jdredd wrote on 2023-12-24, 06:49:

This would be nice to replace some things on my Model 30 8086 system.
Using the lotech 2mb EMS card and XIRCOM LPT network adapter.

I waaaaant 😀

😀
it is tested to work on Model 30 286, so 8086 should be Ok.

Network is still not there, Kevin did not finish the code merge so far.

Is it possible to add an RTC & battery to the picomem ?
and some firmware, and dos software to read/write the RTC.

weedeewee wrote on 2023-12-26, 16:13:

Is it possible to add an RTC & battery to the picomem ?
and some firmware, and dos software to read/write the RTC.

Hi,

What I would like to do is NTP via Wifi.
No need for battery, it can save settings to the Compact Flash.

FreddyV wrote on 2023-12-27, 13:11:

Hi, […]
Show full quote

weedeewee wrote on 2023-12-26, 16:13:

Is it possible to add an RTC & battery to the picomem ?
and some firmware, and dos software to read/write the RTC.

Hi,

What I would like to do is NTP via Wifi.
No need for battery, it can save settings to the Compact Flash.

wifi is nice, but not always available, thus NTP will also not be available.
In such cases having an RTC with a backup battery is a nice thing.

Hi,

Posting some news;

The last week was quite busy, as multiple person received their Rev 1.1 Boards.
I discovered then that the IBM 5150 was no more working on my last Firmware.

To have it working back, I found a way to have the Core managing ISA to work "Alone" in its own RAM bank, the bank used for the Stack.
I then learnt more about the Pico Memory bank stuff.

Yesterday, I found that the 5150 problem was not problem of Concurent RAM Access delay, but by code needing to run FAST was screwed up by the compiler...
So, I managed to have 5150 code running again, and I have another possibility to improve it.

I also found that there is more RAM available that what I expected, so I will move the BIOS to RAM to have again more performance and more flexibility/Possibility to improve the code.

At the end, these "Bad News" (No more working on 5150) Was agin an opportunity to learn more and improve the PicoMEM 😀

I've been watching it on the discord (as well as the PicoMEM that I have) and it's moving so fast. Lots of problems are being found and dealt with and every time that happens the project is improved for everybody, becomes more robust etc.

This might be the project that everybody goes for in their old PCs because of the huge range of things it does and how cheap it is.

How does one become A chosen one to get one of these 😀

Velociraptor wrote on 2024-01-07, 19:12:

I've been watching it on the discord (as well as the PicoMEM that I have) and it's moving so fast. Lots of problems are being found and dealt with and every time that happens the project is improved for everybody, becomes more robust etc.

This might be the project that everybody goes for in their old PCs because of the huge range of things it does and how cheap it is.

Thanks 😀

Back to standard work time (No more Holliday) so it will slow down a little.

Incredible project and as an avid XT and AT fan I’m following the progress closely. Like many others here I’ll be keen to get my hands on the card when you have it ready for release.

I can see one of these in my 5155, 5160 & Compaq portable 2 and potentially more 😀

Keep up the great work and great to see some great collaborators working on the card. Going to be a killer card and I will be sure to buy a few.

I guess the other possible avenue to explore would be for the IBM PS/2 machines I’ve a number of machines where this would really add value as PS/2 kit is rare and MicroChannel cards are notoriously expensive. There are some modern cards such as the McIDE and I could see this could add value in that space.

Best of luck with development and looking forward to owning a few.

Mike

Mike1978 wrote on 2024-01-14, 10:31:

Incredible project and as an avid XT and AT fan I’m following the progress closely. Like many others here I’ll be keen to get m […]
Show full quote

Incredible project and as an avid XT and AT fan I’m following the progress closely. Like many others here I’ll be keen to get my hands on the card when you have it ready for release.

I can see one of these in my 5155, 5160 & Compaq portable 2 and potentially more 😀

Keep up the great work and great to see some great collaborators working on the card. Going to be a killer card and I will be sure to buy a few.

I guess the other possible avenue to explore would be for the IBM PS/2 machines I’ve a number of machines where this would really add value as PS/2 kit is rare and MicroChannel cards are notoriously expensive. There are some modern cards such as the McIDE and I could see this could add value in that space.

Best of luck with development and looking forward to owning a few.

Mike

Thanks,
Working on the integration of ne2000 code with Mouse emulation (Interrup multiplexer)

FreddyV wrote on 2023-05-24, 10:00:

The SETUP Utility IS a BIOS, it is started as a ROM extention (ROM Emulation) […]
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keropi wrote on 2023-05-24, 07:34:

I like it, great work!!!
really love the setup utility looks - faux BIOS-like 😀

do not be disheartened, it is normal that a XT-related piece of kit does not get much love quickly since the whole "XT scene" is not that popular with few (but dedicated!) followers...

The SETUP Utility IS a BIOS, it is started as a ROM extention (ROM Emulation)

With all the forum and facebook post I see around people trying to use XTIDE on XT machine, I think the interrest on XT is rizing, since some years.

Because the 486 are all the same, pentium and other even more.
We find unique and interresting machines, mainly in XT class PC.

This board WILL Be usefull for other PC, not only XT, I focus on XT for the moment because it is there that the PicoMEM is the more usefull.

What about USB KB/Mouse, Bluetooth Joystick, Wifi ethernet on a 386/486 ? This card may be able to do it.

It will also open the door to Pi Zero based boards for more interresting emulation.
But the Other pi need to be available first.

