edumoes wrote on 2023-06-21, 17:13:Very nice proyect!. A lot of cool features. In my experience and needs... (trust me, I'm an XT hoarder)
1) EMS emulation. Card […]
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Very nice proyect!. A lot of cool features. In my experience and needs... (trust me, I'm an XT hoarder)
1) EMS emulation. Cards are difficult to find, at least cheap... (i hope this work on my xt-286, as a rare hybrid between AT & XT worlds)
2) LAN emulation. OH yes!. I want samba-share full RW access!. Some Ne2000 16bit can work with special packet driver (only DHCP/FTP).
3) Storage are easy/cheap (using xtide-bios + CF/ide adapter). Or simply xtide-bios + Serial Boot (using a hard drive image from PCEM).
4) ROM load/emulation. So, picomem can load own bios...and then concatenate 2M-Xbios & XT-ide bios or any other bios...like basic/custom? (This will be perfect!)
5) Video emulation?. mmmm.... a lot of 16bit video cards works. Well, this will be cool only if you can emulate a real MDA/HERCULES/CGA, but with a standard DB15/hdmi output).
6) Sound. Not needed. We have picogus 😀. And you can even use a Sound Blaster 16.
7) CD storage: Sound Blaster Pro + Sony CD. I've really used it like 2 or 3 times in the last year, just for copying games)
Keep up the good work!
Hi,
Currently I am working hard to improve the interconnection with the ISA as the 5150 is faster and different than the Amstrad PC ISA, that is why there is not that much news 😀
Anyway, I think you had the concept right, more or less anything we want can be done, except video, as it require too many not available I/O
A basic CGA/MDA Text mode video can be added anyway, in remote (Output to a serial terminal for example)
1) Already here.
2) should be simple to add
3) The PicoMEM can emulate what you want from .IMG files on a MicroSD, I think nothing can be more simple. (2x Floppy, 4xHDD, any size)
4) Yes, it can be done ,I still need to implement the configuration of this part in the BIOS.
The ultimate goal will be to allow for BIOS image load from the MicroSD at boot time.
5)
6) It will be usefull when you can't add a PicoGUS, for machines with only one ISA Slot, I also have the Idea to build a "Paula" like output, to play with it.
Also, as I wrote Mod Master, I know well the sound cards, so I may do things that the PicoGUS don't do....
This will also start a phase when we will align our code, to have like code libraries we can exchange between the PicoMEM, PicoGUS and other.
Like add Network to the PicoGUS, sound to the PicoMEM....
7) not a priority for me, if somebody want to add it when I will release the code...
I work hard to increase the PicoMEM Maturity so that it is not "destroyed" when released... So, try to add 5150 and/or support of more machines.