Custom Flashrom design for Amigas - Page 3

phipscube · 29 November 2012, 20:56

Yeah I can take some pics next week. My Amiga is half packed ready for an Amiga Weekend gathering in Copenhagen ATM. The boards are basically mounted on some sockets with extra pins soldered in the top to hold it. I recon if they are desoldered off, and through pins added instead then they would easily fit a Real Kick Rom on them. I've considered this myself, but figured if I could get it to work with the upper location as 3.1 and lower location as the "useable" area for custom 3.9 i'd not need to have the real Kicks. But like has been said, there is the risk of wiping the whole flash then its good to have the real ones as a backup. (I'm just limited to space as I have a Delfina Soundcard resting on the kicks with about 1mm before the keyboard hits).

Mrs Beanbag · 29 November 2012, 21:12

oh wow... if I could reprogram my Amiga ROM, imagine the mischief I could get up to.

Ext 2 filesystem, that would be neat.

phipscube · 29 November 2012, 23:20

Just to add to the plus points of having Flash instead of the physical Roms, My Amiga is booting noticeably faster than with the old 27C800's I had in previously.

robinsonb5 · 30 November 2012, 00:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by phipscube

Just to add to the plus points of having Flash instead of the physical Roms, My Amiga is booting noticeably faster than with the old 27C800's I had in previously.

Are you sure about that - or could it be the placebo effect?

(As far as I know - though I could be wrong here - the ROM access timing is fixed, since the ROM chips don't have any kind of Data Ready" signal - so it's hard to see how the ROM technology could influence boot speed. Maybe the actual code in the ROMs is subtly different?)

phipscube · 30 November 2012, 08:33

Well I wasn't expecting any difference, I noticed it without even thinking about it. I was like... "was that right?" so I reset the machine a few times to be sure, then cold booted as well. Its not a drastically faster time, but noticeable. I'd say a good 2 to 3 seconds, Its noticeable at the beginning of booting between rom pass and first HDD access. Once the HDD kicks in its the same speed from there.

Methanoid · 30 November 2012, 12:32

Kipper2k is my hero.... Some great low cost but V useful projects... Count me in when its ready!

pandy71 · 30 November 2012, 13:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by phipscube

Well I wasn't expecting any difference, I noticed it without even thinking about it. I was like... "was that right?" so I reset the machine a few times to be sure, then cold booted as well. Its not a drastically faster time, but noticeable. I'd say a good 2 to 3 seconds, Its noticeable at the beginning of booting between rom pass and first HDD access. Once the HDD kicks in its the same speed from there.

Not possible - timing is exactly same for ROM and FLASH.

Mrs Beanbag · 30 November 2012, 14:28

Time to get out the stopwatch - you'd be amazed how many impossible things actually happen.

kipper2k · 30 November 2012, 19:40

I ordered some chips (Macronix and AMD) and have a few beta board designs ready for submission so be about 3 weeks before i can start playing, It's also vacation time for me so hopefully i'll have time to play.

cosmicfrog · 04 December 2012, 05:58

KIpper can I have a version of toni`s crystal ball implemented plz
it dosnt need to be as good as his

dam and I wanted to say just 2 more weeks ...... hehehehe happy snow man watching

phipscube · 04 December 2012, 08:36

As requested, here are the pics of one of my Epsilon Flash units from underneath: -

cosmicfrog · 04 December 2012, 11:18

Nice
but by Heck them pics are big, have you thought about cropin them just so we see the important bit hehehe just cos you camera dose better macro than mine, its just not fair I tell you

phipscube · 04 December 2012, 23:06

Sorry Cosmic mate

But Kipper asked for them to be big. Get that scroll bar movin'

kipper2k · 05 December 2012, 01:45

Thanks for the pic

Nice and big lol

cosmicfrog · 05 December 2012, 07:54

no not the scroll bar, just maximised the window

RedskullDC · 05 December 2012, 09:00

Hi Kipper2k, et al.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kipper2k

here is a pic of Redskulls design using original kickstart and 2 extra flash. Chip enable is used by manual switches

Pic removed to save space...

with just the one flashrom, the logic would be easier and it would be a case of setting the address lines to boot the required area of flashrom memory into the Amiga. CE (chip enable) must be logic low for the chip to be enabled and WE (Write Enable) must be logic low to enable flashing of the rom. Switch 3 determines whether one of the 2 512k images appears or if the board will appear as a 1MB kickstart image

At the time I did that design, the 29F040's were in plentiful supply here in Oz, at fairly cheap prices.

If you are interested in Flash chips which will *basically* plug into the DIP sockets on your Amiga motherboard, take a look at the MX29F1615.
(Will need some minor decoding)

I recently bought a batch of 10 off this guy:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250538346016
100ns, 1Mx16, 42pin DIP.

Easily programmable while in circuit, or the "TOP" programmers can handle it asily enough (I have a TOP3100).

---
Also a source for 42pin DIP sockets, should the need arise

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180986000914

Cheers,
Red

hooverphonique · 05 December 2012, 10:29

except that it requires 10V on a pin to be programmed, so this must be derived from e.g. +12V and then fed to the adapter (or vice versa).

RedskullDC · 05 December 2012, 11:36

Hi Hooverphonique,

Quote:

Originally Posted by hooverphonique

except that it requires 10V on a pin to be programmed, so this must be derived from e.g. +12V and then fed to the adapter (or vice versa).

I guess you're referring to the MX29F1615.

True, it does require 10V on the *BYTE/VPP pin during programming.
Easily generated with a 2N2222/BC549 transistor and a resitor or two, as a function of *WE and the *CE signal to the flash chip.

