nfg.forums

Quote from: stas2k on April 17, 2023, 08:03:27 PMI am slowly coming back to life with the energy for X68000 again. I still have some boards, just need to fix DTACK issue that is showing up on the latest boards with the wrong GAL part.

As soon as it is fixed, expect replies to PMs you sent me in the same order.

Sorry for being away, but IRL happens and sometimes there is no energy for the hobby.

I just got my OG X68000 going yesterday so very keen

Any chance to find a memory expansion on sell now?

Thanks.

Quote from: Sir_Leon on July 12, 2023, 03:28:10 PMAny chance to find a memory expansion on sell now?

Thanks.

There's one eBay seller I'm aware of:
https://www.ebay.com/usr/mikewolak

I don't know if this not already on other peoples radar, but the guy at the link below is making a galspanic/midi combo expansion board...


On another note, I'm waiting on Digi-Key to get my programmable chip in stock (2 weeks from now apparenty) so I can make my own Galspanic board. Assuming I don't need to go through my spare PCBs, I should have some blank boards to share.

Quote from: 3rdman01 on July 14, 2023, 06:12:15 AMI don't know if this not already on other peoples radar, but the guy at the link below is making a galspanic/midi combo expansion board...

On another note, I'm waiting on Digi-Key to get my programmable chip in stock (2 weeks from now apparenty) so I can make my own Galspanic board. Assuming I don't need to go through my spare PCBs, I should have some blank boards to share.

WOW! I need one!

There is also this thing...I like this solution a lot...hopefully it is available again soon.
https://gimons.booth.pm/items/4797923

He also makes a Pi-Based Accelerator which would be a hoot to play with.

My Digi-Key order finally shipped...All I need is a programmer now.

I'm running the galspanic v2 PCB, and I have the correct GAL successfully programmed. I have questions about the jumpers, though. Currently, I have this installed in my Compact XVI, which has 2MB installed by default. My understanding is that to max it out, I should have all 5 chips installed (and I do). With this configuration, am I correct that all 4 of the capacity jumper pads should be in their default (on) position, and that the 1MB should be in the OFF position?

Originally, I thought I had the same issue someone else was posting about (using the incorrect ATF22V10CQZ) where nothing was detected.  I got the correct GALs from DigiKey and programmed them and resoldered it to the board and I'm still having the same issue. Perhaps I got the wrong SRAM chips? I believe I ordered (5) x CY62167ELL-45ZXI. I was pretty certain that they were compatible, based on what I saw in the datasheets, but maybe I overlooked something.

Anybody else using a similar setup or solve a similar problem?

One more question, in switch.x, I have it set to 12MB, I assume this is for the total system amount installed. Is that right? And does changing the SRAM setting here affect the RAM upgrade at all, or is it just for the tiny amount of battery-backed SRAM used to store the system configuration?

Thanks for the design, @stas2k. I appreciate your endeavors, and am not expecting you to support my setup, as it was all built by me with parts I ordered elsewhere. I just wanted to say thanks for coming up with a good solution to an annoying problem (i.e. expensive SRAM boards)

Quote from: lupin3rd on July 30, 2023, 10:46:35 AMI'm running the galspanic v2 PCB, and I have the correct GAL successfully programmed. I have questions about the jumpers, though. Currently, I have this installed in my Compact XVI, which has 2MB installed by default. My understanding is that to max it out, I should have all 5 chips installed (and I do). With this configuration, am I correct that all 4 of the capacity jumper pads should be in their default (on) position, and that the 1MB should be in the OFF position?

I don't know if it helps, but post #31 of this thread has an image where the user only had one jumper set and it was to the off position for 10mb...He only had 8mb installed so I'm not wholly sure what the logic of the pads is exactly. I will be tackling this project soon myself so hopefully we'll both get clarity soon. 

Quote from: amazin on April 24, 2023, 09:56:54 PM

Quote from: Xad on January 29, 2022, 09:20:22 PMThanks @stas2k

I have installed the expansion and tested, all working perfectly.

You have been very kind and helpful.

Thank you.

Video:

https://www.nightfallcrew.com/download/x68k-galspanic-sf.mp4

Hey @Xad I've sent you a PM regarding the wire from GAL pin 1 (DTACK) to the 1MB jumper/switch. Also, I see that you used 4 memory chips, but you selected the jumper for 10MB. Is that for "the total amount on the system" (2MB on the computer plus 8MB on the board)? What if you had populated all the memories on the board?

