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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Z80 Emulator...in a matchbox (6809 as well, apparently)

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Tinine
Guru

Joined: 30/03/2016
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1646
Posted: 04:53pm 21 Sep 2022
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Had one for a few years. Never plugged it in, had forgotten what it was for.






  Quote  

I still make them to order (February 2017)

Current pricing (Feb 2017) - subject to change

   RamBlade US$30.00
   microSD Card Optional US$9.00 (SanDisk 8GB with my OS and ZiCog + CPM2.2 installed)
   Shipping US$4.00 unregistered post



Anyone interested should email me cluso -at- clusos.com

RamBlade is a double sided SMT pcb designed to run my OS and ZiCog/CPM/PropDos/Catalina/SphinxOS programs using the on-board 512Kx8 SRAM.

(Guess I should state it is essentially the best bits of the TriBlade Prop#2 which we are using for ZiCog)

RamBlade Specifications· (Rev.A)

   PCB is 1.9"x1.2" (48x30.5mm) SMT (surface mount)
   Propeller·-·designed for overclocking (104MHz/108MHz/114MHz/120MHz???)
   SRAM 512Kx8 55nS (optimised for speed - no latches)
   microSD socket (optional 1GB/2GB/8GB microSD card with ZiCog/CPM2.2 loaded)
   AT24C512 (64Kx8) EEPROM is fitted which is disabled after boot plus seperate write enable link
   Designed to run
       ZiCog & CPM (Z80 emulation)
       MoCog (6809 emulation)
       My Prop OS
       PropDos
       Catalina C
       SphinxOS
       Sphinx compiler (on the RamBlade)
       other Propeller hosted operating systems requiring external RAM
   Multipurpose 2x12 0.1" interface connections
       Designed to plug into·
           Prop ProtoBoard (USB or non-USB)
           Prop DemoBoard
           SpinStudio board
           other micro based processor boards (prop or other micros)
           Digilent RS232 converter· ·http://digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?NavPath=2,401,463&Prod=PMOD-RS232
       Uses·4·pins·for the interface 3V3,GND,SO,SI
           2 to communicate serially to the RamBlade (no resistor protection)
           1 each for 3V3 and GND
           optional onboard 3V3 voltage regulator
       Uses 4·pins·for optional PropPlug connection for re-programming
           Alternately can be connected to the·ProtoBoard·to allow·re-programming and/or resetting from the·ProtoBoard
   Available assembled



Craig
 
scruss
Regular Member

Joined: 20/09/2021
Location: Canada
Posts: 79
Posted: 01:40am 24 Sep 2022
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not quite sure if it'll fit in a matchbox, but a modern, cheaper equivalent might be ExtremeElectronics/RC2040: Z80 CP/M80 emulation of an RC2014 using the RP2040 (PI PICO) processor
 
Mixtel90

Guru

Joined: 05/10/2019
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 5648
Posted: 06:53am 24 Sep 2022
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I feel a challenge coming on... By surface mounting the Pico there's wasted space underneath. I wonder if I could make it smaller...? :)

No - leave it, Mick! You've got enough stuff going on at the moment!  :)


That's a nice little board. I like the idea of emulating a RC2014, that's neat.
Mick

Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini
Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs
 
Tinine
Guru

Joined: 30/03/2016
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1646
Posted: 10:10am 24 Sep 2022
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  Mixtel90 said  I feel a challenge coming on... By surface mounting the Pico there's wasted space underneath. I wonder if I could make it smaller...? :)


PGA-2040?

Or even one of the smaller alternatives if fewer pins would work  

Craig
 
Mixtel90

Guru

Joined: 05/10/2019
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 5648
Posted: 10:41am 24 Sep 2022
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You can just squeeze a standard Pico onto a 50mm PCB (but you have to cheat by letting the Pico overhang slightly at the ends). Of course, you can always saw off the bottom end from a standard Pico if you want a few less pins. It's cheaper than buying a pre-crippled one and still works. :) I wouldn't want to go SMD 'cos it's hard when your eyes are c**p and your hands shake.


EDIT:
See here.. If you don't want buttons & switches it will run on a Pimorini Tiny 2040 (here) glued onto a SD card. Not bad for a CP/M machine. :)
Edited 2022-09-24 21:31 by Mixtel90
Mick

Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini
Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs
 
Mixtel90

Guru

Joined: 05/10/2019
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 5648
Posted: 07:01pm 24 Sep 2022
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Erm.... the decorating (and several other things) got put to one side a bit...
He said, guiltily.



48mm x 50mm using a standard Pico and no SMD parts (it's the usual uSD module with its own pullups and supply decoupling capacitor that I've used previously). The GPIO header is identical.

Slight changes:
Power is via VSYS rather than VBUS if powered from a serial port. GP22 is via a "buttons enable" link rather than hard wired on the pcb.

EDIT:
Decided it was a little plump, so some slimming exercises have brought it down to a lithe 43mm x 50mm.
Edited 2022-09-25 07:55 by Mixtel90
Mick

Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini
Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs
 
Mixtel90

Guru

Joined: 05/10/2019
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 5648
Posted: 08:02am 25 Sep 2022
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The slimline version on the left weighs in at 41mm x 50mm. This is built to the same circuit.

The flyweight, minimum version on the right is only 29mm x 39mm. All the non-essentials have been stripped off and power/console is only via USB. The Pico is a standard one, but the bottom end has been sawn off as not all GPIO pins are needed here. The LED and SOUND pins are the same, but the SOUND pins are also on the GPIO connector. GP0 and GP1, the serial terminal pins, could possibly still be used with a bit more messing about. The excess pin length on the SOUND connector, poking through the board, will almost certainly have to be carefully cut down as the uSD card holder has the metalwork immediately underneath them. Some insulation would be in order here. Still not as small as the Pimorini board, but a lot cheaper. :)


Edited 2022-09-25 18:06 by Mixtel90
Mick

Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini
Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs
 
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