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matt's mind

(this is a hardware/software discussion thread, NOT a commercial thread, anything having to do with that please direct it to our thread in the 'for sale/trade' section, or PM me directly.  PLEASE let this be about info sharing and that sort of back-and-forth and not business and monies!  I'll update our website's business thread here with any info pertinent to when/where/how much...  not this thread.  only technical info pertaining to the cart)

Essentially everything is working on this guy and it's high time I share him with you all....  this is one of the carts we've been slaving away on!  I'm reserving the next few spots in this thread so I can keep all the info up top.  Each color-coded section in the picture below will get its own explanation area correlating to the main picture in this post, by color obviously.

There is a LOT going on in this cart which the picture doesn't capture whatsoever.  Really, a lot.  So check back for updates and whatnot, I'll be writing it as I get all the information organized and contributing more to the space here.

This will also push me to have the documentation ready for when the first batch is done, i'm very much looking forward to exploiting the potential in this with you all.  Updates, add-ons, etc are all planned and being work towards even now.

Its going to be an exciting ride.

But, for the moment, here's a very basic pic of all her parts,

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matt's mind

-- CPLD --

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matt's mind

-- FRAM --

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matt's mind

-- ROM --

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matt's mind

-- Breakout Header --

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matt's mind

-- JTAG --

pinout:

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matt's mind

-- RGB LED --

indicates read/write status (RAM).  pics soon, although i'm sure you know what an illuminated LED looks like!

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matt's mind

-- The Edge Connector --

this section will eventually contain the 'how-to' on programming, etc...

i'm waiting on the breakout PCB for that wink  but, news asap when i get that board!

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Alright, a few questions:

How many useable Jtag pins are we looking at? Looks like 9 pins and ground.

Also, the breakout header is 5 pins and a ground, correct? What do the breakouts actually connect to on the PCB?

What methods are there for users to flash their own EEPROMS? Will you be sourcing EEPROM programmers, kits, or flashing EEPROMS for a price?

Are we going to have a way of programming the FPGA easily (Jtag over and over seems a bit tedious)? Also, what will the FPGA offer for chip music users as well as general consumers?

Are we looking at a price point of over $100, and is the estimated sales time in 2013?

And the most important question - will the cases be prettier than the ugly cutout PROM cases?



Looks snazzy, can't wait to talk to you more about this wink

Last edited by thebitman (Jun 8, 2013 3:05 am)

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matt's mind

^i'm just going to address your questions when i add in the details if that's cool.  just posting this real quick to say that, because i'm not going to tonight, so don't want you to think i didn't notice them.  thanks so much for asking so much!

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Thank you so much for doing so much heart

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clovis CA

dude tight. we need a more labor intensive rom now wink what would something powerful like an fpga be used for?

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rochester, ny

haha what am i even looking at and why do i want to buy it already?

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Cleveland, OH

Never mind. It's just massive. And massively exciting!

Last edited by thursdaycustoms (Jun 8, 2013 4:58 am)

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Milwaukee, WI

Extra sound channels via FPGA emulation? Yeeeee!

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UK, Leicester
nickmaynard wrote:

haha what am i even looking at and why do i want to buy it already?

This

I hope kitsch gets back in this thread soon and explains exactly what this is