the media/fat root folder back on via PC, Actually did it over WinSCP, it was equally as quick as using the SD card reader (usb2.0) on my PC. I now seem to be able to do everything i need to via WinSCP which means no more taking the card in and out and transferring to PC.

Rebooted MiSTer and i'm all good. Everything still as i configured it, Amiga boots and works with a stuffed harddrive of whdload games, got a full set of roms for Vectrex and ZX81 on there so far and looking to copy more roms for other cores over this evening after work.

Issues aside, really enjoying it. Oh, once i figured out the 8BitDo SN30 Pro+ would only pair up in x-input mode (press X and start together when pairing), i have been enjoying Amiga games sat on my sofa without a tether and i have noticed no lag at all. Lovely, and that was my endgame right there in action. Small form factor, multi-system, on sofa, no tether, on BIG TV and easy to use.

It Works !!

TLDR - Thanks everyone for reading (wow, you made it down here?), thanks everyone for the comments and help thus far.

Question - How do i fix the IP address on the MiSTer (or within the base Linux OS so it passed through) so that DHCP is not required on my router. I know pretty much ZERO about Linux and using Linux. Can the Linux OS send the required IP address info through to the MiSTer OS? Can the MiSTer OS be configured to NOT ask for its IP through DHCP?

Final pictures?

The Build (awesome)
New font (nice eh)
Random backgrounds on boot
Amiga MegaAGS Setup

[MickGyver]

Originally Posted by hitm4n

Last comment on this sync subject for now. I haven't tried vsync mode 1 yet. It sounds like this will likely be even worse with it trying to sync to original rates. Isn't that 15khz for Amiga, way too low for most modern TVs?

Mode 1 will still work in the specs of modern TVs, it's the refresh rate that varies, some arcade cores run at 57 something hz and this can be a problem. mode 2 is best with super smooth scrolling and basically no lag, mode 1 will give smooth scrolling and about 1-2 frames of lag, mode 0 will have 1-2 frames of lag and will work on all TVs but can cause stutter. Correct me somebody if I'm wrong, I use a CRT TV, works perfectly.

Question - How do i fix the IP address on the MiSTer (or within the base Linux OS so it passed through) so that DHCP is not required on my router. I know pretty much ZERO about Linux and using Linux. Can the Linux OS send the required IP address info through to the MiSTer OS? Can the MiSTer OS be configured to NOT ask for its IP through DHCP?

It is possible to change this in the linux network config files but DHCP should be available on all routers no? You can define a static IP on the router's side for the MiSTer (with it's MAC address).

EDIT: Check here how to set a static ip address (the reply by amigadepressants): https://www.reddit.com/r/fpgagaming/...ip_for_mister/

[hitm4n]

Hello again. Thanks for assisting once more.
I will give mode 1 a go, see how my TV fares on that.

Regards a DHCP mode, of course, my router can do it. I have turned it on for now simply so the MiSTer will get its IP address but i usually have it turned off. I don't use it. Never needed it and it ensures nothing outside of my scope, wifi or not, gets assigned an IP without me knowing about it, allowing it and MAC filtering it.

Also, in my search for an answer about fixing the IP, i did find that page and like a woman listening to geeky computer stuff and all they hear is static... I saw amigadepressants post and all i read was static Its Linux, i'm clueless when it comes to that. However, i realise that i'm simply going to have to learn.

So i've "favourited" that page and will endeavour to re-create his solution.
Thanks again.

[ubermick]

In the process of knocking one together myself. I spotted a project elsewhere, where Mattsoft installed a MiSTer into an old A600 case along with the original keyboard. It looked ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC and hooked me immediately.

Unfortunately, here in the colonies any Amiga hardware is next to impossible to get and postage from the UK seems to be prohibitive. I started eyeing ebay.co.uk to find something, but the few that were willing to ship to America wanted an arm and a leg. Sorry lads, no way I'm willing to pay £300 for a knackered A600 to butcher for this. So plan B it is.

After some furious searching on Thingiverse, found something that will sort of fit the bill - a 3D printed case featuring a popular (supposedly) mechanical keyboard that looks a bit like an A600, but with modern hardware.

DE10-Nano and the IO shield are sitting next to me, the postman is bringing the USB hub today, and the memory is set to be delivered on Friday. My 3D printer is currently on the second of 4 13+ hour prints, and hopefully I can spend the upcoming bank holiday weekend putting it together.

