Reidrac has uploaded the website for his new game “Brick Rick” and before you ask it’s not based on me https://www.usebox.net/jjm/brick-rick/
It's nice that new games are still being written for old platforms. Shame I'm unlikely to see this one other than on youtube..
If I had a spare CPC I would lend you one Graham. If you ever do get the chance to pick a 464 or 6128 ( preferably the latter ) they’re a good intro into Z80 based machines.
OO I've not thought of emulating anything with a Z80, even though I did own a spectrum. in fact I have two spectrums now, no idea if they work or not and at the moment don't feel inclined to play with them (edit: may check and repair ready for sale to ofset any other Z80 or 6502 purchases) as I'm far more interested in the XEGS build, along with the Micro drive controllers for an Oric1/Atmos. In between that I'll be sending some designs off to be made for the O.S Controller cards. If all work I'll be giving some of these away to test in your own machines. I must admit that's a very generous thought, but your already helping me by loaning an Oric1 I think when funds allow I may have to ask @Klyde for some help getting an Atmos for me. what have I just said!
You know it makes sense Oric’s are fun,quirky little machines. When I was first at secondary school only one guy had an Oric and he was ribbed mercilessly, funny how things panned out. France is the the best bet these days for an old Atmos as the U.K. prices have gone daft. Spain was a good place for CPC & MSX and the Netherlands was good for MSX as well but the prices have all gone a bit crazy these days.
Yes, prices are going crazy now, for everything vintage. Part of it is supply and demand with all the retro fans these days, but remember that these 8-bit systems aren't just classic or vintage anymore, but are becoming antiques. Even though the literal definition of an antique is 100 years old, it's a bit different, I think, with computers and other modern items that will be hard pressed due to quality of manufacture and aging plastics, to last 100 years. I think for micros it should really be about 50 years to be considered an antique, and 100 years an artifact. An artifact which produces artifacts...ponder that one for a bit...
In Atari land we only need an original ANTIC, as all of the other LSI, have been reproduced, Pokey can be replaced with PokeyMAX, GITA with Sophia2, Sally can be emulated with some logic and an ordinary 6502, 65c02 etc. PIA a normal chip, Freddie not needed if we use SRAM, and some additional logic for the clock and extsel, as no requirement for refreshing memory. I wonder when someone will reproduce an ANTIC ?
I wonder what would happen if you plugged a Sophia 2 into the GTIA socket of a VBXE? Both have a wide range of different graphic modes too...I'm going to see what people say on AA.
Well the VBXE has additional addressing for the registers added, if you were running a VBXE program using these modes the the output from the VBXE should match, as the Sophia2 should just be passing the normal information on, the VBXE doing anything additional. BUT if your using the Sophia2 output you would not see the VBXE enhancements. there is of course the possibility they just plain dont like each other. Remember Sophia2 in a complete replacement for GITA, not working along side it, as the VBXE does. Be interesting to hear what is said on AA
Exactly why I asked, because it is a complete replacement. Though I don't need both VBXE and Sophia 2 graphics at the same time, just one or the other at one time. The original Sophia is just an analog-2-digital video converter and output, while the Sophia 2 is a completely different beast. There would be no reason that I see to have the original Sophia along with VBXE, even if it did work, as I don't care about digital output and RGB out is good enough. But, I'd like, if possible, to have all the new graphic modes and palettes of both VBXE and Sophia 2 in one machine, if possible. If not, no problem, it was just something that occurred to me. I was already planning on a Sophia 2 for the 800 and VBXE won't work at all there, unless they release a VB800 that works in slot 3 with an Incognito. So I was going to get the VBXL for one of my 1200XL's. But if I can have both in a 1200XL, that would be cool.
According to Mytek on AA, someone I trust as much as you @Graham on hardware specifics that are still beyond my knowledge, they will work together, or at least co-exist.
Mytek is a great font of knowledge so if he says o.k. then it will be, I have messaged Jacek (simius) in regard helping him with the cables required for the Sophia2, and have messaged back and forth several months back And following our discussions, he did say that the Sophia2 was a complete replacement for the GITA, can produce it's own Colour (color) clock for PAL, and had a pallet of colours to choose from I was referring to the DVI version in the main, but seems that the colour adjustment circuitry is also built in anything external may affect output via normal means i.e. standard video circuitry, but no affect on anything from the Sophia2 board itself. Because of this I did suspect VBXL/E would have no problem working alongside the Sophia2. It's nice to hear that Mytek knows this to be true. p.s I did however contact Claus Buchholtz via AA so that one good thing .. no posts though. I've already signed up to two Sophia2's when they are released I may up the order depending on Funds and if I win an Atmos at some point. Last I checked Mytek was trying to miniaturise an 8 bit using surface mount technology plus the original Atari LSI's not really checked how his getting on. I was put off AA by several posters whilst I was trying to help a guy out called ChevyMad with his XLD. Bunch of vultures treating me as if I had a steak necklace.. as quoted by ChevyMad and I took to messaging back and forth rather than posting on AA. shame a few ignorant bastards spoil it for others with there so called superior knowledge. P.S that doesn't mean I don't make mistakes I do, I just choose to learn from them, and not to take others to task. Once XEGS is working I've a few things I need to do including the incognito install, found a way not to cut ANY plastics(or metal) to route wires and ribbon.! do have to cut the incognito board though but easy to do. I'll be sending off for a number of PCB boards; both O.S.Controller based and PIA/VIA expansion boards aimed at 800 and XEGS. I'll send some over when I know they function correctly. I hope things are good with you and Family Matt Keep safe and Well.
I think I said I'd want at least one Sophia 2, which is going in my 800, but I might have said possibly 2, which now becomes granted since I can also use it in my 1200XL with the planned VBXL. I was going to upgrade my back-up 1200XL with an U1MB and Rapidus and VBXE/L, but while searching for topics on the details of the Sophia 1, while continuing the 'VBXE + Sophia 2' thread on AA, I found older topics talking about problems with U1MB and VBXE working together. So now I'm going to just install everything but the U1MB in my main 1200XL, I don't need more than 576K I already have with Syscheck via the PBI upgrade + internal memory and 4 OS slots there, plus another 512K of programmable memory on the MyIDE 2 (which also has MyBIOS OS and the rev. 9 is fantastic), I already have replacing the Side 2/3, and then I have either a 32-in-1 OS or and 8-in-1, negating the need for 4 U1MB slots if the 4 on the Syscheck and 1 on MyIDE weren't enough, and last, but not least, my Super SpartaDOS X cartridge from Dropcheck negates the need for built-in SpartaDOS (and includes a RTM clock like U1MB), and works perfectly with MyIDE 2 thanks to JFC's driver. Sooo...I'll probably just restore and leave my back-up 1200XL stock, except for the fixes I already did; SV 2.1 video upgrade, +5v SIO, Divsor 0 high-speed resister on the SIO, removal of the RF modulator (which I could replace) and the keyboard fix. I will burn and install 1200XL OS rev. 11 though, so really it's psuedo-stock now.
O.K I didn't know that the U1MB and VBXL/E didn't play ball, I knew that there always seems issues with U1MB and Rapidus, I think even the 1088XEL with it's better power planes and shielding still shows these glitches FJC has experianced issues on most / All the ones his upgraded.
