I’ve printed two books using the Lulu service. (One for Tyrone) When they arrived, I noticed some faults. Lucky Lulu will be printing them again for me.
And I’ve been busy building a Mega Tower with 4 Motherboards. This will have a superb processing power! .. not. It houses some old motherboards for hardcore machine coding on real old hardware.
Todo:
Rework on the cables
3D print an information plaque on the front of each board
Add a control panel on each board
Maybe some dust cover would be nice
I can remove the boards, and place them on a table. I’ve made some custom feet for them. Twist and lock by my own design.
The openscad files:
The locking is done by making the cylinder slightly oval by 0.5mm
Emulates a floppy drive: Meatloaf plugs into the Commodore 64’s IEC serial port and acts like a virtual floppy drive. This allows you to load software and data stored on its internal flash memory, sd card, or stream it via WiFi using various protocols from servers all over the world.
Supports multiple virtual drives: Unlike a single floppy drive, Meatloaf can be configured to emulate up to 26 virtual drives (IDs 4-30). Each virtual drive can have a different disk image loaded, essentially offering the equivalent of having thousands of floppies connected to your C64.
Supports additional virtual device types: Printers, a network interface, and more.
Connects to the internet: Meatloaf also functions as a WiFi modem, enabling your Commodore 64 to connect to Telnet BBS (bulletin board systems) for communication and sharing information.
load from urldebug outputmy own repo testOnly a Lolin D32 and a cable with din connector.
I’ve been busy programming Python and NodeRed for a client. But these are the things I’ve done in the last days.
C64 Assembly: Breaking borders, using sprites and multicolor font intro.
It does not look impressive, but I’ve learned a lot. Found a new way (for me) to open borders and change border colours on predefined raster lines. Sources will be posted.
KiCad tutorial, posted on YT also because I could not find many resources about the subject online. Maybe it’s helpful
Video editing using Kdenlive.
Edit: Even faster, use Netlabels, no need to join pins. Press L (uppercase) select pin 1, name 1. Press and hold insert until all pins named. Copy paste socket 5 times and goto your PCB tab.
This movie is about creating a backplane for a 6502 SBC I’m building. It is real-time and below 4 minutes.
Multi Keyboard
My small multitouch screen came in. This is for my previously mentioned multi-computer case.
It is going to show multiple keyboard layouts for different systems. (See previous posts about this)
Waveshare display, Raspberry Zero as HID device, using USB and pin emulated keyboards. (c64 matrix, AT (DIN) keyboard, ps2 keyboard)
Some example screens
Vic-20
Photo-realistic
Petscii C64
Another C64
I’m also going to make a layout like the keyboards on my 8085
Made a clock circuit and busy designing a power-on-reset schematic. I’ve made one before, but this circuit needs RESET and HALT being pulled low.
8mhz 5V
The 68000 being 24 bit address and 16 bit data needs 2x 8-bit roms and 2x 8 bit ram, but i didn’t have the components yet in this picture.
Address decoder using ATF22V10C is also halfway. Schematics online soon.
Started a protected Git repo for C64 demo and proof of concepts for our old ICECREW group.
Installed Gitea, behind a reverse proxy. Part of reverse proxy
ProxyRequests Off
ProxyPreserveHost On
SSLProxyVerify none
SSLProxyCheckPeerCN off
SSLProxyCheckPeerName off
<Location />
ProxyPass http://10.x.y.z:3000/
ProxyPassReverse http://10.x.y.z:3000/
Require ip 213.10.144.27
Require ip a.b.c.d
Require ip e.f.g.h
</Location>
Gitea config with token login over https
Generate token
Login https://icecrew.henriaanstoot.nl/
Select your profile (upper right)
And select Settings > Applications
Select a name for your token. And press generate
Top screen shows a token, copy this!