Stay tuned, lads...

[hitm4n]

Keep us informed, its good to see how it progresses and what issues or questions you might have. I had plenty I do like these projects that are built into larger cases, did you see the wooden one recently? Very tasty.

[NovaCoder]

Originally Posted by hitm4n

I do like these projects that are built into larger cases, did you see the wooden one recently? Very tasty.

Is this case big enough for you?



http://eab.abime.net/attachment.php?...1&d=1610024797

Also noticed this one...

[ Show youtube player ]

[Havie]

Very tempted to have a go as this just looks like a fun DIY project - could one be turned into a CD32 as they are sooooo expensive and I really want to play Defender of the Crown 2 which just doesn't work on my A1200 and CD drive

I suppose I could use WinUAE but where's the fun in that?

[dreadnought]

CD32 is not fully working on MiSTer yet, the CD support is lacking as far as I understand.

[Havie]

Originally Posted by dreadnought

CD32 is not fully working on MiSTer yet, the CD support is lacking as far as I understand.

And my quest continues - back to watching Ebay

[ChrisUnionNJ]

This looks very nice to the use of a A600..


https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4721208

[ubermick]

Originally Posted by ChrisUnionNJ

This looks very nice to the use of a A600..


https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4721208

Yep, that's the exact one I'm working on.

Finished printing today, got everything assembled with the exception of the led/button extension breadboard.

Now to just deal with the joys of getting the actual software side of it set up.

[chiark]

I've had my MiSTerFPGA for a couple of months now, and have recently been focusing on the Amiga side of things after absolutely loving the arcade cores. Whisper it, but I think this might now be my favourite Amiga. (Don't let the others hear)

Why? Because I can really easily get files to and from it using the Shared folder, RTG is wonderful, it's fast enough, and with a single device I can simulate a fairly powerful 1200 with RTG, a 1.3 machine with slow mem and just floppy disk, and my old setup of a 1.3 machine with hard disk (patched 1.3 to add scsi.device), and a shared folder with the Arm side of things.

It's all going in a chicken lips case, and ultimately will have the chicken lips keyboard. I've made the Share driver work with 1.3, and have told Sorgelig how I fixed this, and have also built a little interface for the Amiga keyboard that properly sends reset, and has a mapping for F11/F12 and printscreen keys - all using a variety of modifiers and the HELP key.

Really enjoying using this. It feels like an Amiga in a way that emulation doesn't for me.

[hitm4n]

And aside from building it into a case, you essentially have 3 Amigas (not to mention the myriad other machines, consoles and all the arcade cores) in one teeny box. Its a great bit of kit.

[odenko]

Hi,<br />
I am looking for @MiSTer Pack 2020-06-27' on the FTP site, but cant find it.<br />
Where is it exactly?<br />
And if possible Iam looking for a ready MegaAGS with Mac0S7.5 Whdload 3.1 Games SD Card Image.<br />
Is there something like this around. Getting my DE10-nano in some weeks.<br />
I am just starting with this and Amiga. In the past Iwas on the Atari XL and ST site.<br />
Will try this as well on Mistr.<br />
Maybe somebody can help with this MgaAGS image file. Dont wanna by it for now.<br />
Thanks

[hitm4n]

This video has a dropbox link to a ready made HDF. The video is good to watch too.
[ Show youtube player ]

It also links to another video by Pezz82 which has MegaAGS links under it, ready to rock.
[ Show youtube player ]

These are what i used when i first built an image for MiSTer and i was very quickly playing games and they just worked... This will get you going.

Ultimately though i built an image myself and customised the MegaAGS frontend using HSTWB. Its trickier to set up and takes a lot longer, but its worth it as you can customise the OS used, the games that are installed and the frontend etc.
[ Show youtube player ]

Have fun.

[odenko]

Originally Posted by hitm4n

This video has a dropbox link to a ready made HDF. The video is good to watch too.
[ Show youtube player ]

It also links to another video by Pezz82 which has MegaAGS links under it, ready to rock.
[ Show youtube player ]

These are what i used when i first built an image for MiSTer and i was very quickly playing games and they just worked... This will get you going.

Ultimately though i built an image myself and customised the MegaAGS frontend using HSTWB. Its trickier to set up and takes a lot longer, but its worth it as you can customise the OS used, the games that are installed and the frontend etc.
[ Show youtube player ]

Have fun.

Thanks