EclaireXL

07/09/2017

FO 01:25 PM Feature #24: A board with Atari SOUL!!!! (ROM in block ram support)

I'm using block ram in the FPGA for the OS ROM and BASIC. It can be read in 2 cycles and written to in 1 cycle. SDRAM takes about 5-6 iirc. So in turbo mode, with no cpu cache, this makes a huge difference in speed. foft

07/07/2017

SA 11:05 PM Feature #24: A board with Atari SOUL!!!! (ROM in block ram support)

??? What you mean here? sadosp

FO 09:26 PM Feature #24: A board with Atari SOUL!!!! (ROM in block ram support)

Also of course nice and fast vs uncached sdram...
sysinfo fp test from 6x->20x :-) I probably need a cache to get this closer to 30-40x, but that will take some work. foft

FO 09:13 PM Feature #2: PBI support

Added antic refresh cycles foft

07/06/2017

FO 09:28 PM Feature #51: Debug port

I have a first cut of this building. This will be part of the v15 core.
Next I need to build the capture software to stream this into the PC. Then some post-analysis software, probably a hacked up emulator. foft

07/05/2017

FO 09:41 PM Bug #49 (Closed): CORE13 - NTSC/PAL switching

foft

FO 09:40 PM Bug #49: CORE13 - NTSC/PAL switching

Fixed, will be in v15 when I release it. foft

07/04/2017

FO 09:31 PM Bug #49: CORE13 - NTSC/PAL switching

Trying to fix this one, but its nasty. I need more brain cycles to fix it... foft

FO 09:29 PM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

Hmm, just reading that IRE is _relative_ so that might be why increasing voltage didn't make anything brighter!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRE_(unit)
So I wonder if I could have a 0V-0.5V signal that uses the correct relative s... foft

07/03/2017

SA 06:42 AM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

Stephen wrote:
> Hate to be a dunce - where is the documentation for cabling s-video from this board?
You can use Green signal for composite video, or Green signal for Luma and Blue signal for Chroma for S-Video, from RGB connector.
sadosp

ST 12:31 AM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

foft wrote:
> For anyone with composite/svideo setup. Please can you tell me what you think of svideo_gtia6.sof vs the previous version.
> ...
Hate to be a dunce - where is the documentation for cabling s-video from this board? I have... Stephen

07/02/2017

FO 10:50 PM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

For anyone with composite/svideo setup. Please can you tell me what you think of svideo_gtia6.sof vs the previous version.
This is generated more the 'atari way' - i.e. off hue/brightness with phase shifts, rather than being based on ... foft

FO 11:42 AM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

I mean svideo and composite, it's the same thing pretty much.
I've got the gtia style one running pretty well for ntsc now. Its interesting to implement if nothing else:) foft

FO 01:10 PM Bug #54: GTIA issue when Turbo > 4X

Yeah, this kind of test program is very helpful. Thanks. foft

SA 05:54 AM Bug #54: GTIA issue when Turbo > 4X

Thanks Stephen!
sadosp

ST 03:46 AM Bug #54 (Closed): GTIA issue when Turbo > 4X

I'm attaching a BASIC listing of a PMG test program I wrote to assist in diagnosing an issue with the 1088XEL. For fun, I tried running it with the various Turbo speeds. 1, 2, 4 work perfectly. 8, 16, 32 display issues as shown in the... Stephen

07/01/2017

ST 06:43 PM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

sadosp wrote:
> Maybe is time to think about implementing one external RGB -> composite/s-video converter, fit directly to VGA output connector.
> ...
My thoughts (coming from NTSC land). We haven't had TVs or monitors with S-Video co... Stephen

SA 05:31 PM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

Maybe is time to think about implementing one external RGB -> composite/s-video converter, fit directly to VGA output connector.
But the question still remain for me if people really need it.
sadosp