Create new project
Press explore (upper left)
Select organisation and icecrew
Press New Repository, give a name and create
(press https when not defaulted, there is NO ssh to this server)
The example is wrong! (Use below changing TOKENHERE and PROJECTNAME
touch README.md
git init -b master
git add README.md
git commit -m "first commit"
git remote add origin https://TOKENHERE@icecrew.henriaanstoot.nl/icecrew/PROJECTNAME.git
git push -u origin master
Clone a project
Goto a project
press HTTPS when not defaulted to this.
git clone https://icecrew.henriaanstoot.nl/icecrew/borderflag.git
edit .git/config and add your token to the url ! to push
My Sidplayer as an option to select own collection. And I’ve made a top list
# Best composers (no order)
Ouwehand_Reyn
Tel_Jeroen
Huelsbeck_Chris
Rowlands_Steve
Hubbard_Rob
Daglish_Ben
Follin_Tim
Gray_Matt
Tjelta_Geir
Mibri (from get in the Van)
# Best tunes (no order)
R-Type.sid
Arkanoid.sid
Bottom.sid
Turbo_Outrun.sid
A_Tune_for_Unity.sid
Ohne_Dich_Rammstein.sid
# Start of own collection (not in above collection)
Abyssus_Ignis_[8580].sid
Catastrophe_[8580].sid
Dumb_Terminal_[8580].sid
Get_in_the_Van_[8580].sid
Getting_in_the_Van_[8580].sid
Supercharger_[8580].sid
Tuna_Guitar_[8580].sid
Investigating syncing effect to Sid music.
I got a great tip from Youth who made the Freakandel demo presented at X2024.
> Setup the loop to play the music
> Copy part of the memory to the screen ($0400) in the same loop to look for memory locations that are used as variables for the music. > Looking at
> Memory where the music is stored
> Zeropage ($00-$ff)
> See if there's some useful changes that coincide with for example drums
> For my own tunes, I use a music routine where I can put event markers in the music itself and react to those from the code. That's >how I synced https://www.micheldebree.nl/posts/big_angry_sprite/
> You could also try reading the SID registers for voice 3 (waveform and ADSR), those are the only ones that are not write-only. > Obviously you can then only react to those changes in voice 3.
I used retrodebugger to see which bytes are changing. Then I wrote a program which changes the background colour to this value. I also made a program to use a joystick to see which address have the most interesting effect. (use up)
!cpu 650rasterline
!to "borderflag.prg",cbm
* = $0801
!byte $0d,$08,$dc,$07,$9e,$20,$34
!byte $39,$31,$35,$32,$00,$00,$00
* = $c000
sei ; turn off interrupts
ldx #1 ; enable raster interrupts
stx $d01a
lda #<irq ; set raster interrupt vector
ldx #>irq
sta $0314
stx $0315
ldy #$f0 ; set first interrupt rasterline
sty $d012
lda $d011 ; reset rasterline hi bit
and #%01111111
sta $d011
asl $d019 ; ack VIC interrupts
cli
loop_until_doomsday
jmp loop_until_doomsday
irq
asl $d019 ; ack irq
lda #$01 ; set screenframe and background
sta $d020
lda #$02
sta $d021
lda #$38 ; wait for line $38
cmp $d012
bne *-3
lda #$02 ; set screenframe and background
sta $d020
lda #$01
sta $d021
lda #$f9 ; wait for line $f9C
cmp $d012 ; just below border in 25 row mode
bne *-3
lda $d011 ; switch to 24 row mode ($d011 bit 3 = 0)
and #$f7 ; %11110111
sta $d011
lda #$fd ; wait for line $fd
cmp $d012 ; just below border in 25 row mode
bne *-3
lda $d011 ; switch back to 25 row mode ($d011 bit 3 = 1)
ora #$08 ; %00001000
sta $d011
jmp $ea31 ; exit irq
Started working on my breadboard version of a 68k computer. When it’s working, I’ll make a PCB version. Using almost only parts I still have. (No 8mhz crystal)
The 68000 being 24 bit address and 16 bit data needs 2x 8-bit roms and 2x 8 bit ram, but i didn’t have the components yet in this picture.
