Creating a new 020 accel board for A600 (eventually to A500 too)
 

OK, that's official. We start the project.

I'm now in the basic development of the design. The goal is a simple, albeit reliable, A600 accelerator with 4~8Mb of FAST RAM (switchable).

The project starts now (erm, almost... I need to finish the RGB>YUV inside an A520's case converter first).

ATM, I'm putting the pieces together in Express-PCB. The board will not block the HD cradle, BTW.

More details: 68EC020 (up to 28MHz, if the board runs stable). Better CPU in a future design. No PGA socket ATM, but possible in another version.

One SIMM bank to up 8Mb (better than nothing), more if a better CPU is used in the design (full 020 or any 030).

All surrounding logic will stand in a couple of CPLDs for small footprint. Dual layer board (multi-layer is very expensive!).

Less than 80 EUROS (more than this is robbery, believe me) is another main goal.

An adapter board will arise to those ppl who wants to put the accel. inside an A500/2000/CDTV. That's an easy part.

Disclaimer: no, I not will make a 060 board for A600, neither a PPC/Coldfire one. I'm will not be responsible for loosing hair, marriage breakouts, Microsoft or your cat take fire. Be warned!

Dead line: two more weeks(TM).:lol

Ooooo yeah, I can't wait for this one! :great :bowdown :D :crazy

Will this be like my DKB expansion in the 1200 where you can put in a 32 meg SIMM stick, it just only sees 8 meg?

That'd be cool, since I've already got a 32 meg stick lying around.

PZ.

I would buy one and maybe two (or the full 020/030 as well)

very promising project, but I would suggest starting from the A500 first. Because 80 pin socket is more easy to work on than the PLLC socket you will have to deal with at A600 IMHO (when building the first prototypes).

Good point! But the unit is intended to be internal. An external unit (for the A500 only) will be exaggerated "big" (= hard to put inside a decent case, also ruining the lovely 500's design). Even using CPLDs and the high density board planned.

Maybe the prototype will be easy to set in the side slot at first. But it will not be the goal of this project. The main goal is an accelerator for the A600! Of course other 68000 Amigas will gain from it, too.

do you have any experience in programming CPLDs ?

@RK fantastic news,,,

I think with a little planning we can have a dual 600 / 500 single PCB, by allowing the option of either soldering the 500's 68000 socket or the A600 clip on type.

I also suggest a 4MB /8MB jumper option for both PCMCIA friendly mode and also for FastRAM compatibility with the expansion port on A500.

Onboard IDE (enable / disable) broadening the market again.

Finally a disable link to allow a switch to be connected..

The amount of time & work involved in this kind of project is really appreciated and a know i'm asking a lot above but you can see the advantage of having a single goal / project to achieve makes things easier in the long run, Single PCB layout, single PCB manufacture, single testing phase & of course mass appeal to the whole 68000 amiga brigade..

Zetro...........your comments pls.;)

I would like 3 or 4 of these maybe more.

Again let us know how I can help.

I'm really excited by this & wish all the best to all involved.
:great

@rk
Great news, looking forward to see it in action. For me and my usage of mine A600 (mostly whdload) a EC020 and 8Mb of RAM is enough of juice needed. And off course I'm interested in getting one.

Hope that you won't loose hair building it ;)

Excellent, now wee need to poke jope to move some stuff here from Fingersz Thread that we hi-jacked (sorry about that m8)

No sorry required man...this is cool & I MUST buy at least one of these when they are produced! :great

Hmm, so many options. If available for A500 and compatibles as well (and after saving $ a while) I could have one in the A600, one in the A1000 & one in the CDTV as well!

I'll be keeping track of this one for sure :D

PZ.

I have here, which i will post later, plans working 16 / 21mhz 020 on a 68k 64pin socket (A500/A1000) which is the LUCAS project... i have reworked a few diagrams for use with the PC :D

I also (thanks to RK) have the build your own 8mb ram interface for the A1200, combining these two... (and using a lot less line propagation by using a CLPD(s) instead of multiple Logic IC's) i rekong we could we go as high as 28mhz and not only build on for any 68k 64pin socket amiga but also for the CD32 as well :D

I will post my reasearch later :D

Wow Zetro

forgot about LUCAS...... Great start...

BTW do you agree with the combined A500/ 68K & A600 / PLCC on 1 board design, I sure the size of the 68000 socket would fit snuggly away under the A600 Keyboard (unpopulated), When fitted to the A500 of course size is less of an issue.

Thanks Mate
;)

Nice work! i'd love one of these in my 600.

Awesome. This might be the thing that gets me back into Amigas and indeed my A600. :spin

Nope, only in PAL/GAL and PIC chips. I know they are different, but the basis is the same. The main difference is no "CPU" inside a CPLD (only if build one inside). Plus, the chip will only emulate "discrete" TTL chips (they are a lot in accelerators and memory expansions!).

And Zetr0 had offered me his talented skills in this matter, anyway. So I can concentrate myself in porting old designs to a more up-to-date (and costless;)) solution.

Remember all: less than 80 Pounds for the complete board! Not more than this!:cool

@rkauer

my friend.... i belive we could get an 020 with 8mb ram for around £25, $50, 40 euro

Amiga-Digital has a large source of TQPF EC020's and is willing to help from our last conversation, the rest is quite cheap :)

I have a QPF 030 from an old MAC board that i could use as a prototype down the line, there is an add on (with code and gal) for the PAK68 020 project to have an 030..

so its all there..... just needs cleaning... putting together, and a little experimentation ;).

If it fits in the A500 trapdoor slot, Im all over it! Where do I send the money? :D

@mfletcher

It will fit on the 68k moto socket :)

and will have an FPU too :D

@ Zetr0

Is that CPU you mention the old Apple one I sent you a while back, I wonder...???

Very, Very Nice!

I like the idea of having WHDLoad running on my A500+ with HD... the extra memory will come in handy!