There are two opposite approaches towards the whole project: either make it as powerful as the chip allows or make it as simple as needed for GUS compatibility. As usual, the right way might be somewhere in between.
Those who don't need SOJes are free to leave them unsoldered, those who don't need the SIMM are free to leave it unsoldered. But when the main batch of PCBs is produced, those who get their cards from the first batch won't be able to change the hardware. That's why I'd rather opt for implementing those features that don't increase the total cost by a fortune (i.e. no 4-layer PCBs, etc.) and don't consume a year of R&D.
So, if we could somehow implement a 4Mb ROM with a preloaded 4Mb patchset - that would be really great as it would clearly distinguish ARGUS from other InterWave cards in terms of unique features. If not - well, 1Mb ROM with optional SIMM72 and 2 SOJes will be a definitely great configuration to go to the production line 😀

That's my personal opinion obviously.

shock__ wrote:

Also ... do any 8088 based systems support PnP?

No idea, I don't know how PnP on ISA works exactly.
I mainly have experience with GF1-based GUSes, where you just have a commandline tool which initializes the card to the proper values.
I assume it just writes the config data to some special registers on the card.
I know the Interwave-card also has commandline tools to initialize, but I don't know if PnP support is required from the chipset-side.

None of the 386 systems support PnP, but that doesn't matter - you can use any PnP cards with OS-based PnP initialization routine for that (for example, DOS-based proprietary initialization program/driver).

Thing about the 4/16MB ROMset is ... I wouldn't know where to get started and don't see much of a point for it to be honest. Adapting the hardware to support it is easy, the software is not. Assuming the Pinout for a 4MB ROM is similar to the 1MB variant, it's actually already there, just leave out 2 pulldown/pullup resistors.
If you want to get to analyze things, I can send you the ROM dump if you can somehow assure me you already own a card which has an IW78C21M1.

About 8bit access ... not going to dig too deep into that. Especially since the idea might seem nice, but isn't the 8088 demoscene similar to the C64 one in being extremely restrictive about new/custom hardware?

hard1k wrote:

None of the 386 systems support PnP, but that doesn't matter - you can use any PnP cards with OS-based PnP initialization routine for that (for example, DOS-based proprietary initialization program/driver).

Okay, then that would not be anything to worry about on 8088.
We may just need to write a new initialization tool to be compatible with 8088.
Perhaps it's easy enough to reverse-engineer the existing tool and re-assemble it with 8088-compatible code.

shock__ wrote:

Thing about the 4/16MB ROMset is ... I wouldn't know where to get started and don't see much of a point for it to be honest. Adapting the hardware to support it is easy, the software is not. Assuming the Pinout for a 4MB ROM is similar to the 1MB variant, it's actually already there, just leave out 2 pulldown/pullup resistors.

So maybe you could put soldering points for that resistors just not to hold the whole project, but if somehow we manage to come over the software issues then we'll be able to put the resistors in place?

shock__ wrote:

If you want to get to analyze things, I can send you the ROM dump if you can somehow assure me you already own a card which has an IW78C21M1.

Well, although I don't have necessary skills, but I might be able to find a right person sometimes in the future.
I have 3 IW78C21M1 actually - on a GUS PnP Pro 3.0 board, on a Philips clone (acquired from that German person we had a talk about earlier) and on a Reveal card (acquired from eBay a couple of weeks ago), but all of them are far away. I'll get a proofpic in a month or so and send it to you. Btw, I've also purchased an SF2-based patchset directly from Voice Crystal 😀

Scali wrote:

Perhaps it's easy enough to reverse-engineer the existing tool and re-assemble it with 8088-compatible code.

IIRC, the source code is available and the link to the corresponding Website hosted by a VOGONS member even appeared in this very thread earlier.

Getting back into the "InterWave for 8Bit ISA"-thing shortly ... appears the MED3201 (only card using the low cost variant of the InterWave [AM78C200KC]) is restricted to using 8bit transfers internally (at least the 16bit IRQs and adress lines are removed from the chip).

shock__ wrote:

About 8bit access ... not going to dig too deep into that. Especially since the idea might seem nice, but isn't the 8088 demoscene similar to the C64 one in being extremely restrictive about new/custom hardware?

There isn't any 8088 demoscene, it's just us, so we can do whatever we want 😀

Well, where are you based? I can send you the MED3201 so you can do some fiddling with it - if anything works out, I can _maybe_ implement it in the ARGUS hardware.

EDIT: Actually ... wait a second. I'm confused as eff now. MED3201 has a chip labeled "InterWave LC AM78C200KC" with 160 pins - but according to the datasheet the low cost variant of the InterWave should be a 144 pin chip with the AM78C202KC name. What is this monstrosity?!

Just a small update - with a bit of luck I might be able to provide donors/contributors with the EEPROMs for free as well (roughly $1.50 value per chip).
Also anyone interested in a known bad AM78C201KC taken off a Reveal WavExtreme32? One could put it on a keyring or something.

shock__ wrote:

Just a small update - with a bit of luck I might be able to provide donors/contributors with the EEPROMs for free as well (roughly $1.50 value per chip).
Also anyone interested in a known bad AM78C201KC taken off a Reveal WavExtreme32? One could put it on a keyring or something.

That would be awesome. Any update on help assembling this? (for those who suffer from shaky-hands due to extreme old-age, or caffeine-addiction, or just plain incompetence?) 😎

Nopes ... I think a decent bet would be to organize on here (feel free to use this thread for that) or contact "nicetux" on dosforum.de who offered assembly services via a workmate of his.

I can help with soldering the cards for those who can't since the main IC will come pre-soldered AFAIR - it will be easy for me 😊

Yup, InterWave (aka the QFP-Monster with 160 legs) can be soldered onto the board by me at no additional costs - just let me know (I'll ask for it once I ask for demand before the PCBs go into production).

Layout is basically done and I still have an empty space of 20x70mm ... any ideas what to do with it?
(actually more like 20x50mm - gonna explain some jumpers/solder bridges in that space)

Is there a list of cool things to potentially add?
What extra do we need? We have a killer GUS at this point and optional -5v supply to the ISA bus.

I'd suggest anything design-related. If there is free space, we can add a good logo with some finishing (AWE64 Gold -like).

You can put in that space an opl3 chip 😁 and a dac 😜

Well, in a real system I would always pair a GUS with some SB [clone] card that brings its own OPL3.

More interesting would be some hardware extension that is modern and usually not available on an old ISA system. This follows basically the same approach new modules go for old 8 bits (1541U2).
Simple might be a Flash ROM that can be mapped in as Option ROM and which can enabled by jumper. Some code like XT-IDE can be put there to overcome the 504 MB barrier of old systems.