FO 05:05 PM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

That works, kind of! Basic screen and star wars shields look the correct colours, but I have no red. Also very grainy and svideo is a single colour?! foft

FO 12:59 PM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

Writing an 'atari-style' implementation instead of going via RGB. Fixed saturation, simple phase shift for colour. foft

FO 07:10 AM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

Interesting...
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/29621-atari-video-circuits-experiment/
So fixed saturation (except gray), just phase shifted for the cols. Then add luma. Might try that rather than generic rgb component. foft

FO 03:59 PM Feature #53 (Closed): Add version number to settings

Add version number to settings foft

06/30/2017

ST 11:30 PM Bug #52: Atari Control Picture

foft wrote:
> I checked an older core in case I introduced it with the antic timing changes for pbi. Was bad then, so unrelated.
> ...
Excellent - glad it will be of help. I only recently discovered this cool program. Stephen

FO 10:15 PM Bug #52: Atari Control Picture

I checked an older core in case I introduced it with the antic timing changes for pbi. Was bad then, so unrelated.
This is a nice static picture to debug in sim or signaltap. I like this kind of test case:-) foft

FO 10:10 PM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

Added a poke 712,15 for comparison of max values. Interesting how the amplitude for basic 'blue' is so much higher yet the peak amplitude is comparable...
Atari:
!composite_atari_max.png!
Eclaire:
!composite_eclaire_max.png! foft

FO 09:54 PM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

I mean see how the 'white' on ready already takes most of the range, without trying to increase it. foft

FO 09:54 PM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

Atari
!composite_atari_basic.png!
Eclaire
!composite_eclaire_basic.png!
We have a range of 0-1v on the DAC. 0-0.3V sync and 0.3V-1.0V is set by changing the dac level. So trouble is its not really enough. Might still need to chan... foft

FO 09:50 PM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

Added traces of Atari basic from the scope, to see the voltage level differences.
Eclaire is driving my monitor, Atari is through a 66ohm resistor (little low, so voltage is suppressed a little).
Still, a stark difference! foft

06/29/2017

ST 11:30 PM Bug #52 (Closed): Atari Control Picture

CORE14, PAL & NTSC exhibit the same behaviour. When displaying the attached Atari Control Picture, the colour blocks in column 0 are only displaying the rightmost 4 pixels, not the entire 8.
Altirra (and real hardware) : ACP.png
Ecl... Stephen

FO 08:59 PM Bug #49: CORE13 - NTSC/PAL switching

I think I've identified the problem. If the zpu happens to exit the menu at the end of an 'original' cycle the pbi logic can block the response from a memory access. Now to think about how to implement this in a better way... foft

06/27/2017

FO 07:54 PM No news

No news, I've been ill but am almost better!
Is anyone still alive here?
On an unrelated note found this article on how FPGAs work and thought it might be of interest: http://blog.notdot.net/2012/10/Build-your-own-FPGA
foft

06/23/2017

FO 07:27 AM Feature #11: Non-uk keyboard support (custom keyboard mapping)

It's written in c. The Atari core is built with a DMA port and the ability to freeze the 6502. Outside that there is another CPU (the zpu) that draws the menu, handles USB, se card, drive emulation etc. It has quite a lot of custom hardw... foft

91 04:31 AM Feature #11: Non-uk keyboard support (custom keyboard mapping)

Okay, sounds great. So, is the system menu actually an Atari program or is it VHDL code?
917k

06/22/2017

FO 09:12 PM Feature #11: Non-uk keyboard support (custom keyboard mapping)

Yeah, that should work. You just described a multiplexor btw.
Got guests this weekend, so will do the plumbing next week. foft

06/21/2017

91 11:30 PM Feature #11: Non-uk keyboard support (custom keyboard mapping)

Mark,
It works great! Very Cool! Thank you for the test build. If we can add a toggle to the system menu and assign a variable such as *kb_type* to store the keyboard type, the code change would be pretty simple. I am not versed in VH... 917k

