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Flash ROM adapter?
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:51 am
by tingo
Has anyone made a Flash ROM adapter for the Oric machines?
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 6:08 pm
by JamesD
Are you wanting to use Flash to replace the ROM(s) or use it as a storage device?
I haven't seen either but the first is fairly easy.
Since the Oric didn't have cartridge based games a "FLASH Cart" like you can find for many machines isn't particularly useful unless you want to patch a lot of games.
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 8:18 pm
by tingo
I want to use Flash to replace the ROMs, yes.
Then it would be easy to test various bug fixes and enhancements.
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:49 pm
by highwayman
forget flash, it's obsolete.
use Feroram.
(made by ramtron)
it's like sram but nonvolatile - you just write to it like normal.
it comes like ram - 8k, 32k, 128k etc.
so use a 32k and bankswitch the last addressline.
(could be a lifesaver if you keep one bank original incase of crashing the other.
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 5:44 am
by JamesD
You could set it up so you could disable the writes in hardware to prevent corrupting the ROM area.
BTW, Flash is cheaper.
If you use boot block FLASH you just write a command to the FLASH and the first 16K is protected. The startup code could enable the protection unless you press a key on startup.
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 11:29 pm
by highwayman
flash is cheaper, but only comparing £3 to £7
and it's getting harder to find flash that is in a dip package and not just tsop.
Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 3:34 am
by JamesD
I'd be more than happy to sell some 256K PLCC FLASH chips for that price!
http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/prod ... OC1017.PDF
Too bad the shipping from the US would be more than the chip.
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 4:24 am
by highwayman
plcc is no better than tsop for prototyping on stripboard.
besides, the ferro price i listed was u.k. - if you source from the u.s. then it's about £3.70
Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:49 am
by JamesD
highwayman wrote:plcc is no better than tsop for prototyping on stripboard.
And there are DIP adapters on ebay.
Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 2:57 pm
by Twilighte
JamesD wrote:Since the Oric didn't have cartridge based games a "FLASH Cart" like you can find for many machines isn't particularly useful unless you want to patch a lot of games.
Not strictly true, Fabrice Frances demonstrated a 16K Oric cart at a CEO some years back. I think the game was Painter
