Yes, because I'm making enough modifications to the original system that I'll christen this future machine with a name all its own! It will be: Drumix (the terrible)!
After a few printed circuit board tweaks, here — in ray tracing, no less — is what the output board will look like. Huh? What? Just the output board?
Yes, for now. But hey, the processor and logic board should be fairly 'easy' to make.
I've already been able to test that whole part with a prototype board connected to the FPGA board with the Trion FPGA I'm going to use. It's only a matter of time now.
Because these past few days I've been working on the MSX cartridge. The goal being to automate the process of loading ROMs into FLASH. That is to say, once the download is complete, the MSX computer reboots by itself onto the cartridge, without having to do that extremely tedious little game of power OFF and ON!
To achieve this rather easy-looking goal, I need to juggle with:
- Kicad for 4-layer boards and 0603 SMD components.
- Electronic implementation of the FPGA with all its constraints.
- VHDL programming for all the switching logic and the download sequencing.
- RISC-V Sapphire programming of the processor embedded in the FPGA.
- Getting familiar with the whole development toolchain and finding the programmers.
- Modifying the generic programmer from Aliexpress to work with the FPGA.
- Getting lost in the sometimes baroque workings of the MSX.
- Programming in C with the MSXgl library to create the download page executed by the MSX.
- Debugging the whole thing without getting too lost in this labyrinth.
Well, you have to admit that all of this is fun. Except that I also have my USB card for the Akai S5000/6000 to finish. I just have left to create the metal mounting plate for the back panel of the Akai RACK. There you go, and no doubt various other things that also take up time.
I forgot, I have a superb 4-layer FPGA board in a BGA package to assemble. There too, quite a 'sport' ahead. But, I might have something to practice hot-air soldering on. I'm trying to repair a Vivlio TOUCH LUX 5 e-reader whose screen was broken by excessive pressure on the device. And, I've finally just discovered the real reason why the machine won't restart. There's clearly a solder ball on the processor that has come loose. By pressing on the processor at the same time as the power button, well after two seconds, the machine starts up. No choice, it has to be re-soldered with hot air.
Yay for sports!
