Latest MEGA65 update supports flashing from SD and a core bootup selection !

adtbm · Mar 3rd 2020

Hi all,

while Paul is in the australian outback, he is still working on the MEGA65.

And we are happy, that we can officially announce, that the MEGA65 reached a new level as a Retro homecomputer !

We are now able to flash a bitstream (core) into the FPGAs flashmemory from SDcard and then, while holding the TAB key, when

switching on the MEGA65, selecting which core to bootup.

This is the next step, to turn the MEGA65 into a multiuseable machine.

So the prerequisites for using the MEGA65 as a C64, VIC20, C16, Plus/4, AMIGA, Atari have been done.

soon cores can be written or ported to the Artix A7, flashed to the MEGA65 and are easily chooseable.

You have 8 core slots available at a time, (where slot one is reserved for the MEGA65 as backup and is not flashable via the new flashing and booting tool).

According to Paul, a further step will be, at a later time to use this function, to download the cores directly from the internet and flash it to the QSPI.

But i will stop talking now and point you over to Paul's blog where he explains the whole creation process very detailed for every technician who's interested and to the accompaning youtube video he did. Have fun reading and watching it.

From my point of view, these are absolutely exciting news !!!

clarkkent · Mar 3rd 2020

Wird die im Mega65 verbaute Hardware überhaupt schnell genug sein bzw genug Speicher/VideoRAM haben, um einen Amiga simulieren zu können?

adtbm · Mar 3rd 2020

Speicher ist genug vorhanden und schnell genug. Die Frage sollte eher sein, ob der MEGA65 in der Lage ist, die Chips des Amiga 500 nachzubilden, bzw. ob genug logic cells dafür zur Verfügung stehen ? Und die Antwort lautet: JA !

Der Amiga 500 dürfte wirklich der warscheinlich heftigste Core zum implementieren sein, aber der MEGA65

könnte es theoretischer Weise ! AMEGA 565 !

There's enough memory available and the memory is fast enough. The question should be, are there enough logic cells available to rebuilt all the Amiga 500 chips ? and the answer is: YES !

The Amiga 500 might be the hardest core to implement, but the MEGA65 is, theoretically, able to ! AMEGA 565 !

clarkkent · Mar 3rd 2020

seit gerade eben steht der Mega65 auf meiner Einkaufsliste...

6581 · Mar 4th 2020

Quote from adtbm

This is the next step, to turn the MEGA65 into a multiuseable machine.

So the prerequisites for using the MEGA65 as a C64, VIC20, C16, Plus/4, AMIGA, Atari have been done.

soon cores can be written or ported to the Artix A7, flashed to the MEGA65 and are easily chooseable.

Implementing a complete Amiga like this on the Mega65 would be fantastic! It would make the Mega65 a real "must buy".

clarkkent · Mar 4th 2020

...und wegen dem im MEGA65 verbauten 3,5 " Disk-Laufwerk auch optimal für den Amiga!

Freddy · Mar 4th 2020

Quote from clarkkent

...und wegen dem im MEGA65 verbauten 3,5 " Disk-Laufwerk auch optimal für den Amiga!

Sind Amiga Disketten MFM-Kodiert??

everslick · Mar 4th 2020

Ein Archimedes Core waere auch ein hit!

Freddy · Mar 4th 2020

Quote from everslick

Ein Archimedes Core waere auch ein hit!

Au ja, ein A4000 mit RiscOS 3

adtbm · Mar 4th 2020

Quote from Freddy

Quote from everslick

Ein Archimedes Core waere auch ein hit!

Au ja, ein A4000 mit RiscOS 3

Scherzkeks ! Ist machbar, aber dann kostet der MEGA65 2k€

Freddy · Mar 4th 2020

Quote from adtbm

Quote from Freddy

Quote from everslick

Ein Archimedes Core waere auch ein hit!

Au ja, ein A4000 mit RiscOS 3

Scherzkeks ! Ist machbar, aber dann kostet der MEGA65 2k€

Voila, Arcimedes A4000:

The A4000 is similar like the Archimedes A3020, it has 2 MB RAM and one HD up to 210MB.

They are based on the ARM250 cpu.

R4M.S · Mar 4th 2020

Currently the developement of Minimig (the Amiga FPGA Core) happens on MIST and MiSTer with only a few active people. Even though both have similar FPGAs (Intel/Altera Cyclone), their code base is considerably different and every patch has to be ported manually from one project to the other.

Now, the MEGA65 uses an FPGA from a different manifacturer which would mean ever bigger differences in the code base.

While it is not impossible, that there will be a Minimig core for MEGA65, it is far from certain that there will be regularly updated one. I guess one should buy the MEGA for its C64 and C65 modes. Everything else are possiblilities which may or may not turn into reality.

adtbm · Mar 4th 2020

Paul told me, that there is already an Amiga core for the Xilinx available:

https://github.com/emard/Minim…V3r0_and_FFC-CA7-V2r0.xdc

he said, that this would be a good starting point and with some effort first results should be achievable quite fast.

He also forked this already:

https://github.com/gardners/Mi…V3r0_and_FFC-CA7-V2r0.xdc

https://github.com/gardners/Minimig_ECS

R4M.S · Mar 4th 2020

This version might be pretty old though. Rok Krajnc did finish the AGA version of Minimig in 2016. So this might not be the best starting point.

I mean, in the end it will be a matter of how big the MEGA community will get and how many people will actively develop for it. Only time will tell.

R4M.S · Mar 4th 2020

I had a closer look at the repository. That it a pre-AGA fork of minimig used in the low cost fleaFPGA ohm

https://www.indiegogo.com/proj…fpga-experimenter-board#/

Probably the AGA version did not fit on that FPGA which is only roughly a fourth in size compared to the MEGA.

If the goal is an up to date Minimig core, one should probably start with the current MIST or MiSTer implementations. My guess would be, that the MIST version would be easier to port. MiSTer uses a hybrid FPGA/HPS chip (much like the Zync series of Xilinx) and outsources a lot of I/O to the linux system running on the HPS side.

igel65 · Oct 20th 2020

After reading this thread I‘d like the idea that the Mega65 Project gets ported to the MiSTer Project.

That would increase the number of Mega65 users by far.

It seems there is a very big MiSTer Community.

And it‘ll make the Mega65 much more affordable.

I was told in this forum that the final Mega65 will be quite expensive.

Very high quality and very well designed, but expensive.

(750€?)

A base MiSTer costs <200€.

You can buy prebuild MiSTer in several internet shops.

I like the idea very much.

Amiga 500, Amiga 1200, Archimedes 3000, Atari ST/STE, PC 486 and hundred systems more (computer/consoles/arcade) are directly aviable.

Maybe it‘s an idea to discuss this further in a seperate thread.

igel65