A new, low-cost CD32 Expansion?

[eXeler0]

Originally Posted by Akira

You would still have no IDE, unless the adapter had IDE (like the ACA500).

Personally, I wouldn't like some big boards sticking out of my games console, and would much prefer an internal solution possible with something like what kipper has made.

Yes, for sure. Adding IDE to the adapter shouldnt be too hard.
Didnt take the Apollo team too long to add one to tve Vampire 500 V2.

And I'd also like to see an internal solution. (Obviously not ideal for those few with the FMV card but screw them lucky few :-) - it should be doable.
The ACA1221, for example, is really a very short card. So with a reversed slot, it should be easy.


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[spudje]

IDE or CF slot should be on the outside though I think. Easier to change the CF card. That was also the original idea of the guy over at A1k. Then the connector for A1200 accelerators can indeed point back inside.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by eXeler0

Yes, for sure. Adding IDE to the adapter shouldnt be too hard.

If you read back on this thread, you will realize it's actually NOT trivial to add IDE. Look at Stedy's comments about it. The CD32 lacks some logic regular Amigas have that needs to be replaced in an expansion like this.

[Cobe]

Originally Posted by eXeler0

The ACA1221, for example, is really a very short card. So with a reversed slot, it should be easy.

Just the adapter would totally work for me as I have ACA1221 in A1200 and will buy V1200 when becomes available and then I would just pull ACA from A1200 and plug it in CD32.

[eXeler0]

Originally Posted by Cobe

Just the adapter would totally work for me as I have ACA1221 in A1200 and will buy V1200 when becomes available and then I would just pull ACA from A1200 and plug it in CD32.

That way you still dont get IDE.

In theory, connecting a RapidRoad USB to the 1221 clockport would probably give you storage, but Im noob on Amiga USB so IDK if its bootable with some sort of homebrew ROM.



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[Cobe]

I know. But I didn't want to mention that. I don't want to blaspheme. I know everybody wants IDE but I'd prefer fast ram over IDE.
I like physical medias, covers and everything, CDs, floppies(3.5, 5,25), cartridges, tapes. And I wouldn't like to use WB on my CD32, it's console. X-bench or similar would do but still I don't like consoles with "built in" games. That's the way I see it. That's why I don't like gotek, sd2iec, everdrives... That's only my point of view. I could always burn CD with ACA tune and games that need fast ram or just benefit from it.

[kolla]

What's missing are the CIA chips, they would most likely also have to go on such a board. The SX32 Pro has both CIA-A and CIA-B on it.

[eXeler0]

Originally Posted by kolla

What's missing are the CIA chips, they would most likely also have to go on such a board. The SX32 Pro has both CIA-A and CIA-B on it.

I imagine the cheapest FPGA money can buy (with enough pins) would suffice to replicate the CIA functions.

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[Amiga1992]

Yeah maybe , but not everyone wants to deal with FPGA programming. That is also an issue, it's not as simple as "let's slap an FPGA in there", you need to code that shit to work as intended (and emulation could bring inaccuracies, etc etc etc)

[eXeler0]

Originally Posted by Akira

Yeah maybe , but not everyone wants to deal with FPGA programming. That is also an issue, it's not as simple as "let's slap an FPGA in there", you need to code that shit to work as intended (and emulation could bring inaccuracies, etc etc etc)

Yea, but I dont think you need to reinvent the wheel. I cant find a reference right now, but Im pretty sure this has been done in VHDL more than one time.

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[Amiga1992]

Even if someone did it, the implications of using someone else's code might not be trivial when trying to build and sell an expansion.

[eXeler0]

Originally Posted by Akira

Even if someone did it, the implications of using someone else's code might not be trivial when trying to build and sell an expansion.

Maybe.. maybe not.. I think the MIST boards is open source? Probably some code that could be reused.

https://code.google.com/archive/p/mist-board/source

In any case, Its probably not trivial for average Joe, but totally doable for the right person. We'll see where this goes. ;-)

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[plasmab]

Originally Posted by eXeler0

Maybe.. maybe not.. I think the MIST boards is open source? Probably some code that could be reused.

https://code.google.com/archive/p/mist-board/source

In any case, Its probably not trivial for average Joe, but totally doable for the right person. We'll see where this goes. ;-)

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MiST is GPL. I have an (incomplete) design for converting over to Xilinx as a Wing for my Papilio Pro. Need to finish that at some point. My MiST board is one of the original green ones. Very nice. Very versatile and easily available.

