Search found 408 matches

by MCes
Fri Dec 18, 2020 8:48 am
Forum: Games
Topic: DreamCart: for new games a new kind of cart support is now possible!
Replies: 17
Views: 1252

Re: A new cart support is possible for new games ... Is it interesting?

OK, last edition of the new "DreamCart" standard is: 1) RAM expansion on RAM1,2,3 BLK1,2,3,5 I/O2,3 for a total of +37K 2) BLK5: 8pages of 8k ROM can appear (in this case you read the ROM and write on covered RAM...) 3) a 4 bit "writable only" register is on I/O: 1 bit is for ch...
by MCes
Tue Dec 15, 2020 6:25 am
Forum: Games
Topic: DreamCart: for new games a new kind of cart support is now possible!
Replies: 17
Views: 1252

Re: A new cart support is possible for new games ... Is it interesting?

What is your target price for such a cartridge? It dramatically depend by the lot dimension.... Also developing a wellworking prototype has a cost. So I think that the "narrow way" couldn't be practicable without the definition of a "standard" that is the base for using this pro...
by MCes
Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:29 am
Forum: Games
Topic: DreamCart: for new games a new kind of cart support is now possible!
Replies: 17
Views: 1252

Re: A new cart support is possible for new games ... Is it interesting?

Would it be possible to make it +35k so e.g. Doom and others could be on it? MMMmmm...... A possible "NEW CART" format can be: 1) RAM expansion on RAM1,2,3 and BLK1,2,3,5 for a total of +35K 2) BLK5: 8pages of 8k ROM can appear (in this case you read the ROM and write on covered RAM...) 3...
by MCes
Mon Dec 14, 2020 4:00 am
Forum: Games
Topic: DreamCart: for new games a new kind of cart support is now possible!
Replies: 17
Views: 1252

DreamCart: for new games a new kind of cart support is now possible!

Cart games were originally organized to use cart ROM for SW, and only native VIC20 RAM for variable bytes, and for those games it was enough. Many recent games use RAM resources more heavily making the old cart structure not applicable, so this games has to be externally loaded over a RAM expansion,...
by MCes
Sun Dec 13, 2020 6:57 am
Forum: Hardware and Tech
Topic: Memory Expanssion questions
Replies: 10
Views: 503

Re: Memory Expanssion questions

From a forum member ... (I!)
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9802
by MCes
Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:00 pm
Forum: Hardware and Tech
Topic: Memory Expanssion questions
Replies: 10
Views: 503

Re: Memory Expanssion questions

With VIC 20 switched off: insert 5..10 times the cartridge,
because years can made oxide the cartridge contacts (on cartridge, but also on connector)
by MCes
Thu Dec 10, 2020 8:53 am
Forum: Hardware and Tech
Topic: A new multiROM cartridge? work in progress....
Replies: 7
Views: 554

Re: A new multiROM cartridge? work in progress....

Side note: is there any cartridge covering 3 or 4 BLKs at once? Into "Game" thread I have realized that some new games fit into 3 or 4 BLKs cartridges. For my multirom cart architecture it is "easy & cheap" to implement the possibility of 4 blocks-SW, and with the residual I...
by MCes
Thu Dec 10, 2020 8:09 am
Forum: International VIC
Topic: Dove riparare un VIC in Italia
Replies: 89
Views: 14780

Re: Dove riparare un VIC in Italia

Per usare il circuito "step by step" dovrai isolare il pin2 della CPU, quindi ti consiglio di sfilare la cpu, sullo zoccolo della scheda madre metti un frammento di carta adesiva a coprire solo il contatto del pin2, poi prendi uno zoccolo nuovo da 40 pin e fletti verso fuori il piedino del...
by MCes
Tue Dec 08, 2020 5:10 am
Forum: Hardware and Tech
Topic: A question for all SW developers....
Replies: 7
Views: 627

Re: A question for all SW developers....

The internal 3.5K is precious because it is the only memory that can be addressed by the VIC itself so tends to be used for screen and character generator. If the program needs storage for other state information it tends to be stored elsewhere. It's a good point, but it imply that the current game...
by MCes
Tue Dec 08, 2020 3:59 am
Forum: Hardware and Tech
Topic: A question for all SW developers....
Replies: 7
Views: 627

Re: A question for all SW developers....

Imagine to develop a game for a VIC20 expanded 8K-16k-24k-32k using for all kind of variables only the VIC20 native 3.5k RAM (and only the expanded BLOCKs for the SW body). It will result in a code that can easy fit on cartridge but also on a disk. CARTRIDGE : on ROM into BLK5 the autostart key will...
by MCes
Tue Dec 08, 2020 3:04 am
Forum: International VIC
Topic: Dove riparare un VIC in Italia
Replies: 89
Views: 14780

Re: Dove riparare un VIC in Italia

Il circuito proposto nel link serve a fermare l'attività della cpu senza fermare il clock, questo perchè il 6502 è in tecnologia N -MOS ed i suoi registri interni sono realizzati in modalità dinamica (come le memorie dinamiche che abbisognano di refresh). Diverso sarebbe se tu potessi recuperare una...
by MCes
Mon Dec 07, 2020 2:14 pm
Forum: International VIC
Topic: Dove riparare un VIC in Italia
Replies: 89
Views: 14780

Re: Dove riparare un VIC in Italia

Ok, se tutto va bene siamo ad un punto dove bisogna decidere quale tipo di strategia usare per continuare. Intanto focalizziamo un risultato: Il fatto che il /CS riproduca grossomodo il CLOCK significa che ad ogni ciclo utile la ROM viene selezionata come dovrebbe essere, e quindi in queste condizio...
by MCes
Mon Dec 07, 2020 9:15 am
Forum: Hardware and Tech
Topic: A new multiROM cartridge? work in progress....
Replies: 7
Views: 554

Re: A new multiROM cartridge? work in progress....

Fantastic job. Any idea what ballpark price on this will be once finished? (....) This could end up being an amazing product. (Thanks a lot) A target of mine is "cheap & easy", I'm trying to remain into a 25€ limit (to end user), but it's only a development target....... Also will you...
by MCes
Mon Dec 07, 2020 8:43 am
Forum: Hardware and Tech
Topic: A question for all SW developers....
Replies: 7
Views: 627

A question for all SW developers....

I read that for to be loaded a lot of new games want a 16-24-35k ram expansion. Have the developers never imagined a cartridge version of their games? If the SW expect to be wrote on ROM inside BLK1,2,3,5 using for variables (and eventually some self-modifying routines) the native 3.5k ram inside th...
by MCes
Sun Dec 06, 2020 1:04 pm
Forum: Hardware and Tech
Topic: A new multiROM cartridge? work in progress....
Replies: 7
Views: 554

Re: A new multiROM cartridge? work in progress....

GOOD NEWS on GOOD NEWS! The original idea was that 2MB EPROM space is cut into 128x16k slices because 16k (2 BLKs) is the maximum size of standard cartridges, but each slice can also be used as a dual 8K memory image (16K= 2xSWs of 8k) to better fit the memory space. This type of flexible storage c...