One Chip MSX PLD upgrade by HRA/KdL

HRA has released a new patch for the One Chip MSX VHDL code, changing the following:

Added a turboR (S1990) compatible 16-bit counter on port E6h/E7h
Improved SCC+ compatibility, activated with DIP Switch 3
Added SD/MMC activity LED
Added DIP-Switch state leds for switch 3 and 6
Improved wave sound quality
Tweaked low-pass filter
Increased main RAM to 2MB
Improved OPLL (MSX-MUSIC) sound quality
Improved SCC accuracy (interpolation)

The patches and further documentation (in Japanese) can be found on HRA's One Chip MSX website. The Italian MSX user KdL has been kind enough to release a new version (2.1) of his OCM PLD Pack which contains a compiled version of this update and documentation in English.

Relevant link: HRA's One Chip MSX website

Comments (35)

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

30-05-2007, 03:01

More infos:

1) a good link: http://free.flop.jp/1chipmsx/

2) two compatible download cables tested over 1chipMSX:

- Terasic Blaster (USB) LOL!
http://www.terasic.com.tw/attachment/archive/46/image/UBT_400.jpg

- X-Blaster (LPT) LOL!
http://www.customcircuitsolutions.com/images/x-blaster.jpg

___
KdL

By Morg

Master (142)

30-05-2007, 09:03

An upgrade for yours emulator!

By Grauw

Ascended (10768)

30-05-2007, 09:45

Nice!

Anyone know where you can buy that Terasic Blaster (USB), and for how much?

By Sonic_aka_T

Enlighted (4130)

30-05-2007, 10:25

Great news! Hurray for HRA! I hope it'll be a matter of time before this thing is tR compatible. With the efforts of people like HRA I'm sure that's the case...
Anyone know where you can buy that Terasic Blaster (USB), and for how much?I think you can just buy it from Terasic for around 40 eurii.

By Sonic_aka_T

Enlighted (4130)

30-05-2007, 10:27

Indeed...

http://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?Language=English&CategoryNo=39&No=46

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

30-05-2007, 12:10

Morg,

1chipMSX is not an emulator but a real MSX with a project and circuits:
VHDL is a general-purpose language to obtain hardware layer and it is not a software programming language.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHDL

Altera Cyclone do not have an other CPU as PC to run it:
with this FPGA it is only fast to customize 1chipMSX or, finally, "to make a real new MSX3 Home Computer" !!

Bye
___
KdL

By hap

Paragon (2042)

30-05-2007, 12:48

1chipMSX is not an emulator but a real MSX with a project and circuits.
I don't care about the semantics of "emulation", but if eg. the VDP is not a 1:1 copy of the MSX VDP, instead created by studying TMS/Yamaha's technical documentation and reverse engineering done by enthusiastic individuals, it's not a real MSX, but an imitation.
( This was discussed/debated before: http://www.msx.org/forumtopic7021.html )

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

30-05-2007, 17:37

It is not important.. then you use an MSX2 software, this work very fine on it.
This 1chipMSX is the better MSX2: the future is here!

By Edwin

Paragon (1182)

30-05-2007, 20:16

KdL> Since you've been playing around with it a lot more. Do you know what the difference is between the pld file (and code) that was delivered on the CD and the one inside the 1cM?

By Grauw

Ascended (10768)

30-05-2007, 20:53

Ah, thanks for the link, the one I found through Google says out of stock, hence my question… :)

Oh, and the price’s $50, but you can add $40 for shipping on top of that (or $26 if you’re shipping to Japan, but it’s still much). Maybe someone (e.g. Bazix) could stock up a bunch and sell them at the Bussum fair or something. The USB ones please ;), my laptop doesn’t have a parallel port.

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

31-05-2007, 00:24

Edwin, it's impossible to compare the original PLD file with a compiled from cd sources: Quartus II have the possibility to compile it with a various optimization and PLD file is different every time!
But if you have an headphone, pls, test the v1.0 and v2.1 on a same PSG game (Comic Bakery, etc...): this is very noised on fist version!!

bye
KdL

!! WARNING !! - PLDSAVE.COM - make a backup of original configuration but work fine only at 3,5MHz!!!

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

31-05-2007, 00:35

!! WARNING !! ByteBlaster MV is not work on 1chipMSX.

By Edwin

Paragon (1182)

31-05-2007, 00:59

KdL> Actually, I compiled the source tree with Quartus 7.1. And the resulting PLD file was an exact match for the PLD file on the CD. It's just the one that I saved using pldsave that is different.

Does this (pdf) JTAG cable work?

By dvik

Prophet (2200)

31-05-2007, 02:29

@KdL: I don't want to start another big discussion but emulation can be either done in hardware or in software. And according to wikipedia, the 1chipMSX is an emulator. It is however released by MSX-A though so it is also an MSX simply because they say so. VHDL clones are just like blueMSX or openMSX an emulator and not a real MSX because they are not endorced by MSX-A and can not use the official MSX logo.

Nevertheless, very nice adiitions LOL! Good job KdL and keep it up B-)

By Morg

Master (142)

31-05-2007, 08:49

The only R·E·A·L msx in my life is Turbo-r, but wait! Bluemsx, Rumsx, Fmsx and Onechip are good too!

By spl

Paragon (1470)

31-05-2007, 12:47

dvik: the feeling I have using a One Chip MSX (for example, in last MSX RU at Barcelona) or using your great emulator is radically different. Well, for me, One Chip MSX is a real MSX, with modern technologies, and I am waiting for it!

By Latok

msx guru (3938)

31-05-2007, 14:19

KdL, is the 'non existent blinkmode in screen 0'-problem solved with these VHDL updates?

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

31-05-2007, 14:53

@Edwin
with PLDSAVE I had many corrupted files.. pls, do not use it!!

