Unicart64 - The FPGA based cartridge for Commodore 64

borstie · Jun 22nd 2019, 11:44 am

Here are mine:

CPU:

PLA:

VIC:

SID:

Unfortunately my board has still it's problems with black screens so that it does not work reliable enough for any tests...

Peto74 · Aug 1st 2019, 9:27 pm

Hi all,

I have solved my boot from SD card on my "new" 250407 !!!

Now, the "solid red screen problem" visible also on 250425 is fully working on my 250469 & 250407.

wolfme : can you test all 3 boot sequences SD/EF/promt on your machine 250425 ? Thank you in advance !

Note: boot code was also rewritten and it is possible that some cartridges will not work, but this is not important now ...

Here is new firmware:

UC64_2019-07-31-sd-boot-scanner.zip

wolfme · Aug 2nd 2019, 12:52 pm

Quote from Peto74

wolfme : can you test all 3 boot sequences SD/EF/promt on your machine 250425 ? Thank you in advance !

Note: boot code was also rewritten and it is possible that some cartridges will not work, but this is not important now ...

Hi,

Thanks.

I'm sorry, but i can't test the next weeks...

Peto74 · Aug 2nd 2019, 2:32 pm

Quote from wolfme

Quote from Peto74

wolfme : can you test all 3 boot sequences SD/EF/promt on your machine 250425 ? Thank you in advance !

Note: boot code was also rewritten and it is possible that some cartridges will not work, but this is not important now ...

Hi,

Thanks.

I'm sorry, but i can't test the next weeks...

No problem, later is OK. Meantime, I will try to repair the rest ... I have also holidays and restricted time ...

Peto74 · Oct 11th 2019

---

Peto74 · Oct 25th 2019, 12:07 pm

Hi all,

I'm back to this topic after longer time .

I have "finetuned" FPGA firmwares for my both 250469 & 250407 boards. The result is , that I have 2 dedicated firmwares (maybe stupid, but I have nothing better ...).

UC64_2019-10-21-addr-timing-34-35-250469.zip for 250469, and I hope fo 250425 as well (someone has to test it)

UC64_2019-10-22-addr-timing-35-36-250407.zip for 250407

I have tested this firmwares quite deep on that machines and no error has been found ... at least on my machines.

Here is also one "common" firmware, by default for 250469, but the booting works for 250407 as well.

By writing value 1 in register $DE10 (POKE56848,1) the timing constants will be switched into 250407 mode (FC cartridges work correctly & stable).

UC64_2019-10-25-addr-timing-de10.zip

If you have possibility, please test it.

Thank you in advance.

Yan_B · Oct 25th 2019, 5:00 pm

Thank you for the good news!

I‘ll Test the new Version when i come back from my vacation .

borstie · Oct 27th 2019, 8:32 pm

Hmmm...

I hate to say it:
I've tested both versions for the 250469 and i didn't get any prompt at all, just black screens (two different 250469-Boards, Rev.3 and Rev.4, plain systems without any modifications).... Due no prompt I also wasn't able to made any dumps.

After multiple tests with all kinds of keys pressed I have flashed the UC64190226-version and that one works like a charm.

My 250407-Board has still it's problems so it isn't reliable enough for tests...

Peto74 · Oct 28th 2019, 2:55 pm

Hi,

Many thanks for your tests ... all three FWs are test only, but currently I don't know what to say ... it is really working on my both machines .

Explanation: I have rewritten main "common" part used for all subcontrollers, now it is clocked instead of combinatorial.

But, anyway very good to know it ... I have to think about.

Peto74 · Oct 29th 2019, 12:22 pm

Hi borstie ,

I have compared newest version against version UC64190226, so here is another test.

Only timing shift back to previous ... UC64_2019-10-29-busclk-addr-34-250469.zip

This one has previous combinatorial C64 bus handling + timing shift ... UC64_2019-10-29-buscomb-addr-34-250469.zip

Other changes are minor, hopefully not important, pls. test.

borstie · Oct 29th 2019, 7:31 pm

Both versions tested on my 250469 Rev.3...

busclk: Only black sreens, no prompt...

buscomb: Works like a charm: Red screen when switching on (with or without commodore key), sdcmduc starts with arrow left-key, flashing kernals from sd card works, starting kernals also, run-stop gives a prompt

Peto74 · Oct 30th 2019, 10:52 am

Quote from borstie

Red screen when switching on

Is your SD card bootable (I mean my SETBOOT tool ...) ?

