Search found 93 matches

by Sugarplum
12 Feb 2022, 07:04
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: Tapping the ROM
Replies: 2
Views: 1115

Tapping the ROM

While I may never try this, I just got a brainstorm from the 512K thread and Jeff Laughton's KimKlone. https://laughtonelectronics.com/Arcana/KimKlone/Kimklone_intro.html A point raised in the 512K thread was that most ideas discussed over the years could be realized through the RAM and output regis...
by Sugarplum
10 Feb 2022, 15:54
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: Who wants to see a 100 Mhz Gigatron?
Replies: 12
Views: 3033

Re: Who wants to see a 100 Mhz Gigatron?

Actually, some of what I propose could actually be done on a stock Gigatron with a board that plugs into the ROM socket. Then, like the versatile I/O expander, it could add new instructions and registers. However, that would not give you 75+ Mhz. It could just add shifts, multiplication, more regist...
by Sugarplum
08 Feb 2022, 17:02
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: Who wants to see a 100 Mhz Gigatron?
Replies: 12
Views: 3033

Re: Who wants to see a 100 Mhz Gigatron?

Okay, I think I got confused. The one with the purple PCB has gone up. Where I could use help with my idea is that it is hard to find memory that matches my specs. That is harder than I thought. For a 21-bit ROM, those are hard to find and marked obsolete, and likely only 90 ns. You can likely get t...
by Sugarplum
05 Feb 2022, 06:03
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: I made a ROM full of games
Replies: 11
Views: 2975

Re: I made a ROM full of games

Another idea on ROM space involves other threads where 20-24 bit addresses are considered. While that allows more RAM, it is conceivable that could make wider ROMs possible if one wanted to pursue that. So then a master game ROM like this could be made, and maybe code in the ROM to detect what Gigat...
by Sugarplum
04 Feb 2022, 12:56
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: I made a ROM full of games
Replies: 11
Views: 2975

Re: I made a ROM full of games

Thanks for the explanation. Still, 7 different hardwired games are still a lot when compared to the TV Wizard consoles and the old arcade games. Those are all equipment from the late '70s. It is too bad that arcade games from that time period didn't have multiple games per console. That would have a...
by Sugarplum
04 Feb 2022, 08:44
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: I made a ROM full of games
Replies: 11
Views: 2975

Re: I made a ROM full of games

This is neat, but why are there so many duplicates? Two Pucmon, 2 Puzzles, 3 Invader, 2 Bricks. Are these different variations of the same? Like 32K and 64K, or for different ROM versions, or what?
by Sugarplum
03 Feb 2022, 03:45
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: Who wants to see a 100 Mhz Gigatron?
Replies: 12
Views: 3033

Re: Who wants to see a 100 Mhz Gigatron?

I wasn't really speaking for anyone, just paraphrasing their own words. One of Marcel's philosophies was to not use hardware unless you had to. Plus there is what he said in the FAQ about not wanting to build a machine entirely out of memory. The memory was too slow and expensive for use back in the...
by Sugarplum
02 Feb 2022, 04:18
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: Who wants to see a 100 Mhz Gigatron?
Replies: 12
Views: 3033

Re: Who wants to see a 100 Mhz Gigatron?

As for a new board, it can't be avoided. Too bad the Gigatron didn't start as a backplane board. That would be neat as you could replace sections of functionality at a time. The incremental approach is also inefficient. For instance, let's say you need higher clock rates on other boards. Then you'd ...
by Sugarplum
02 Feb 2022, 03:01
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: Who wants to see a 100 Mhz Gigatron?
Replies: 12
Views: 3033

Re: Who wants to see a 100 Mhz Gigatron?

Thank you both for the perspective. I think we could actually go even faster than 100 Mhz with the memory in the ps range, but I wouldn't know how to wire it up. When it goes that fast, the throughput is faster than the clock rate, it is synchronous, and there are more control lines. As far as that ...
by Sugarplum
31 Jan 2022, 23:10
Forum: Hardware and software hacking
Topic: Who wants to see a 100 Mhz Gigatron?
Replies: 12
Views: 3033

Re: Who wants to see a 100 Mhz Gigatron?

Any thoughts or comments? Any considerations I need to take into account? I guess I'd need to study all the instructions. In a way, the Native would then work like vCPU, like a LUT. Then for the instructions not used, come up with tentative replacement instructions and work out how many control line...