Ready built ST536 Atari version. Any Interest?

All about the ST536 030 ST booster.
User avatar
PhilC
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6016
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 8:22 pm

Re: Ready built TF536 Atari version. Any Interest?

Post by PhilC »

Looking forward to all this Stacy stuff guys :dualthumbup:
If it ain't broke, test it to Destruction.
Atarian Computing
Posts: 444
Joined: Tue Aug 22, 2017 4:27 am

Re: Ready built TF536 Atari version. Any Interest?

Post by Atarian Computing »

PhilC wrote: Sun Jul 12, 2020 8:43 am @Atarian Computing i have no idea why I thought you were in Canada.

I can send you a board later this week once I've tested the cpus that are about to arrive.
I am Canadian :) Haven’t lived there for a while though. How do I pay you?
derkom wrote: Sun Jul 12, 2020 9:06 am
Atarian Computing wrote: Sun Jul 12, 2020 8:31 am this would be for my STacy.
If I get a relocator board working, you're welcome to have one. There's a minimum order of three anyway. :)

I'll warn you ahead of time that the TF536 is oriented the wrong direction to fit in the Stacy without a relocator. It can just barely fit under the keyboard, but will crash into the RAM, and worse, with a 68030 installed, it'll crash into the keyboard too. The commonly available 90° relocator looks like it might work, if you build it in the opposite direction from normal, but only if you've cut your Stacy battery compartment, otherwise there's not enough vertical clearance for the 68030.

I designed one very quickie relocator that does nothing but move the CPU socket toward the back 54 mm, which should make the TF536 fit. I sent that off to a fab before realising that a better plan for my purposes would be a relocator that gives me another 68000 socket off to the left, so I don't intend to be using any of the quickie ones. You're welcome to have one or more of those after they arrive, with the caveat that I won't even be testing them myself. And of course you are also welcome to the more complicated design if you want to attempt the same 68000/68030 switching setup I'm hoping to do. But certainly no promises that that'll ever even work. :lol:
Sweet. I have a relocator I did a while back but haven’t tested it yet. But I’ll see how yours goes first as I have a few projects I gotta finish first.
User avatar
PhilC
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6016
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 8:22 pm

Re: Ready built TF536 Atari version. Any Interest?

Post by PhilC »

@Atarian Computing ill pm you.
If it ain't broke, test it to Destruction.
philbo34
Posts: 191
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2020 10:46 am

Re: Ready built TF536 Atari version. Any Interest?

Post by philbo34 »

@PhilC
Hi you can remove me from list for the time being . Daughter needs a car so that's me skint for time been.
Cheers
User avatar
PhilC
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6016
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 8:22 pm

Re: Ready built TF536 Atari version. Any Interest?

Post by PhilC »

philbo34 wrote: Sun Jul 12, 2020 1:11 pm @PhilC
Hi you can remove me from list for the time being . Daughter needs a car so that's me skint for time been.
Cheers
No worries, mine wants driving lessons.
:roll:
If it ain't broke, test it to Destruction.
philbo34
Posts: 191
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2020 10:46 am

Re: Ready built TF536 Atari version. Any Interest?

Post by philbo34 »

thats how it all started lol.
then the 2k insurance for a shopping trolley
User avatar
PhilC
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6016
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 8:22 pm

Re: Ready built TF536 Atari version. Any Interest?

Post by PhilC »

The first lot of CPUs have arrived and are looking good so far.

I've been testing two lots, some 68EC030 40mhz chips and some 68030RP33B chips, both seem to work fine initially but will all need longer stress testing.

So hope to have four boards tested in the next couple of days and then another 6 will be available by the end of the week.

Please PM me if you'd like a board in this next batch.
If it ain't broke, test it to Destruction.
User avatar
DoG
Posts: 1125
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2018 12:26 pm

Re: Ready built TF536 Atari version. Any Interest?

Post by DoG »

The 68EC030 doesn't have an integrated MMU. I guess that is needed for these boards? Or maybe it isn't on ST?
User avatar
PhilC
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6016
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 8:22 pm

Re: Ready built TF536 Atari version. Any Interest?

Post by PhilC »

DoG wrote: Tue Jul 14, 2020 6:07 pm The 68EC030 doesn't have an integrated MMU. I guess that is needed for these boards? Or maybe it isn't on ST?
It will run on a TF536 quite happily but to get maximum speed using Maprom by @agranlund you need an MMU. However, if I remember correctly Agranlund did also so a program that copied TOS to ram without using the MMU which does speed things up considerably again but apparently not as much as having an MMU.

Of course I do have to test all of this out etc.
If it ain't broke, test it to Destruction.
User avatar
agranlund
Posts: 777
Joined: Sun Aug 18, 2019 10:43 pm
Location: Sweden
Contact:

Re: Ready built TF536 Atari version. Any Interest?

Post by agranlund »

I would mostly be concerned that there never was an 030 Atari that didn't have an MMU so in a way it's taken for granted that one is available?
But if it makes any difference in practice, I don't really know :)

You'd loose the 24bit compatibility shadow but that's probably about it?

Atari TOS 3.XX and 4.XX (and emuTOS when it detects an 030) sets up the MMU to map 0xFFxxxxxx back to 0x00xxxxxx
"$FF000000-$FFFFFFFF|ST 24 bit compatible shadow"

(Maprom sets up the MMU exactly like this for TOS 2.06 as well)


I assume this is to increase compatibility with software that may put 0xFF in the high 8 bits?
For example if writing to 0xFFFF8900 instead of the correct 0x00FF8900. Both are equally valid on the ST but could perhaps cause trouble on Falcon/TT if TOS, and the MMU, wasn't there to save the day.

Maybe not an issue with the TF cards? Addresses to and from the card to system bus become 24bit anyway.
Locked

Return to “ST536 030 ST ACCELERATOR”