This board is a beginning of something else, more or less 😀

This is a great project!
I would love to have one (or two) for all the nice featues it could add to my 286, and being able to use a USB mouse in 486 would be fantastic 😀

The NE2000 support sounds particularly useful - I'd be really interested in spinning a board that'll plug into the expansion interface on my Victor V86P, although for testing purposes I did make a breakout that gives me an ISA connector (powered from an ATX PSU). The expansion connector is basically an ISA socket with the voltage rails removed on a 60-pin 0.1" connector on the back of the system, with jackposts for attaching an expansion to the rear of the machine. I was looking at doing something with the open-source ISA NIC based round the RTL8019, but from what I gather they're getting a bit thin on the ground.

I came across this and... ooooh, ISA, RAM, EMS, and a NE2000-based Wifi? Maybe we can have a cut-down version for the Book8088, since it already has a CF drive and a USB port, that sockets into the ISA port it has.

STrRedWolf wrote on 2024-02-08, 20:52:

I came across this and... ooooh, ISA, RAM, EMS, and a NE2000-based Wifi? Maybe we can have a cut-down version for the Book8088, since it already has a CF drive and a USB port, that sockets into the ISA port it has.

Hi,

It is in progress (Not by me)

FreddyV wrote on 2024-02-12, 14:35:

STrRedWolf wrote on 2024-02-08, 20:52:

I came across this and... ooooh, ISA, RAM, EMS, and a NE2000-based Wifi? Maybe we can have a cut-down version for the Book8088, since it already has a CF drive and a USB port, that sockets into the ISA port it has.

Hi,

It is in progress (Not by me)

Can't wait. I'd love to get some UMB's and EMS on the Book8088.

FreddyV wrote on 2023-09-30, 22:47:

uridium wrote on 2023-09-28, 01:35:

Thanks,
More than 4Mb will be difficult, we can't find > 8Mb SPI PSRAM

What about some basic chip select logic and multiple SPI SPRAM ?

uridium wrote on 2024-02-21, 10:34:

FreddyV wrote on 2023-09-30, 22:47:

uridium wrote on 2023-09-28, 01:35:

Thanks,
More than 4Mb will be difficult, we can't find > 8Mb SPI PSRAM

What about some basic chip select logic and multiple SPI SPRAM ?

SPI BUS is fast, so the more we add on it, the less reliable it will be. (PSRAM is accesses at 120MHz)
4Mb is really good for XT 😀

FreddyV wrote on 2024-03-02, 11:19:

SPI BUS is fast, so the more we add on it, the less reliable it will be. (PSRAM is accesses at 120MHz)
4Mb is really good for XT 😀

I was about to say "I saw Pimoroni had 16Mb models" but it turns out it was flash, not PSRAM.

Still, 4Mb of LIM EMS? I'll be worth it.

Thank you for your work @FreddyV. I really mean it. Project like yours are very important for the community even if it take time for the said community to understand it.
There are many interesting threads posted frequently here, and with little time, I read them when I can. And what a surprise reading this one 😁

I agree with @keropi on many points:

• The XT enthusiasts are not many but are a hard core.
• If CD-ROM with CD audio can be done, that would be great. But 600 KB/s (4X speed) would be preferable if feasible over the 300 KB/s.

Your BIOS UI is really awesome! Well done 😁

From the hardware side, however the lack of DMA support is really limiting what can be done and not being able to access at the same time the SD card and the data bus is also a quite annoying limitation for data efficient transfer even with a buffer of 1MB. But maybe I'm wrong on that point.

* Do you think in the future those two limitations can be surpassed?

What would be great is to have two versions, one 8-bit and one 16-bit. Mainly to have access to more IRQ and if (when) possible more DMA channels and also for 16-bit data transfer optionally for full AT support too. I think the RP2040 can do that.

One thing I spoke of frequently, is it would also be wonderful to have Wi-Fi support with an embedded web server to change the removable media on the fly. Because a text mode UI is really a great thing, but having an external access independent of the computer is what makes it really user friendly to use.

With all that included everybody will be happy I'm sure. Especially me as it would be a long lasting dream came true 😀
Floppy + HDD + CD-ROM (with analog audio even if it require the addition of DAC to get good CD-DA quality) all-in one solution, configurable by software or web server ♥

As it is for XT, I suppose your BIOS "just" act as a normal BIOS extension for FDD & IDE HDD drive controller. It cannot override an already present BIOS on the motherboard to replace it like XTIDE or ISA Promise controller do.
* Can you, please, confirm that ? Thank you 😀

ps. and I'm of course not saying «I want that, do it !» as some people here tends to react a little to fast. I'm just expressing what I would like to see, and as your project is a wonderful base about data storage for many passionate people to work on, improving it in the future, it would be possible for my will to become a reality one day. And that is something! Like the PicoGUS project is for the sound!

And, again, thank you very very much for your work!!!

Hi,

Thanks for your message.

There is a low reaction on my project for the moment here, yes, but when more popular youtuber will release their video and more boards will be available, it will surely change.

CD Emulation is obviously possible, I am just focus on having the Board ready to be used by more person (Remove limitations, have it more simple, test on more PC ...)
500Kb/s is the actual "disk speed" even for 4.77MHz 8088 It can go a little more than 1Mb/s

Do a 16bit Board is too much constraint vs what will be improved. It may be possible with the future version of the RP2040.

I don't understand what you mean about the DMA, The Pico can access the SD and still response to all the ISA bus request. Then, the Pico read SD sectors while the PC Copy the previous sector to the program at the same time.
I May add one ISA DMA Channel in another revision of the board and Emulated DMA is possible (For Sound Blaster support for example)

I Will release the firmware code, it is just a matter of time, so if somebody want to add CD or whatever later....