[comp.sys.amiga.tech] Developer boards

lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) (11/12/90)

In <45608@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>, v089pfrb@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Jeffrey C Murphy) writes:
>Does any know where I might find some empty circuit boards that will 
>fit into the A2000's 100 pin slot and also some that will fit into the
>CPU slot? If so what is the cost per board?

I got one from NES in Oregon (Bill Seymour should be able to give you the
address.. I can't find it). It is a Zorro board with connectors for the IBM
slots as well. It cost me about $50.

-larry

--
The only things to survive a nuclear war will be cockroaches and IBM PCs.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ 
|   //   Larry Phillips                                                 |
| \X/    lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca -or- uunet!van-bc!lpami!lphillips |
|        COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322  -or-  76703.4322@compuserve.com        |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

v089pfrb@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Jeffrey C Murphy) (11/12/90)

Does any know where I might find some empty circuit boards that will 
fit into the A2000's 100 pin slot and also some that will fit into the
CPU slot? If so what is the cost per board?

Please respond by EMail...   Thanx  Jeff

lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) (11/20/90)

In <11738@hubcap.clemson.edu>, dawill@hubcap.clemson.edu (david williams) writes:
>In article <2218@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca>, lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) writes:
>> In <45608@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>, v089pfrb@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Jeffrey C Murphy) writes:
>> >Does any know where I might find some empty circuit boards that will 
>> >fit into the A2000's 100 pin slot and also some that will fit into the
>> >CPU slot? If so what is the cost per board?
>> 
>> I got one from NES in Oregon (Bill Seymour should be able to give you the
>> address.. I can't find it). It is a Zorro board with connectors for the IBM
>> slots as well. It cost me about $50.
>> 
>> -larry
>
>    Does anyone manufacture one of these with built-in autoconfig and 
>decode logic?  I used to have one of these (on an older computer) that 
>made prototyping a breeze - just use the existing decode and interface
>logic, and plug in your new stuff.  

IVS had a prototyping board that included autoconfig logic, but I don't know if
they still do or not. I didn't get one because they would not release any
information about their circuit or PAL equations. This made it (to me) totally
worthless, since modifications to fit whatever I wanted to do would have taken
a fair bit of time with a logic analyzer to figure out. Oh well.

>    On the other hand, how do you build an autoconfig block?  I've read
>the A2000/A500 technical reference manual discussion on this, but I
>don't have a PAL burner.  They give equations for these suckers, which
>leaves me out in the cold.  I suppose I could look at the equations and
>figure out just what is going on, but I don't have that much time.

I'm afraid there isn't much else to do but to figure it all out. Basically, the
PALs provide two necessary things, one being timing signals for the Zorro bus,
and the other being actual config information. If you don't have a PAL burner,
you can generate timing signals in the traditional manner (gates, flipflops,
etc.), and put the autoconfig information in a ROM. It takes a little figuring,
but it isn't all that difficult.

The other alternative, of course, is to have PALs burned for you, with your
modifications included, if appropriate.

-larry

--
The only things to survive a nuclear war will be cockroaches and IBM PCs.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ 
|   //   Larry Phillips                                                 |
| \X/    lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca -or- uunet!van-bc!lpami!lphillips |
|        COMPUSERVE: 76703,4322  -or-  76703.4322@compuserve.com        |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

dawill@hubcap.clemson.edu (david williams) (11/20/90)

In article <2218@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca>, lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) writes:
> In <45608@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>, v089pfrb@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Jeffrey C Murphy) writes:
> >Does any know where I might find some empty circuit boards that will 
> >fit into the A2000's 100 pin slot and also some that will fit into the
> >CPU slot? If so what is the cost per board?
> 
> I got one from NES in Oregon (Bill Seymour should be able to give you the
> address.. I can't find it). It is a Zorro board with connectors for the IBM
> slots as well. It cost me about $50.
> 
> -larry

    Does anyone manufacture one of these with built-in autoconfig and 
decode logic?  I used to have one of these (on an older computer) that 
made prototyping a breeze - just use the existing decode and interface
logic, and plug in your new stuff.  

    On the other hand, how do you build an autoconfig block?  I've read
the A2000/A500 technical reference manual discussion on this, but I
don't have a PAL burner.  They give equations for these suckers, which
leaves me out in the cold.  I suppose I could look at the equations and
figure out just what is going on, but I don't have that much time.

    Ideas, comments?

     Dave Williams
        dawill@hubcap.cmemson.edu
           "Huh?  What?  Could you repeat the question?"

billsey@agora.uucp (Bill Seymour) (11/29/90)

In article <11738@hubcap.clemson.edu> dawill@hubcap.clemson.edu (david williams) writes:
:In article <2218@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca>, lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips) writes:
:: In <45608@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>, v089pfrb@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Jeffrey C Murphy) writes:
:: >Does any know where I might find some empty circuit boards that will 
:: >fit into the A2000's 100 pin slot and also some that will fit into the
:: >CPU slot? If so what is the cost per board?
:: 
:: I got one from NES in Oregon (Bill Seymour should be able to give you the
:: address.. I can't find it). It is a Zorro board with connectors for the IBM
:: slots as well. It cost me about $50.
:: 
:: -larry
:
:    Does anyone manufacture one of these with built-in autoconfig and 
:decode logic?  I used to have one of these (on an older computer) that 
:made prototyping a breeze - just use the existing decode and interface
:logic, and plug in your new stuff.  

	There was a company that made one with one type of autoconfig
design on the board, but I don't know if they're still available or not.

:    On the other hand, how do you build an autoconfig block?  I've read
:the A2000/A500 technical reference manual discussion on this, but I
:don't have a PAL burner.  They give equations for these suckers, which
:leaves me out in the cold.  I suppose I could look at the equations and
:figure out just what is going on, but I don't have that much time.

	You can always substitute a PROM for the PAL. Autoconfig is just
a set of address reads followed by a write. You still have to do the
521/374 thing, but the bulk of the PAL stuff could be put in a small
EPROM easily enough. A PAL is just cheaper... And on our designs, we've
tended to put pretty much the whole thing into a bigger PAL. That's the
main problem I've had with doing a board with autoconfig hardwired in,
you still have to burn a PAL or PROM, and you're much more limited on
what else you can do with that part. I hate to waste any PAL functionality
just because I needed part of it for the autoconfig. :-)

:    Ideas, comments?
:
:     Dave Williams
:        dawill@hubcap.cmemson.edu
:           "Huh?  What?  Could you repeat the question?"

-- 
     -Bill Seymour                                            billsey@agora
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