Cheers

I just put my v2 together after waiting for months for Aliexpress to send me the Right TSSOP Adapter so I could program the Gal. twice they sent a TSSOP8 to DIP 28, one time lost in the post and finally I got the right one. 3 Different sellers mind you!

I'm using CY62167GN-45ZXI SRAM, I bought 10 from Mouser at about $20 AUD each!
Considering how hard the 5v version of the CY62167 at the moment I took the plunge.

Long story short I programmed the gal and soldered it along with 2 SRAM's to start with. Initially it didn't work, Memtest68k was reporting only the stock 2 megs of ram. I saw the v2 board posted in the Xad's post with a jumper running from DTACK to the center tab of the 1MB jumper (you need to cut the trace going to off) Essentially you are running a trace to Pin 1 (DTACK) of the gal to Pin 23 (MSK).
After this the board worked flawlessly so there seems to be an error in the v2 design. Luckily that pic was posted, without access to the old v1.2 board schematics this would have been a pain to troubleshoot.

Just for clarification the jumpers correspond to the amount of ram you have installed on the board not overall ram in the system. For example my first board has 4 megs (2 chips) installed so jumpers 6, 8 and 10 need to be cut and soldered to the OFF position. All pads default to +5 VCC

Tested on an upgraded 2 meg OG and Expert.

I'll upload pics and results to my thread on Aussie Arcade.

Thank you for the update...I'm slowly getting the courage to try this myself. The pics you posted on Aussie Arcade really help. Visually I was certain that the pads that need cutting weren't bridged but a multimeter proved me wrong. I never would have checked for this so thank you.

On another note, can anyone here do the programming for me or do you know a service I can contract? I really don't want to get the programmer when I will (in all likelihood) only use it once.

Quote from: Golga on October 01, 2023, 02:21:45 PM

Quote from: amazin on April 24, 2023, 09:56:54 PM

Quote from: Xad on January 29, 2022, 09:20:22 PMThanks @stas2k

I have installed the expansion and tested, all working perfectly.

You have been very kind and helpful.

Thank you.

Video:

https://www.nightfallcrew.com/download/x68k-galspanic-sf.mp4

Hey @Xad I've sent you a PM regarding the wire from GAL pin 1 (DTACK) to the 1MB jumper/switch. Also, I see that you used 4 memory chips, but you selected the jumper for 10MB. Is that for "the total amount on the system" (2MB on the computer plus 8MB on the board)? What if you had populated all the memories on the board?

Cheers

I just put my v2 together after waiting for months for Aliexpress to send me the Right TSSOP Adapter so I could program the Gal. twice they sent a TSSOP8 to DIP 28, one time lost in the post and finally I got the right one. 3 Different sellers mind you!

I'm using CY62167GN-45ZXI SRAM, I bought 10 from Mouser at about $20 AUD each!
Considering how hard the 5v version of the CY62167 at the moment I took the plunge.

Long story short I programmed the gal and soldered it along with 2 SRAM's to start with. Initially it didn't work, Memtest68k was reporting only the stock 2 megs of ram. I saw the v2 board posted in the Xad's post with a jumper running from DTACK to the center tab of the 1MB jumper (you need to cut the trace going to off) Essentially you are running a trace to Pin 1 (DTACK) of the gal to Pin 23 (MSK).
After this the board worked flawlessly so there seems to be an error in the v2 design. Luckily that pic was posted, without access to the old v1.2 board schematics this would have been a pain to troubleshoot.

Just for clarification the jumpers correspond to the amount of ram you have installed on the board not overall ram in the system. For example my first board has 4 megs (2 chips) installed so jumpers 6, 8 and 10 need to be cut and soldered to the OFF position. All pads default to +5 VCC

Tested on an upgraded 2 meg OG and Expert.

I'll upload pics and results to my thread on Aussie Arcade.

Great Stuff!

I replied to your post on Aussie Arcades as i have had no luck trouble shooting my PIO-6834-2/4M-1 which is throwing up all sorts of errors

I've spent a few hours revising v2.0 and making the necessary changes to do away with needing to add a jumper to the board and several other fixes.
Full details here https://www.aussiearcade.com/topic/101533-sharp-x68000-repair/?do=findComment&comment=1277233

I don't know how Github works for submitting revisions to open source projects so I'm posting it on AA for now.