This newest firmware uses solid red screen when boot signature is not found in SD card MBR Sector 0 (not bootable).

If you start C64 without SD card (empty slot), there should be yellow solid screen.

If it is bootable, then shortly green solid screen and then starts bootfile (e.g. SDCMDUC or other from the root ...).

Peto74 · Oct 30th 2019, 2:57 pm

Try this one ...

UC64_2019-10-30-buscomb-addr-35-bootdatafastupdate.zip

The previous and thic FW is working in both my 469 & 407 machines, only booting on 407 is not so stable, but sometimes work quite good.

But, after booting it is working perfect on both.

I think, instability is because voltage dividers (5V->3.3V) and FPGA pin setting of log. "1" 3.0-3.6 V. Sometimes, when address bits are almost in "1" there must be voltage drop downs under 3V ... especially in Ultimax mode it is observed. I don't know. I have tested 2 different power supplies and the older one with 407 had almost black screens during booting, only sometimes it was bootng correctly. The new one with with 407 is much better. The 469 works almost perfectly.

borstie · Oct 30th 2019

Quote from Peto74

Quote from borstie

Red screen when switching on

Is your SD card bootable (I mean my SETBOOT tool ...) ?

This newest firmware uses solid red screen when boot signature is not found in SD card MBR Sector 0 (not bootable).

If you start C64 without SD card (empty slot), there should be yellow solid screen.

If it is bootable, then shortly green solid screen and then starts bootfile (e.g. SDCMDUC or other from the root ...).

Display More

Oops... my fault... used the wrong sd-card...

after using setboot it works as it should.

the new one also works as expected on my 469

btw.: I am using greisis economy power supply for all my boards. I don't trusted my original power supplies anymore so i build a new one which hopefully doesn't fry my boards as the old ones eventually have done it...

Peto74 · Nov 6th 2019, 9:45 am

Hi,

My the newest candidate for fully working FW, comparing to previous version, there is perfectly stable booting on my both my 250469 & 250407...

UC64_2019-11-06-buscomb-addr-35-bootromcomb.zip

Now, it would be nice to test this one on all types of boards.

borstie : please test it also on your 250407 even it is not suitable, maybe sometimes it will work.

Anyone with 250425 ?

Thank you.

borstie · Nov 6th 2019, 7:41 pm

Here are my results:

This time i have different results on my two 250469:

250469 Rev.3: Sometimes green, sometimes black, sometimes red screen after switching on. One time orange screen? Almost nearly the same counts of green and red screens, black ones not so often. Starting sdcmduc via arrow left-key works most of the time. A little less stable than the last version on this assy but much more stable than the version before...

250469 Rev.4: nearly 20 times switching on: only green screens, works perfect

250407 Rev.B : (not repaired yet) nearly 20 times switching on: 3 to 4 times more black screens than prompts, no green or red screen

Peto74 · Nov 7th 2019, 2:13 pm

Hi,

So, thanks, our previous tests for UC64_2019-11-06-buscomb-addr-35-bootromcomb

250469 Rev.3: Booting works sometimes ( borstie ), EF works, usable

250469 Rev.4: Booting works ( borstie )

250469 Rev.B: Booting works ( Peto74 )

250407 Rev.A: Booting works ( Peto74 )

250407 Rev.B: (not repaired*) doesn't work ( borstie ), not usable

Please try the next fw version for your 250469 Rev.3: UC64_2019-11-07-buscomb-addr-34-bootromcomball.zip

In case of working on that board, test the rest ...

My tests:

250469 Rev.B: Booting works ( Peto74 )

250407 Rev.A: Booting works ( Peto74 )

Thanks.

borstie · Nov 7th 2019, 6:39 pm

Here are the results:

250469 Rev.3 and Rev.4: nearly 20 times switching on: only green screens, works perfect

250407 Rev.B : (not repaired yet) nearly 20 times switching on: no green or red screen, a 50:50 ratio of black screens and prompts

Peto74 · Nov 8th 2019, 4:35 pm

OK, great ... seems to be fully working fw version .

Now, I will clean up my vhdl sources and recompile it again, to the official version (no change to logic).

Many thanks borstie for your help .

Hopefully, some other people will have a chance to test it ... actually, I have still remaining three free boards .

Underdog · Nov 8th 2019, 7:33 pm

Hello Peto74 ,

if you still have remaining free boards, i would take one of this nice interesting thing, to testing it too

Unicart64 - The FPGA based cartridge for Commodore 64

Similar Threads

IDE64

Tags