8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

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MCes
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8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by MCes »

A little board that can fit inside C16 and Plus4 into CPU socket...
ImageImage

It's based on a 65C02 (so it can't has the illegal opcodes).
It has the 8501 spec that are used in C16 Plus4:
1) the 7bit I/O
2) it can run @2MHz
3) it manage the GATE signal for R/W holding (prevent RAM corruption)
4) time spec respected from clock input line (slave CPU)
5) It don't need any ROM replacement and work also with 1541 and datassette, also with auto turbo...

For example a 6510 based solution don't meet the points before,
but a FPGA based solution could meet them and implement also the execution of the illegal opcodes

The prototype:
Image
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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by orion70 »

Wow! So are you planning to provide a (relatively) cheap, affordable substitute to the infamous fast-dying TED chip? I'd surely buy one for my black screen Commodore 16 :). Can't wait for your project to become a reality!
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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by cbmeeks »

orion70 wrote:Wow! So are you planning to provide a (relatively) cheap, affordable substitute to the infamous fast-dying TED chip? I'd surely buy one for my black screen Commodore 16 :). Can't wait for your project to become a reality!

The 8501 is the CPU right? I'm not aware of the TED being reproduced (although that would be awesome).
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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by orion70 »

Yep of course, CPU. Which is one the possible culprits for black screens. TED has not been reproduced yet.
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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by lance.ewing »

cbmeeks wrote:I'm not aware of the TED being reproduced (although that would be awesome).
TED might be on the horizon:

https://www.forum64.de/index.php?thread ... ous-video/
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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by orion70 »

Wird aber sicher nach 2019 sein!
I'll be waiting eagerly for a TED replacement, too :)
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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by MCes »

Good news: my friend tested it on C16 and on PLUS4 with cassette/floppy/self-turbo/presentations/ecc...
With original processor or with my replacement kit: the same behavior!

It's better than what i was hoping, because the absence of illegal op-code make it not 101% compatible (100% is LEGAL, 101% is ILLEGAL.... :wink: )
but I'm happy that this absence make damage so limited to be not detected in stress-test!

The new CPU C-MOS technology make a gift: now my Commodore is absorbing 80mA less!
Less current, less heat inside computer, less temperature inside computer: other fragile chips inside the computer can having better life (PSU also...)
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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by orion70 »

Congratulations! I have a faulty Commodore 16 waiting for a replacement possibly cheaper than the chip, if you allow the alliteration :) .
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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by MCes »

another piece of the story:
I stopped the project for test it with jiffydos and krill's loader, both of them didn't work.
A modify on PCB and a new CPLD internal design make it compatible with jiffydos but not with krill's loader.

A "krill's loader" programmer was so kindle to make a little modify to eliminate 1 illegal opcode (ONE!!!)
and to give me a version of V166 demo with no illegal opcodes: it work!

Now I can suppose that CPLD design (that perform also the I/O port emulation) has no problem:
the only limit knowed (and not superable) is the not possibility to execute the illegal opcodes.

I just have to test it again with the new PCB I got and make it (finally) available.
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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by RobertBe »

MCes wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 12:41 pmI just have to test it again with the new PCB I got and make it (finally) available.
That would be wonderful!

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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by MCes »

ok:
now I have to prepare the announcement for the sale, the price will be:

29€+untracked shipping cost: PPal "FOR FRIENDS" (I can't be responsible for untracked shipping)
29€+tracked shipping cost + PPal fees: PPal "COMMERCIAL"

Who is interested can contact me directly, thanks
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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by RobertBe »

O.K., I am confused. I just ordered from https://lotharek.pl and the price I paid was 43.58 Euros, not including shipping.

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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by MCes »

RobertBe wrote: Tue Sep 10, 2019 12:18 am O.K., I am confused. I just ordered from https://lotharek.pl and the price I paid was 43.58 Euros, not including shipping.
It's simple: you have ordered another object from another person...... :D

mine one:
http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?10 ... n-progress
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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by RobertBe »

MCes wrote: Tue Sep 10, 2019 2:42 amIt's simple: you have ordered another object from another person...... :D
Oh, I see. Two different solutions to CPU replacement in the Plus/4.

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Re: 8501 replacement for C16 Plus4: work in progress...

Post by MCes »

"Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I am not yet completely sure about the universe." (Albert Einstein)
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