SD/USB/sound and more extension for 8 bits computers

This is the right place to discuss on how to implement hardware vsync, adding a VIA or AY chipset, puting multiple roms, or how to design a new flash expansion card.
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Hialmar
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SD/USB/sound and more extension for 8 bits computers

Post by Hialmar »

Sorry the text is only available in french:
http://forum.system-cfg.com/viewtopic.p ... leX#p91941

The goal is to build an extension for 8 bit computers that will allow them to access external storage on SD/USB along with a sound processor and other devices like Joysticks and so on.

We would need to write an Operating System for it maybe based on Sedoric.

I will look at it in details and post again later on.

Edit: we will also need to build a connector to plug this on the Oric extension port.
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Re: SD/USB/sound and more extension for 8 bits computers

Post by Godzil »

If it use the expansion port, there is "no problem" but this is not an easy task as the way the Ext work.


and I fear that it won't be a huge hit on the Oric scene. "universal" stuffs are generally full of compromise and does not work as well as it can on all platform.
I think that specific device like the Cumulus, giving compatibility with already existing hardware are a more wise view of the device that need to be done on old platforms like the Oric.

Also it's almost impossible to make a card that is universal to all platform as no platform use the same memory layout, lots of them use different CPUs, the way to access the memory etc..

For example the way the Oric is made, external memory must be on last 16KB of the memory, and the IO ports on the 0x03xx memory range, and it should NOT cover the IO ports used by the VIA, and you need to use some specific IO like the /IO signal, /MAP signal, and you need to take special care of the Phi2 signal as 2/3 of the memory bus access are used by the ULA for displaying.

Universal things are generally a nice idea on paper, but impracticable in the real world.
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Re: SD/USB/sound and more extension for 8 bits computers

Post by irios »

Hello everybody,

I'm the designer of the TripleX. An interface that will be usable on any vintage computer.
The mechanics are simple : address decoding is adapted according to each computer.
You have to change the decoding chips and connection cable.
After exelvision , I connected it to a computer thomson MO5 and it works. Once I have done all the tests on the range thomson , I will pass on Oric.
I will give you news if you want.

Thank for your interest.
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Re: SD/USB/sound and more extension for 8 bits computers

Post by Dbug »

Looking forward to read about the progress :)
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Re: SD/USB/sound and more extension for 8 bits computers

Post by Godzil »

irios wrote:Hello everybody,

I'm the designer of the TripleX. An interface that will be usable on any vintage computer.
The mechanics are simple : address decoding is adapted according to each computer.
You have to change the decoding chips and connection cable.
After exelvision , I connected it to a computer thomson MO5 and it works. Once I have done all the tests on the range thomson , I will pass on Oric.
I will give you news if you want.

Thank for your interest.
So it's not a real universal product as the most complex part need to be changed for each computer :)

Anyway, good luck with the Oric, the expansion bus is not something simple to handle and it have a lot of quirk :)
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