While tinkering with above, my Fatter Agnus chip came in.
To make a 1mb chipmem version of your rev 5 amiga (PAL)
You need to have a newer version of the Agnus chip (I had 8371, and bought a 8372a) AND you need a 512kb trapdoor memory expansion.
An unmodded rev 5 will see 512kb Chip mem and 512 Fast mem.
Replacing the Agnus 8371 for 8372a: I lost my PLCC puller, so I modded a paperclip into a puller 🙂
MISSING IN ACTION
When placing the new chip, I had to tape pin 41 for PAL version. I used Polyimide Film tape.
Next I had to cut the jumper 2 connection and solder the other pads. (Bottom and middle disconnect and middle and top bridged)
Next was another cut on the PCB, this disables the trapdoor card detection.
I bought a little notebook while being there. I wrote about 12 pages of ideas, schematics and projects to start.
Rewrite Wozmon to use my composite pcb (Atmega328) access though via
Building a 68000 pcb with a minimal machine code monitor. Using a atf22v10 as address decoder. (Same as my 6502 , I love those devices) Maybe I’ll add a micro sdcard reader
Add a lcd matrix display to my 8088/8086
Creating a PLA alternative for C64 using ath22v10 (again)
Make backplanes for my 6502, so I can plug cards with different POC cards. Clockcard, Latched bus leds, multiple VIA’s, IRQ controller, SID + Buzzer (Maybe also AY-3-8910, see other posts), LCD, composite, serial, Matrix and serial_usb) keyboard)
IRQ controller because I have some devices without opendrain, so I can’t tie all IRQ’s together
Amiga Chip Mem mod for rev 5 (using a ‘new’ 8372A)
8085 Cartridge new approach
C64Pico fix and add backplane + breadboard version for POCs
… more
First version PLA with atf22v10
PCB mockup (two ATF22v10 on top and a wide pin setup for placement in C64
Wide PLA
8085 Cartridge revisited
Working on 8085 cartridge
Problem with cartridge: prg is 17k, exomized 10k. So you need 2 banks of 8k. This disables basic rom, needed for the program. The program needs to be relocated to 0x800 anyway. So my exomizer options will take care of that. But the basic is not being enabled again.
exomizer sfx sys -o data.exo -Di_ram_enter=\$37 -Di_ram_during=\$34 -f'LDA #$37 STA $01' 8085.prg
xa frame.asm -o frame.bin
x64 -cart16 frame.bin
Ports of Call is a 1986 business simulation game developed by German duo Rolf-Dieter Klein and Martin Ulrich, and published by Aegis Interactive Entertainment. The game simulates the management of a global freight transport company, where the player charters freight, and, using the accumulated profit, can buy more and better ships. Minigames include manually piloting your ship into a specified berth in the harbour and picking up survivors from a life-raft.
I loved the manoeuvring part, especially the large ships with both front and back rudders.
Here are some screenshots from Amiga Forever emulator
Test picture of a multiprocessor computer setup. Using buttons on the right, I want the possibility to change between systems and keyboard settings. Also, multiple software/OS slots for SDCards will be on the right.
Mockup using a laptop display (eeepc) a bought display controller and a pi2 with Faux86
The lid containing the keyboard has a handle!
After laser cutting a nice front, it could become a nice road warrior hacking station.
I’m going to replace the wireless keyboard, probably with a touch display and a programmable layout for keyboards. Something like below
Some layouts:
8088650268000
I’ll probably buy this one from waveshare
Info about Faux86
8086/8088, V20, 80186 and limited 286 instruction set.
Configurable CPU speeds from 5Mhz up to 100Mhz.
Custom Hardware BIOS’s supported.
Supports bootable disk images in .img and .raw file format.
CGA / EGA / VGA Colour Video emulation, with most modes supported.
PC Speaker, Adlib, Soundblaster and Disney SoundSource.
UART Com Ports.
Standard PC XT Keyboard.
Serial Port 2-Button mouse.
"If something is worth doing, it's worth overdoing."