(And best of all it runs my Archimedes core PLUG! )

[eXeler0]

@plasmab whats your take on the missing "CIA" functionality in cd32 then? Easy to add or a lot of work to make it fully A1200 compatible?


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[plasmab]

Why do you need the CIA? What do you want it for?

Do you really want a floppy disk or a parallel port on a cd32?

[eXeler0]

The debate originates from the idea that it should be possible to make a simple adapter for the CD32 that would accept A1200 accelerators.. but then there is aparently some functionality missing from the CD32 that was in the A1200. Commodore being "cheap" as always.
The next step of the argument was that any such missing functionality should be simple to add even to the cheapest of FPGAs available.
But then the 'last step" of actually implementing without needing to reinvent the wheel was about the idea that such code probably already exits.
Tbh I never considered this"missing CIA" functionality to be important until Jens brought it up ;-)

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[plasmab]

Originally Posted by eXeler0

The debate originates from the idea that it should be possible to make a simple adapter for the CD32 that would accept A1200 accelerators.. but then there is aparently some functionality missing from the CD32 that was in the A1200. Commodore being "cheap" as always.
The next step of the argument was that any such missing functionality should be simple to add even to the cheapest of FPGAs available.
But then the 'last step" of actually implementing without needing to reinvent the wheel was about the idea that such code probably already exits.
Tbh I never considered this"missing CIA" functionality to be important until Jens brought it up ;-)

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Personally.. and i emphasis "Personally"... I wouldnt want this unless the A1200 card could be contained internally in the CD32. I cant think why you would need the CIA for the A1200 adaptors unless roms on the cards need them for something... timers maybe...

Its possible but frankly it would be cheaper just to put a MiST board in the CD32.

[eXeler0]

Originally Posted by plasmab

Personally.. and i emphasis "Personally"... I wouldnt want this unless the A1200 card could be contained internally in the CD32. I cant think why you would need the CIA for the A1200 adaptors unless roms on the cards need them for something... timers maybe...

Its possible but frankly it would be cheaper just to put a MiST board in the CD32.

I agree, I don't want anything as clumsy as the SX32. I think Kipper2k already has a reversed Dbl connector that would allow for internal cards.. (a bit like the FMV module)

Btw, dug through the forum to find the quote from Jens regarding the difference between CD32 and A1200:

-----------------------------------------------
"A CD32 is NOT an A1200, as it lacks the CIA chips. The Akiko chip has some of the CIA functionality included, but not all, hence compatibility with existing software is not 100%. If you want to turn a CD32 into an A1200-compatible computer, you *must* add CIA chips.

Further, the bus timing on the CD32 is different from an A1200. Connecting an A1200 accelerator does not work by just wiring up the right signals. Some added logic is required.

Connectors is no problem at all. When I was in Taiwan last time, we've tried the configurable tooling with the CD32 connector config, and it worked right away. Since the main cost is to actually put the tooling on the machine, I have made a good quantity which I now have in stock. Nice white brand new connectors. And no time to actually make an SX32-like design, because there are so many other projects in the pipe...

Jens"
-------------------------------------------------

The first paragraph is about the CIA but tbh, that was an assumption from Jens that you'd wanna make the CD32 fully compatible with an A1200. Since I was the one asking, I can tell, I didn't actually had that part in mind. So for me, full compatibility is not an issue..

The second paragraph however tells me that its not as simple as just a routine wiring-up from one connector to the other.. Some logic is needed apparently.. Not sure about the *kind* of logic.. but..*Should* that logic be in an FPGA then he could add a jtag connector and sell the CIA functionality as a paid upgrade ;-)

[eXeler0]

@plasmab Did you ever stumble across "Project Hermes" or "Pyramid"?

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[alexh]

Originally Posted by eXeler0

I agree, I don't want anything as clumsy as the SX32.

You mean the SX1. The SX32 is internal