Apart from that, it is pin for pin compatible with the 62408 mask ROM used in the Amigas.
(62408 is NC on pin 42 [A19]).

Cheers,
Red

p.s. Links to datasheets for those who may be curious:
http://www.alldatasheet.com/datashee...MX29F1615.html

http://www.alldatasheet.com/datashee...I/HN62408.html

Bamiga2002 · 05 December 2012, 14:24

I want this! Would be cool to have USB kb and mouse working straight from boot-time! Also all patches could be integrated. Please make this happen me wants!

phipscube · 05 December 2012, 15:01

Something i've been wondering too is if its possible to make 2MB Kicks. I think I read somewhere (A1k?) that there is enough space in address for up to 2.5MB?

If we want to get serious with USB and CD booting etc we need more than 1MB I think.

Be awesome if its possible. I'd imagine the 1MB.ROM module could be updated somehow?

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29 November 2012, 20:56	#41
phipscube WipEout Fanboi Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ringsted / Denmark Age: 48 Posts: 263	Yeah I can take some pics next week. My Amiga is half packed ready for an Amiga Weekend gathering in Copenhagen ATM. The boards are basically mounted on some sockets with extra pins soldered in the top to hold it. I recon if they are desoldered off, and through pins added instead then they would easily fit a Real Kick Rom on them. I've considered this myself, but figured if I could get it to work with the upper location as 3.1 and lower location as the "useable" area for custom 3.9 i'd not need to have the real Kicks. But like has been said, there is the risk of wiping the whole flash then its good to have the real ones as a backup. (I'm just limited to space as I have a Delfina Soundcard resting on the kicks with about 1mm before the keyboard hits).

29 November 2012, 21:12	#42
Mrs Beanbag Glastonbridge Software Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Edinburgh/Scotland Posts: 2,243	oh wow... if I could reprogram my Amiga ROM, imagine the mischief I could get up to. Ext 2 filesystem, that would be neat.

29 November 2012, 23:20	#43
phipscube WipEout Fanboi Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ringsted / Denmark Age: 48 Posts: 263	Just to add to the plus points of having Flash instead of the physical Roms, My Amiga is booting noticeably faster than with the old 27C800's I had in previously.

30 November 2012, 08:33	#45
phipscube WipEout Fanboi Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ringsted / Denmark Age: 48 Posts: 263	Well I wasn't expecting any difference, I noticed it without even thinking about it. I was like... "was that right?" so I reset the machine a few times to be sure, then cold booted as well. Its not a drastically faster time, but noticeable. I'd say a good 2 to 3 seconds, Its noticeable at the beginning of booting between rom pass and first HDD access. Once the HDD kicks in its the same speed from there.

30 November 2012, 12:32	#46
Methanoid Retired Quartex Sysop Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Roman Verulamium Age: 58 Posts: 1,873	Kipper2k is my hero.... Some great low cost but V useful projects... Count me in when its ready!

30 November 2012, 14:28	#48
Mrs Beanbag Glastonbridge Software Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Edinburgh/Scotland Posts: 2,243	Time to get out the stopwatch - you'd be amazed how many impossible things actually happen.

30 November 2012, 19:40	#49
kipper2k Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Thunder Bay, Canada Posts: 4,323	I ordered some chips (Macronix and AMD) and have a few beta board designs ready for submission so be about 3 weeks before i can start playing, It's also vacation time for me so hopefully i'll have time to play.

04 December 2012, 05:58	#50
cosmicfrog The 1 who ribbits Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: leek, Staffs, UK Age: 56 Posts: 3,557	KIpper can I have a version of toni`s crystal ball implemented plz it dosnt need to be as good as his dam and I wanted to say just 2 more weeks ...... hehehehe happy snow man watching

04 December 2012, 08:36	#51
phipscube WipEout Fanboi Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ringsted / Denmark Age: 48 Posts: 263	As requested, here are the pics of one of my Epsilon Flash units from underneath: -

04 December 2012, 11:18	#52
cosmicfrog The 1 who ribbits Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: leek, Staffs, UK Age: 56 Posts: 3,557	Nice but by Heck them pics are big, have you thought about cropin them just so we see the important bit hehehe just cos you camera dose better macro than mine, its just not fair I tell you

04 December 2012, 23:06	#53
phipscube WipEout Fanboi Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ringsted / Denmark Age: 48 Posts: 263	Sorry Cosmic mate But Kipper asked for them to be big. Get that scroll bar movin'

05 December 2012, 01:45	#54
kipper2k Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Thunder Bay, Canada Posts: 4,323	Thanks for the pic Nice and big lol

05 December 2012, 07:54	#55
cosmicfrog The 1 who ribbits Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: leek, Staffs, UK Age: 56 Posts: 3,557	no not the scroll bar, just maximised the window

05 December 2012, 10:29	#57
hooverphonique ex. demoscener "Bigmama" Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Fyn / Denmark Posts: 1,624	except that it requires 10V on a pin to be programmed, so this must be derived from e.g. +12V and then fed to the adapter (or vice versa).

05 December 2012, 14:24	#59
Bamiga2002 BlizzardPPC'less Join Date: May 2004 Location: Finland Age: 46 Posts: 3,210	I want this! Would be cool to have USB kb and mouse working straight from boot-time! Also all patches could be integrated. Please make this happen me wants!

05 December 2012, 15:01	#60
phipscube WipEout Fanboi Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ringsted / Denmark Age: 48 Posts: 263	Something i've been wondering too is if its possible to make 2MB Kicks. I think I read somewhere (A1k?) that there is enough space in address for up to 2.5MB? If we want to get serious with USB and CD booting etc we need more than 1MB I think. Be awesome if its possible. I'd imagine the 1MB.ROM module could be updated somehow?

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