FO 08:56 PM Feature #11: Non-uk keyboard support (custom keyboard mapping)

I put up a build with your mapping as ansikbd.sof in the usual place. Let me know if it works as expected please. foft

FO 09:44 AM Feature #11: Non-uk keyboard support (custom keyboard mapping)

Thanks
11 is left alt
extended 11 is right alt - I use 1xx for extended xx.
I'll build a test core with your changes, then we can add a switch later. I wonder if I can identify ansi/iso automatically. foft

91 02:55 AM Feature #11: Non-uk keyboard support (custom keyboard mapping)

Rethinking this, I'm not sure if we need to have a user-mappable keyboard at all as long as we have support for both ANSI and ISO keyboards. The only major change from the default ISO layout (besides moving a few keys to account for diff... 917k

91 02:37 AM Feature #11: Non-uk keyboard support (custom keyboard mapping)

TEST 917k

91 12:06 AM Feature #11: Non-uk keyboard support (custom keyboard mapping)

I would say just use a text file, it's easier to create/edit. Also, The EclaireXL could have keys that have no equivalent in an emulator such as a keyboard shortcuts to map each drive, a key to increase the acceleration on the fly, freez... 917k

FO 09:02 PM Bug #33: Wizard of Wor

I'm going to build a debug tool to make it easier to track these things down.
For now, a workaround. Use 2x turbo mode! It hasn't crashed yet... foft

06/20/2017

SA 09:41 PM Feature #2: PBI support

Excellent! sadosp

FO 07:08 PM Feature #2: PBI support

Hias tried out PBI on the v1.
Surprise: Turbo freezer didn't work! Mine works perfectly on v2...
He investigated and found three things:
i) REF_N pullup is a little low, so with any increased capacitance it takes too long to ris... foft

ND 07:51 PM Feature #11: Non-uk keyboard support (custom keyboard mapping)

its keyboard mapping from ATARI800WIN Emulator, see attached file ndary

FO 07:41 PM Feature #11: Non-uk keyboard support (custom keyboard mapping)

What is an a8k file? Is there already a keyboard mapping file format we can use? foft

FO 07:36 PM Feature #14: Svideo core for first prototype

Worth a read for some background: http://codeandlife.com/2012/10/09/composite-video-decoding-theory-and-practice/#more-1032
After this its 'Video Demystified' for the details foft

FO 07:12 PM Feature #51 (New): Debug port

I'm finding it hard to track down issues in some games/programs. Output debug information so I can look into the problem after the fact.
I'm thinking as a starting point something like this:
8-bit output at 4x clock:
AH,AL,D,FLAG
... foft

06/17/2017

ND 08:17 AM Feature #11: Non-uk keyboard support (custom keyboard mapping)

i think reading a key-map file from the SD CART is a good idea, an a8k file? if the key-map file is corrupt or missing a default map will be loaded from the fpga ndary

91 05:08 AM Feature #11: Non-uk keyboard support (custom keyboard mapping)

foft wrote:
> Computer generated c code for TK2 is here: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/263044-developerstesting-required-for-mini-itx-clone-system-eclairexl/page-6#entry3783384
> ...
Is it worth the time,effort, and fpga space? Coul... 917k

06/15/2017

FO 10:24 PM Bug #33: Wizard of Wor

Turbo freezer does not freeze it when its in 'frozen blocks' state but does otherwise. foft

FO 10:21 PM Bug #33: Wizard of Wor

Tried a different version and I get the 'freeze with blocks' at the end of every level. Will have to see what happens here - is the 6502 still running until I hit f12 and freeze it? foft

FO 09:30 PM Bug #33: Wizard of Wor

Well I tried many settings in Altirra and can't reproduce with a different hardware variant.
Things I found:
i) Recursive NMIs
ii) No illegal op codes, even works on 65C02 etc.
iii) Still works with zero initialised ram (the eclaire ... foft