Search found 79 matches

by Sugarplum
05 Jan 2023, 01:10
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: 10MHz, 12.5MHz and Beyond!
Replies: 43
Views: 38150

Re: 10MHz, 12.5MHz and Beyond!

I think I know mods to do to a near-stock Gigatron. The more I've thought about it, what would happen if we could get rid of the control unit and also combine that with the carry-skip adder, and all the performance mods that have already been done? The control unit outputs 19 signals. Now, what if y...
by Sugarplum
14 Dec 2022, 17:06
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: ROMv6!
Replies: 22
Views: 1730

Re: ROMv6!

I wish this project can continue. It sounds like an awesome ROM.
by Sugarplum
14 Dec 2022, 10:59
Forum: Escape Meta Alt Control Shift
Topic: Transferring GitHub repo ownership
Replies: 1
Views: 507

Re: Transferring GitHub repo ownership

If worse comes to worst, clone it.
by Sugarplum
30 Nov 2022, 21:10
Forum: Escape Meta Alt Control Shift
Topic: Beyond the Gigatron
Replies: 0
Views: 211

Beyond the Gigatron

I've thought of other ways to mod the Gigatron. For instance, with an I/O expander board, why not connect the ports to it and let it provide the keyboard, video, and sound? The ports could be repurposed in the ROM to send/receive commands to the expander/controller. So you can even emulate interrupt...
by Sugarplum
01 Oct 2022, 23:47
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: vCPU Questions and Necessary Details
Replies: 2
Views: 485

Re: vCPU Questions and Necessary Details

Thank you Quertyface, this is helpful. I may still go ahead. I thank you for your honesty. The challenge is to provide all the functionality of the Gigatron without the native code and take advantage of an 8-cog P2. I honestly think it is possible. And if I pull that off, that would open the door to...
by Sugarplum
29 Sep 2022, 22:52
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: vCPU Questions and Necessary Details
Replies: 2
Views: 485

vCPU Questions and Necessary Details

I don't know if I will make anything, but even if I don't, the information added here could help anyone who does. I've been considering making a machine that uses vCPU without the Gigatron. Using something such as the Propeller 2 microcontroller might be good since one has enough bandwidth and cores...
by Sugarplum
09 Sep 2022, 23:37
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: Would emulating vCPU on a Propeller 2 be feasible?
Replies: 10
Views: 1329

Re: Would emulating vCPU on a Propeller 2 be feasible?

Apparently, the P2 has bytecode interpreter functions. So here is likely how a proposed architecture might look. 1. There should be a setup/supervisor cog. That can test/locate the memory, set up the memory map, display a menu, start the opening sound, provide a loader, and monitor the other cogs. F...
by Sugarplum
20 Aug 2022, 15:53
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: Could a Propeller 2 make a good I/O controller for a modified Gigatron?
Replies: 7
Views: 930

Re: Could a Propeller 2 make a good I/O controller for a modified Gigatron?

Come to think of it, 325 Mhz sounds appropriate based on how things work. Okay, the most common instructions take 2 cycles, you have 8 cogs competing for the common hub memory, and emulating at 3 times the target speed is probably a good rule of thumb. So multiplying all those, you get 48. But the h...
by Sugarplum
20 Aug 2022, 10:14
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: Could a Propeller 2 make a good I/O controller for a modified Gigatron?
Replies: 7
Views: 930

Re: Could a Propeller 2 make a good I/O controller for a modified Gigatron?

He got 64K with version 4 ROM and with 5A, he's getting 128K. ROMv5a had a memory detection bug that would erroneously report 128K on my 64K FPGA. So it could go either way, depending on how much of the hub RAM he set aside and how well he emulated the expansion. What version should he use since he...
by Sugarplum
18 Aug 2022, 04:14
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: Could a Propeller 2 make a good I/O controller for a modified Gigatron?
Replies: 7
Views: 930

Re: Could a Propeller 2 make a good I/O controller for a modified Gigatron?

Roglow over at the Parallax forum emulated a stock Gigatron on a Propeller 2, and even one of the expansion boards: https://forums.parallax.com/uploads/editor/tm/r191lqd12qq7.png He got 64K with version 4 ROM and with 5A, he's getting 128K. His approach emulates the stock machine, so it requires a R...