New project: An ACT Apricot F1 "barn find"

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stephen_usher
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Re: New project: An ACT Apricot F1 "barn find"

Post by stephen_usher »

rubber_jonnie wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 12:01 pm Well at least you have them now. Is the built one complete or is there more for you to do to it?
It merely needs the through-the-hole pins installed to make the DIP package.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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rubber_jonnie
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Re: New project: An ACT Apricot F1 "barn find"

Post by rubber_jonnie »

stephen_usher wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 12:56 pm
rubber_jonnie wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 12:01 pm Well at least you have them now. Is the built one complete or is there more for you to do to it?
It merely needs the through-the-hole pins installed to make the DIP package.
Sounds good :)
Collector of many retro things!
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Re: New project: An ACT Apricot F1 "barn find"

Post by stephen_usher »

I just had a chance to try a dry fit of the 8 pint DIN socket on a board and... It fits nicely. Woot! Well, that's one win anyway. My new footprint is correct.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Re: New project: An ACT Apricot F1 "barn find"

Post by stephen_usher »

It looks like the memory PCBs (one pre-built) are arriving today. That should make building the first board easier as I don't have to worry about my surface mount soldering ability.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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Re: New project: An ACT Apricot F1 "barn find"

Post by stephen_usher »

The new board is made up...

IMG_2411.jpg
IMG_2411.jpg (84.65 KiB) Viewed 1999 times

Will it work??????? :D
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Re: New project: An ACT Apricot F1 "barn find"

Post by stephen_usher »

Erm... No.

The machine does boot. There is no smoke but it doesn't see the RAM. I'm going to have to solder pins to the expansion connector and get the logic analyser out.

At least the RGB connector works! :-)

P.S. Due to other things I have to do I'll have to leave this until at least Monday now.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Re: New project: An ACT Apricot F1 "barn find"

Post by stephen_usher »

Oh, the output from the SRAM chip doesn't look very good. On some data lines on read it hardly pulls the data line down at all. I wonder if PCBWay half killed the chip whilst they were soldering it on the daughter board.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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Re: New project: An ACT Apricot F1 "barn find"

Post by stephen_usher »

OK. This is interesting...

I ran my memory test program on the new board and it can write and read from memory correctly it seems, however the BIOS is reporting a memory test failure (error 25).
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Re: New project: An ACT Apricot F1 "barn find"

Post by stephen_usher »

OK. It's not an addressing issue or a byte reading issue as I've modified my memory test program to XOR the segment address with the address offset which I'm writing to memory and that passes. I've also changed the program so that it writes as whole words but then reads as bytes and that works.

It must be some sort of timing issue, but the GAL code for this hasn't really changed.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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stephen_usher
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Re: New project: An ACT Apricot F1 "barn find"

Post by stephen_usher »

And now it's not seeing the board at all.

I'd better reflow the solder *everywhere*.

The previous board still works fine, so the system's OK.
Intro retro computers since before they were retro...
ZX81->Spectrum->Memotech MTX->Sinclair QL->520STM->BBC Micro->TT030->PCs & Sun Workstations.
Added code to the MiNT kernel (still there the last time I checked) + put together MiNTOS.
Collection now with added Macs, Amigas, Suns and Acorns.
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