Thank you Oliver for this valuable explanation of the difference between FPGA-based recreation of systems and emulation, and of course of the difference between the awesome MiSTer and the (also awesome) MEGA65 and the MiSTer2MEGA65 framework. Great job!
Oh my God, that's so exciting !!!!! Thank you so much for sharing !!!! I knew getting the Mega65 was the right decision, It's even more obvious now ! And i can't wait to receive mine since i'm one of the lucky 400 first units owners :P
Thank you for great video Oliver. It will help more people to understand what Mega65 is. And yes to showing us some info on how ports are done. I am sucker for videos explaining technical stuff. Also nice to show Shallan's Doc Cosmos game. Good choice :)
I was really impressed with the music capabilities demonstrated by the C64 demo. Was the original C64 able to create that sound, or are there some enhancements?
If you mean USB by that, then no, the MEGA65 Hardware does not have an USB interface. It has two DB9 joystick ports. But the mainboard has extension PMOD ports, where additional hardware can be added. There are also breakout ports in the case, where such ports could be made available from the outside.
This not really the focus of the MEGA65 team. There are already cores for cheaper development boards, like the NexysA7. But the core is open source, so anyone who has the itch to do is welcome to do it.
A FPGA core is designed by a HDL, for example Verilog or VHDL. This is implemented to the FPGA by a Software that can do that. This is Vivado for Xilinx and Quartus for Intel. So yes, you can implement designs from targeted at one vendors hardware on the hardware of the other. There might be slight changes required, depending on the tool that does the implementation.
The main reason I ask is the Fossi Foundation and Efabless making asics for free. I think they make about 10000 of them, as long as they're open source. I'd like to see some of these cores made into asics. You could probably turn the Mega65 into a Minor65 : )
Thank you so much for the hardware enlighten. Still, I have my reoccurring dream. I keep wondering about Commodore’s other line of 8-bit computers based upon the MOS 6502 derivatives. I keep pondering of the concept, what if via FPGA, one could implement a set of multiple predefined memory maps? Kind of like implementing a version of the VICE Commodore emulator on a FPGA. Though the twist, would be, that the device, would first boot up to blank GUI interface which outputs to a HDMI 1080p (1920 x 1080 resolution) output. As such, a VIC II video chip or an 8563 Video Display Controller (VDC) is emulated and shows up as either a 320 X 200 or 640 x 200 window on the HDMI display. Basically, a simple a right clink on the default blank screen, brinks a up short menu as to open/spawn 64K virtual address space, mapped to the choice of predefined memory maps. In essences, it's these virtual address space emulates (to some degree) either a C64, C128, the various Pet computer or even a CBM-II B128 computer. Ideally, I would like a built in CBM-488 and CBM PET IEEE buss.
Thank you for this video, I learned a lot about the hardware differences between the two platforms! I like the "mini freezer"! Any reason its accessed via the HELP key and not via RESTORE (ala MEGA65)?
That was the choice of Sy2002 and MJoergen. Perhaps this will be unified in the end, I don't know. Even RESTORE on the MEGA65 is not undisputed, there is a faction of developers and testets who feel that it is to trigger happy. One variant ist MEGA-RESTORE.
No, you can still order one. There should be a red 'Please note' text in the product description that tells you that you can order even if availability is 0.
yeah, the MEGA65 is indeed very excellent, but it's cost is rather steep. So getting it to the point that it is a platform capable of running cores ported from the MiSTer project would provide much more justification for that premium cost. After all, a decked out MiSTer gets rather spendy.
My MiSTer setup until now had a cost of 420€ (without the MT32-Pi), if I add a very good cherry keyboard with custom PETSCII keycaps (the WASD Commander X16 for example) I'm at 600€. If you now throw in the possibility of extra cores (and perhaps a module based BliSTer/SNAC interface), the MEGA65 is suddenly not that expensive anymore, in my eyes.
Thank you Oliver for this valuable explanation of the difference between FPGA-based recreation of systems and emulation, and of course of the difference between the awesome MiSTer and the (also awesome) MEGA65 and the MiSTer2MEGA65 framework. Great job!
Oh my God, that's so exciting !!!!! Thank you so much for sharing !!!! I knew getting the Mega65 was the right decision, It's even more obvious now ! And i can't wait to receive mine since i'm one of the lucky 400 first units owners :P
Thank you for great video Oliver. It will help more people to understand what Mega65 is. And yes to showing us some info on how ports are done. I am sucker for videos explaining technical stuff. Also nice to show Shallan's Doc Cosmos game. Good choice :)
I was really impressed with the music capabilities demonstrated by the C64 demo. Was the original C64 able to create that sound, or are there some enhancements?