Full credit of course goes to stas2k for their original work.

Quote from: Golga on October 04, 2023, 01:42:47 PMI don't know how Github works for submitting revisions to open source projects so I'm posting it on AA for now.

You create a fork, make your changes in that, then submit a pull request to the original project.  At least that's how it worked last time I did it.

Quote from: watto on October 07, 2023, 03:15:08 AM

Quote from: Golga on October 04, 2023, 01:42:47 PMI don't know how Github works for submitting revisions to open source projects so I'm posting it on AA for now.

You create a fork, make your changes in that, then submit a pull request to the original project.  At least that's how it worked last time I did it.

Thanks
I'll look into it in the near future.
I'm currently working on a hybrid that reverts back to a DIP GAL and makes the pcb larger for easier removal. I'll post pics on AA and update here when done if anybody is interested.
I'm mainly just doing it for a bit of fun.

Check how the increased PCB size will impact in fabrication costs.
It might make a significant difference.

Quote from: costa on October 07, 2023, 07:06:10 PMCheck how the increased PCB size will impact in fabrication costs.
It might make a significant difference.

Hardly any difference at all thankfully.
I've finished my revised design and are pretty happy with it.
I'm going to get some PCBs made up and will report back on the outcome.

Do you still take order?
Thank you in advance.

This is my final and fully tested hybrid revision of stas2k's original board.
 Changes in Rev 3.1.1

1. Added back in J1. Not really needed however could be useful if the implementation of the ram upgrade is possible on a stock 1MB machine. When I get time I'll have a play with the GAL equations and see if it's possible.

2. Moved DTACK to Pin 23 and corrected the mistake in Rev 2.0

3. Changed the closed jumper pads to open so no need to cut the traces when using less than the max amount of ram.

4. Added 74AHCT1G07QSE-7 non inverting buffer into the DTACK line. It's been suggested that adding other boards into the system using DTACK could cause issues. All unconfirmed mind you but doesnt hurt adding this in.

5. Made the board larger for easy removal, this adds about $10 AUD on per board. If you want to save money use the compact 2.2.1.

6. Decided to use the DIP 22v10 GAL instead of the SMD ATF22V10C-10XU Gal. There were several reasons for the change.

    1. Cheaper and easier to obtain. I'm currently using a common Lattice GAL22V10D-15.
    2. Easier to program, no adapter required and makes it easier to reprogram if you want to play around with the fusemap.
    3. Runs much cooler...the GAL is not even slightly warm after an hours use.

I'm not going to bother putting this up on Github as I made this revision for myself but happy to share the files so other can do the same. If you want to make one for yourself you can grab it from AA.There's also a revised compact version a few posts up in that thread.

I highly recommend aje_frs "All in 1" ram and midi board if you are looking for a ready made solution. Seeing as I already had these and midori boards made before hand there was no point wasting them.

https://www.aussiearcade.com/topic/101533-sharp-x68000-repair/?do=findComment&comment=1279411

Quote from: SiQux on April 17, 2023, 07:55:37 PMLooks like Gimons (@GimonsW on Twitter) will be offering up a RAM solution for the X68K soon.

This one installs on the back of the riser board, so it doesn't take up any of the I/O slots.

Looks promising, especially since we can't seem to get a hold of stas2k.

http://retropc.net/gimons/marsx/index.html

This device is BACK IN STOCK! Get it while you can!
https://gimons.booth.pm/items/4797923

Lol... already sold out.

@Golga
Could you post the files here? The files on aussiearcade seem to be unavailable.
 

Quote from: NeWmAn on December 02, 2023, 06:49:32 AM@Golga
Could you post the files here? The files on aussiearcade seem to be unavailable.
 

You need to make an account.
This forum is a great x68000 information resource but is very limited in its attachment capability. I prefer posting it on my own platform I'm familiar with.

I had an account, but also haven't been using that forum in a long while.
It still says This attachment is not available

Can you PM me here with your username etc and I'll sort it out.

Quote from: Golga on December 02, 2023, 11:58:02 AMThis forum is a great x68000 information resource but is very limited in its attachment capability. I prefer posting it on my own platform I'm familiar with.

