Category "Blackcat Girl"
Hello dear SibNews readers.
I present to you a new section
"Blackcat Girl"
dedicated to hardware improvements. New
The year for soldering iron lovers is the time
when possible on a long weekend
indulge in your favorite pastime. Therefore, today
I want to suggest to the owners of such retro
devices like the original SMUC v.1.0 and
General Sound to finish these old ones
devices to the ability to work with the bus
NemoBus, now standard
domestic spectrum production.
1. Conversion of SMUC v.1.0 for NemoBus.
Original SMUC is not uncommon
until now. Many people use it
Scorpios. But old Scorpios gradually
fail, and their owners are very
are surprised when they find out that in modern
Small computers with NemoBus, SMUC bus
doesn't work. The point here is that the tire is in
Scorpio is more correctly called ScorpionBus,
not ZXBUS. This bus, like NemoBus,
is a clone of the computer's ZXBUS bus
ZX Spectrum (16/48k), but these tires are completely
are not identical, and that is exactly what is
the reason for SMUC not working in NemoBus. Also
SMUC will not work with TSEvo configs either
and PentEvo in the ZXEvo devboard, in which
operation is somewhat different from NemoBus
expansion buses. Those. without modification, SMUC
cannot be used with anyone
modern domestic clone. But, to
unfortunately, for the original SMUC there is no
the sources of the CPLD firmware are used, and therefore
it is possible only to assume its internal
device when there is no way to check
assumptions in practice. Fortunately,
AndyD, did a good job on his SMUC
work to test my assumptions about
internal device CPLD original
SMUC, and fully confirmed their correctness
ness. This made it possible to create improvements
SMUC solving the problem of device operation in
computers with NemoBus bus, as well as with
TSEvo and PentEvo configs in the devboard
ZXEvo. Follow the link on the forum in the topic
"SMUC Corrections and Improvements":
http://zx.clan.su/forum/8-149-1
two options for modifications of the original are given
SMUC for working with NemoBus, different
expecting support from Scorpio
ISA8 bus variant. Both options open
all SMUC ports, eliminating the need
enter TR-DOS, just like it's done
and in the clone SMUC v.2.0, but in the first version
work with ISA8 is blocked, and in the second
possible in TR-DOS mode, as in the original
nal SMUC.
The modifications are not complicated and are accessible to anyone,
who knows how to hold a soldering iron in his hands. Except
In addition, I recommend making improvements
http://zx.clan.su/forum/8-118-1153-16-1514129150
allowing you to replace the metric printed
original SMUC to inch connector
62-pin,used in NemoBus, which
will save you from the danger of burning your computer
due to the displacement of the SMUC board in the NemoBus slot.
2. Redesign of General Sound for NemoBus.
1) When using the original GS or
his replicas from zorel on modern
computers with NemoBus, you have to
to face such an unpleasant person
ity, like its non-operation in slots with
low priority (NemoBus slave slots),
or even non-working in the ZXEvo devboard with
TSEvo and PentEvo configs, bus operation
whose extensions are somewhat different from
NemoBus. GS works more or less stably
only in the slot with the highest priority,
i.e. in the master slot of the NemoBus, which
it happens, it’s not always convenient if in NemoBus
Several peripheral devices are plugged in.
This feature of the work is explained
insufficiently thought out circuitry
original GS, in particular because for
generating read signals from GS ports,
only the WR/ signal is used, and RD/ is not
is used. As a result of this simplification
circuit design, if in a port writing cycle,
the slot is supplied with a slightly delayed relative
relative to the WR signal/ IORQ signal/, then according
signal WR/ ends, remains active
delayed IORQ/causes false
generation of a read signal from the corresponding
common port, which, in case of access to
port #B3, causes the data flag to be reset
status port, by armingwhich
the program determines the performance of GS.
An example of a modification to eliminate this
false reading signal generation is given
on the forum in the topic "Corrections and
GS improvements:
http://zx.clan.su/forum/8-118-777-16-1387740869
Unlike previously known improvements,
this circuit does not require soldering where not
getting capacitors, and selecting on a whim
their nominal value, circuit design of this modification
logical and unambiguous. This modification is related to
not very complicated, and in some cases
it can be limited.
2) But, unfortunately, the above drama-
The boot does not eliminate all problems associated
with the operation of the original GS in
NemoBus. In particular, for devices
installed after GS, in slots with more
low priority, problem persists
"needles" on the IORQ/ signal, leading to
conflicts and unsustainable work of peripheral
rial devices. This problem is
a consequence of incorrect circuit design
IORQGE signal conditioner in GS. Explanation
This means that the original GS was
developed at the dawn of the NemoBus bus development,
and therefore did not fully correspond to her
specifications due to insufficient information
of the author GS. Example of modification for
elimination of both described problems is pre-
stated in the second post of the topic:
http://zx.clan.su/forum/8-118-845-16-1390903557
Refinement is a little more complicated and requires
soldering secondextra pair floor
microcircuits In the same topic you will find
other modifications are not for everyone.
I don’t recommend it when making modifications.
use the original GS scheme,
containing errors. Use only
corrected diagram:
http://zx.clan.su/forum/11-132-1#838
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