Very good and well explained. Thumbs up!
With an expanded set of cores, is there a way for modern input devices and controllers connecting to the MEGA65?
If you mean USB by that, then no, the MEGA65 Hardware does not have an USB interface. It has two DB9 joystick ports. But the mainboard has extension PMOD ports, where additional hardware can be added. There are also breakout ports in the case, where such ports could be made available from the outside.
Now what about porting the Mega65 core to MiSTer, like with the spectrum next?
This not really the focus of the MEGA65 team. There are already cores for cheaper development boards, like the NexysA7.
But the core is open source, so anyone who has the itch to do is welcome to do it.
I know each fpga chip has some of its own proprietary cells, but are the instruction sets mostly the same between each vendor?
A FPGA core is designed by a HDL, for example Verilog or VHDL. This is implemented to the FPGA by a Software that can do that. This is Vivado for Xilinx and Quartus for Intel.
So yes, you can implement designs from targeted at one vendors hardware on the hardware of the other. There might be slight changes required, depending on the tool that does the implementation.
The main reason I ask is the Fossi Foundation and Efabless making asics for free. I think they make about 10000 of them, as long as they're open source. I'd like to see some of these cores made into asics. You could probably turn the Mega65 into a Minor65 : )
Thank you so much for the hardware enlighten. Still, I have my reoccurring dream. I keep wondering about Commodore’s other line of 8-bit computers based upon the MOS 6502 derivatives. I keep pondering of the concept, what if via FPGA, one could implement a set of multiple predefined memory maps? Kind of like implementing a version of the VICE Commodore emulator on a FPGA. Though the twist, would be, that the device, would first boot up to blank GUI interface which outputs to a HDMI 1080p (1920 x 1080 resolution) output. As such, a VIC II video chip or an 8563 Video Display Controller (VDC) is emulated and shows up as either a 320 X 200 or 640 x 200 window on the HDMI display. Basically, a simple a right clink on the default blank screen, brinks a up short menu as to open/spawn 64K virtual address space, mapped to the choice of predefined memory maps. In essences, it's these virtual address space emulates (to some degree) either a C64, C128, the various Pet computer or even a CBM-II B128 computer. Ideally, I would like a built in CBM-488 and CBM PET IEEE buss.
Thanks!
Well, we plan to have cores for all the Commodore machines at one time in the future...
"Kind of like implementing a version of the VICE Commodore emulator on a FPGA"? It's non sense!
I forgot I ordered the mega 65, that’s how long I’ve been waiting for it to arrive.
Thank you for this video, I learned a lot about the hardware differences between the two platforms!
I like the "mini freezer"! Any reason its accessed via the HELP key and not via RESTORE (ala MEGA65)?
That was the choice of Sy2002 and MJoergen. Perhaps this will be unified in the end, I don't know.
Even RESTORE on the MEGA65 is not undisputed, there is a faction of developers and testets who feel that it is to trigger happy. One variant ist MEGA-RESTORE.
I see they are sold out is there a new batch beyond 400 units? I Just have put together the funds
No, you can still order one. There should be a red 'Please note' text in the product description that tells you that you can order even if availability is 0.
@@OliverGraf yes I saw it so by wedesday when get paid I will place the order and wait.......so excited
Porting a core and making videos of it is a nice idea
cdrburner not poss?
I don't think that I understand the question. What does a CD Burner have to do with a VHDL FPGA Framework for retro computer?
LOL
Hey, it's the Commodore c65.... from the late 90s...
Well, it looks like it, but on the inside it is so much more!
MMMhhh nope
yeah, the MEGA65 is indeed very excellent, but it's cost is rather steep. So getting it to the point that it is a platform capable of running cores ported from the MiSTer project would provide much more justification for that premium cost. After all, a decked out MiSTer gets rather spendy.
My MiSTer setup until now had a cost of 420€ (without the MT32-Pi), if I add a very good cherry keyboard with custom PETSCII keycaps (the WASD Commander X16 for example) I'm at 600€. If you now throw in the possibility of extra cores (and perhaps a module based BliSTer/SNAC interface), the MEGA65 is suddenly not that expensive anymore, in my eyes.
You should see this Mega65 like a better C65 computer without paying it over 20/30 Thousand euros