What's lacking here, WRT file attachments?

I'd like to make it easier so that this archive might remain when so many others are lost.

Quote from: NFG on December 03, 2023, 11:05:53 AM

Quote from: Golga on December 02, 2023, 11:58:02 AMThis forum is a great x68000 information resource but is very limited in its attachment capability. I prefer posting it on my own platform I'm familiar with.

What's lacking here, WRT file attachments?

I'd like to make it easier so that this archive might remain when so many others are lost.

Unless I'm lacking the permission to do so I can't attach images, zip files etc without uploading to an external site and linking. I've seen images attached in other threads....
Please don't think I'm trying to divert discussion or anything, I've been posting my repair logs on AA for years which is primarily a Video Arcade and Pinball forum.

While waiting for Golga's gerber, I can share mine, I already made the same modification last March, and it works fine in both my Expert and my CZ-600.
Only I did not connect Dtack to pin 23, but the boards work perfectly in both of my X68ks, and they passed all the tests.

Just a personal note: I spent a lot of time and money trying to assemble the pcb on my own, but I ended up shorting and burning a couple of boards! So, I used  pcbway to print 5 pcb's and assemble SMD components in two of them. I spent more than $200 for all of them, but without any additional headaches!

GALPanic 1.3 Gerber

P.S.: i agree it's not so easy to post files here...

Well, I mean, drag n drop, or click to attach. 

So maybe it's a permissions thing?  If it doesn't work this way for you, please let me know.

Thank you NFG! drag&drop works fine!
Sorry but i was looking for an "attach file" icon that doesn't exist, so i simply didn't try the d&d way!
But i think i wasn't the only one!!!

Hi mates,

hope this is the right place to put my queston: I'd like to play all games even the ones on the last Image created by a user here, so as I have in total 4 mb of ram on my Pro II model do you suggest me buying a more powerful ram board?  maybe 8 mb so to reach 10-12mb  total? If so is there any safe place I may look at and buy it at a reasonable price?...actually thx a lot for your kind reply
Cheers

Hi @Max,

If you have 4mb already then another 4mb should let you play I would say 99% of games.
On eBay there is an American seller offering 4mb and 8mb cards. 4mb being cheaper of course.
Also if you are good at soldering you could always add extra memory chips at a later date. So your 4mb could be 6 or 8mb.

Hi HIggy,

thanks for the heads-up, I'll look at ebay for that....

Cheers

Is there anything that needs more than 6MB total? Even 2HDBoot should work with that.

Unless you're trying to maximize the use of an X68030 but that's a different story.

not at all....I just want to be sure to play all games....now I have 4mb ram and to tell the truth it seems ggodenough but maybe I haven't tested all games yet...

if you were in my shoes and considering the high price on ebay would you buy an extended ram board to reach 10/12 mb or remain with 4mb? Just a suggestion from you more expert user out there.....many thx

Just got a 4MB card and I'm not sure how to fit it in all the way on my XVI. Every time I think I have it in it just slides out easily. Is there a trick to doing this?

Quote from: darkwitchclaire on January 09, 2024, 10:44:01 AMJust got a 4MB card and I'm not sure how to fit it in all the way on my XVI. Every time I think I have it in it just slides out easily. Is there a trick to doing this?

I don't think these cards have a bevel/chamfer on the PCBs edge connector (well mine didn't), so you have to push really hard - finger hurting hard.

Might need a bit of cloth between your finger and the PCB so it does not hurt so much! No pain no (4mb) gain

Has anyone successfully used this card with 1MB base memory? I built Golga's variant, v3.1.1.
I tried to tweak the GAL equations by using the A20 pin but I couldn't get the X68000 to detect more than 1MB. The card that I have works fine with the CZ-6BE1 installed and the original equations.

I got it working with older version 1.2 (with some customisation as in my post above), all ok in my 1mb machine with modified Gal logic and jumper on mb to use half of first ram ic for range 1 to 2 mb space.
Don't know about Golga's variant.

Thanks, that is good to know.

I am basically using
CEM1 = /A23 * /A22 * /A21 * A20
and same for /DTACK.
For testing I had all but one memory chip disabled but can't get it to work.
I did not bother with the jumper since it only controls the value of the NMSK pin.