To re-program it with X-BLASTER (LPT):

a) File -> Convert Programming Files: to have a correct [.pof] file.
b) Active Serial Programmer: to load it with this cable.

@dvik
no prob: the important is that there is! ^_______^

@Latok
pls, send me an example file to test this problem.. kdli@libero.it
___
KdL

By Edwin

Paragon (1182)

31-05-2007, 18:47

with PLDSAVE I had many corrupted files.. pls, do not use it!!

Ah, that explains a lot. Anyway, my primary concern at the moment is learning how to modify stuff. Which I will get some more time for when my coding stuff is done.

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

31-05-2007, 21:55

@Latok

There is not a blink problem on my 1chipMSX:
tested with MoonBlaster v1.4 & TED
with my OCM-PLD v1.0 and all my v2.1 versions.

It is all ok for me ^__^

How to flash it:

!! WARNING !! *** UPS is recommended ***
*** UPS is recommended *** !! WARNING !!

A> SET EXPERT=ON
A> PLDLOAD FILENAME.PLD
............................................ (pls, wait!)
A> _

Restart 1chipMSX with power button.

Enjoy it!

PLDLOAD v1.0 is here:
http://dev.ariel-networks.com/articles/pldload.zip/download

___
KdL

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

31-05-2007, 22:35

@Edwin

1) PLDSAVE.COM of many corrupted files is version 1.0 (I have only this)
From this event, I do not have used to flash any of this files saved by PLDSAVE but only my new compiled files

2) To have a different PLD file, use Desig Space Explorer of Quartus II... or change at your own the optimizations.

3) Xilinx JTAG download cable work only if it is a ByteBlaster II compatible (!) but I do not know other of this...

___
KdL

By Edwin

Paragon (1182)

31-05-2007, 23:31

pldload/pldsave seems to be 1.0 on the cd as well.

By the way, have you checked out the compilation results? I got 215 Warnings from compiling the unmodified code from the see. Some seemed harmless enough, but others were about path timings not meeting the speed requirements. In itself that may not actually be a problem, but I'm wondering if anybody has done some research in that department.

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

31-05-2007, 23:43

I don't know this and T.HARA don't reply at my e-mails..

(or the HRA's account that I have it isn't correct.. sob!)

By Latok

msx guru (3938)

01-06-2007, 23:55

I just loaded the official 2.1 release into my 1chipMSX. And it works just great! No more annoying Knight Rider leds. And a working screen 0 blink mode!! Great stuff

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

02-06-2007, 18:22

@Latok
^___________^

By coldbreeze

Master (141)

04-06-2007, 17:39

I just loaded the official 2.1 release. It works flawlessly! Many thanks! Keep up the great work!

By opcode

Expert (110)

09-06-2007, 05:28

Just curious: it isn't an "official" release, right? Because you guys are calling it an official release, but it isn't coming from the official sources... or so I think... Please correct me if I am wrong.

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

11-06-2007, 13:58

we specify.. this is a " HRA's Official Realease "
to distinguish at my CMT version and HRA's PSG version included in my OCM-PLD package!

there isn't a D4E or Bazix release for now!

By Edwin

Paragon (1182)

02-07-2007, 22:27

I tried to build the so called "Official Release", but it won't fit in the FPGA. The thing takes up 18k LEs. Did some checking and the main culprit is the new waveram that is added to the SCC. Probably for the interpolation thingy. With the two SCC instances, this ram takes up over 6000 LEs. So how is this stuff supposed to fit into an actual 1chipMSX?
I don't actually care about the interpolation unit itself because I think it has no place in an SCC implementation, but I was trying to rebuild the pld file.

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

06-07-2007, 16:34

@Edwin

With Altera Quartus II Web v6.1 it is OK:
do you have this version?

...

HRA's Sources Upgrade are here (=Official Release):
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~hra/note/onechipmsx/files/emsx_top_20070520.zip

By Edwin

Paragon (1182)

06-07-2007, 20:36

I used version 7.1, it runs better using Wine. But it produced an identical build to the one on the cd.

The bigger issue may be that there was no project file. I was able to build the pld after adding the new files to the project manually.

Anyway, I was just curious. I reverted back to the CD version because the HRA changes stray a bit too far from the real thing.

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

14-01-2008, 17:28

New Repacked File is here:
http://www.webalice.it/gnogni/ocm/20070520_OCM-PLD_Pack_v2.1_by_KdL_REPACKED.rar

Fixed only the text <Official Release> into <HRA's Unofficial Release>.

bye :evil:

By mouser

Expert (90)

26-02-2008, 22:11

What does exactly means "Added Mega-RAM SCC+(1MB) to SLOT1 when DIP-SW3=ON" in the history file of the upgrade pack ? Can I use execrom to load roms into that "virtual" megaram or is it just an SCC+ cartridge to be used in games ?

By caro

Hero (513)

16-03-2008, 11:51

Edwin wrote:
---
I tried to build the so called "Official Release", but it won't fit in the FPGA. The thing takes up 18k LEs.
---
in the file scc_ram.vhd
type ramdb is array( 0 to 255 ) of std_logic_vector( 7 downto 0 );
change to
type ramdb is array( 7 downto 0 ) of std_logic_vector( 7 downto 0 );
and build to OK.

By KdL

Paragon (1451)

16-03-2008, 15:52

x mouser: using MGLOAD.COM only! (this is an ESE MegaRAM SCC+)

x caro: Quartus Web Ed. v6.1 fit fine for me.

pls, directly contact Hra for specific questions on his scc_ram.vhd
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~hra/index.htm
(fill "MSX" into Subject, when you send email).

One Chip MSX PLD upgrade by HRA/KdL

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