Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

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.
User avatar
iss
Wing Commander
Posts: 1641
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:43 pm
Location: Bulgaria
Contact:

Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by iss »

Hi all,

I want to share this small HW project - Oric extender which I've created recently:
20200726_181038.jpg
It includes full buffering for address bus, data bus, proper connection for all control signals and a configurable address decoder for the range $300...$3FF in 'slices' of 16 bytes.
Its primary goal is to provide the basis for any hardware project which targets Oric expansion in a stable way - minimizing the number of lose connections with 'dupont' wires.

For those who are really interested in Oric hardware development I have 5-6 spare PCB's which I can share for free, of course schematics and some basic description will be provided too.
I hope to demonstrate the extender in real action soon ;).
User avatar
jbperin
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 480
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2019 11:00 am
Location: Valence, France

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by jbperin »

:shock:

Waou !! That's so creative !!

It's a kind of electronic sand box for extension board designing and testing.

What a good idea !
User avatar
Dbug
Site Admin
Posts: 4444
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 10:00 pm
Location: Oslo, Norway
Contact:

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by Dbug »

Cool, so basically using this as a reference design, it's possible to make cards that can use address spaces that don't overlap on each other and can then run alongside properly?
User avatar
ibisum
Wing Commander
Posts: 1645
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 8:56 am
Location: Vienna, Austria
Contact:

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by ibisum »

If I didn't have a Twilighte boardset, I'd be all over this .. compatible?

EDIT: Looks awesome, btw.
User avatar
iss
Wing Commander
Posts: 1641
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:43 pm
Location: Bulgaria
Contact:

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by iss »

Dbug wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 6:24 pm Cool, so basically using this as a reference design, it's possible to make cards that can use address spaces that don't overlap on each other and can then run alongside properly?
Hmmm, yes, but I didn't even thought about such possibility :).
For sure there should be added one more 34-pin connector to allow chain-connection of more cards.
User avatar
Dbug
Site Admin
Posts: 4444
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 10:00 pm
Location: Oslo, Norway
Contact:

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by Dbug »

iss wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 8:04 pm
Dbug wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 6:24 pm Cool, so basically using this as a reference design, it's possible to make cards that can use address spaces that don't overlap on each other and can then run alongside properly?
Hmmm, yes, but I didn't even thought about such possibility :).
For sure there should be added one more 34-pin connector to allow chain-connection of more cards.
Ok, rhetOrical question: Using the same technology, could you make a board with say, 4 connectors, each with a DIP switch block to select the range like you did on that board, so we could connect existing incompatible Oric hardware at the same time, like:
- Microdisc
- Technimusic Speech Synthesiser
- RS232/Serial interface
- Midi interface
?
User avatar
iss
Wing Commander
Posts: 1641
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:43 pm
Location: Bulgaria
Contact:

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by iss »

Yes, it's not only possible but also doable :).
User avatar
jbperin
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 480
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2019 11:00 am
Location: Valence, France

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by jbperin »

I woud love to have one of this marvel.

Does it come with rippon cable and connector to the Oric extension port ?
User avatar
Badger
Pilot Officer
Posts: 84
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2018 10:04 am
Location: Wigan, England

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by Badger »

This looks like a good experimenters board and one I would like to have.

I'd happily pay for 1 of the pcbs.

3 questions.

Does it get power from the Oric expansion port, or use an external supply?

The (what looks like) an arduino, could I use something different in its place such as an ESP32. I would need to make a little converter oard to match the pins like for like.

Is there printer port access on there too or just limited to the expansion port. Printer port would be nice as it gives access to the VIA.

No matter what the answer to the questions, still a very useful piece of kit to make life easier.

1 last very quick question. I'm guessing it would be possible to program a eeprom say , connect it to the board and have it become the oric rom without opening it up? If this is true I definately want one :D
flag_uk Amateurs built the Ark, Professionals built the Titanic.
User avatar
ibisum
Wing Commander
Posts: 1645
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 8:56 am
Location: Vienna, Austria
Contact:

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by ibisum »

I only hope this doesn't supplant the Twilighte/orix efforts. I mean, actually, maybe it will - I could see orix being put to effective use here as well: joining two Oric's together to make a multi-CPU Oric?
User avatar
Badger
Pilot Officer
Posts: 84
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2018 10:04 am
Location: Wigan, England

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by Badger »

ibisum wrote: Sat Sep 19, 2020 1:39 pm I only hope this doesn't supplant the Twilighte/orix efforts.
I don't think it will, I see it more as a develpment tool to test new hardware etc., before coming up with a final design. Will save a lot of messing around with breadboards and wires and such.

Thats how I see it anyway, and becasue a lot of these hardware projects are done for pleasure rather than for commercial success, I doubt development of any particular thing would stop.
flag_uk Amateurs built the Ark, Professionals built the Titanic.
mmu_man
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 322
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:45 pm
Location: 26000 Valence, FRANCE
Contact:

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by mmu_man »

Interesting, although I'm not sure the form factor would fit with what I had in mind for extensions… which way is the expansion connector wired? ie. where would the power jack be related to the board?
I guess it's not that important since it's for prototyping.
Dbug wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 6:34 am Ok, rhetOrical question: Using the same technology, could you make a board with say, 4 connectors, each with a DIP switch block to select the range like you did on that board, so we could connect existing incompatible Oric hardware at the same time, like:
- Microdisc
- Technimusic Speech Synthesiser
- RS232/Serial interface
- Midi interface
?
Hmm you mean, like remapping the address of those? You could probably AND I/O with the selected range and send this to each card, but then you'd have to remap the address bits you send to the device as well, and of course patch the software because ORIC software usually hardcodes these since there weren't any autodetection mechanism…
mmu_man
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 322
Joined: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:45 pm
Location: 26000 Valence, FRANCE
Contact:

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by mmu_man »

By the way, do we have a registry of I/O ports around to know which hardware use which? Some file in the svn repo (CSV?) that could be parsed to generate some wiki table maybe?
User avatar
iss
Wing Commander
Posts: 1641
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:43 pm
Location: Bulgaria
Contact:

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by iss »

mmu_man wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 1:14 am which way is the expansion connector wired? ie. where would the power jack be related to the board? I guess it's not that important since it's for prototyping.
Some pics:
20201109_023144.jpg
20201109_023215.jpg
The form factor is 96mm x 96mm and the only reason for this is the price - the most of PCB producers have a limit for very cheap pcbs 100mm x 100mm - with every mm more the price jumps. I've made this extender exactly for prototyping and only for myself, but because it's actually useful and I have more pieces than I need I decided to share them.

Else, what you see on the second picture is working :!: prototype with so many possibilities that I had to put the project on hold just to enumerate what can be done with it :twisted:
User avatar
Symoon
Archivist
Posts: 2307
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2006 12:44 am
Location: Paris, France

Re: Oric extender - a basis for DIY projects and experiments

Post by Symoon »

mmu_man wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2020 1:51 am By the way, do we have a registry of I/O ports around to know which hardware use which? Some file in the svn repo (CSV?) that could be parsed to generate some wiki table maybe?
There's an attempt at Seilebost's site (scroll down)
http://passionoric.free.fr/eng/oric.htm

It's already a nice effort, but yeah something more up to date would be cool with all the new hardware around :)
Post Reply