| Subject: OK, ok... |
Author: Flash (port267.cvx2-sto.ppp.netlink.se)
Date: 11-22-2001 04:50
Wellwellwelll... Whatta surprise. :-)
So weīre all waiting? -Well, so am I! ;)
No, really. I tried to encourage people to
get together in a project, some time ago...
I was trying to have folks opinions about
what we really want/need. Just like Tramiels
SHOULD have done while doing the Falcon...
Almost every suggestion was about stuff like
"intel! pci! peesee!! iiiiisaaa!" aso aso :(
Thatīs the ONLY thing I didnīt wanna hear!
Thatīs the only thing we really DONīT need!!
I have learned that the scene will never come
to a common agreement about things, and at the
end of the day, I ended up alone building the
machine I want. Now every1 are waiting for it?
Every attempt to organise something failed,
and I canīt ever afford serial production
on my own, so I guess Iīll be the only one
to actually HAVE a TOSter, in the end????
Anyway, it would be built for MY needs, not
at all said that it would suit the next ppl.
Certainly didnīt want this to happen,
but I could guess, had a funny feeling...
Though itīs not too late, or? Who wanna help?
*********************************************
OK, since youīre asking, hereīs the plan:
The TOSter will be another Falcon.
Well not JUST another Falc, it will be the
machine Atari SHOULD have done, once on it.
The motherboard will have standard size to
fit in a standard computer(not pese) tower.
It will stay 68K, for a start. Then itīs up
to anyone to develope CPUcards with any CPU
and OS desired. The ROMs will be placed on the
CPU card as well, making this kinda "open
system", just swap system card and harddrive,
and youīll have another machine. If you want.
I think this is the best solution, since so
many voices wanted so many different CPUs?
I canīt write any emulations, so thatīs up
to them who want it. Fair enough?
The MOBO itself will be very Falcon-alike in
the means that every hardware adress will be
the same, as far as possible. But most chips
will be replaced by newer better stuff.
The DSP will be a full 32bit one, the original
56001 had 24bit DATA bus, but only 8 bits
were actually connected. Still it was pretty
powerful, but this will make a difference!
What else???
Well, I want to add some interfaces that I
think we all have been missing. Folk has
always been screeming "gimme Ethernet!" well,
hereīs our chanse! I think thereīs a chip
that can handle BOTH Ethernet and USB! Cool!
But if not, Iīll simply use two chips then...
"no USB, no machine!" Thatīs what I say...
Still the drivers issue is a biiiig problem.
Thereīs megatons of funny USB stuff, just
waiting to be plugged into a TOSter! I canīt
code(asm), = I canīt write drivers! Still Iīm
100% convinced that my idea about some kinda
"drivers translator" CAN be realised! I know
it would take a staff of good coders to solve
that, but I know it can be done. Anyone?
Iīve seen in the Falcīs hardware adress list
that there is some "spare" adresses, that are
"reserved for future use" or something. Good.
Letīs use them! For USB, Ethernet, and MP3.
MP3. -Isnīt that a "pese" format? Say what??
OK, letīs skip the rubbish! Iīm gonna put a
little MP3 coder/decoder on the board. No mercy!
By adressing it via DMA, the CPU & DSP wonīt
be bothered at all. Think of what kinda games
could be done. ;) Music and SFX in MP3, and
the DSP have all its strength left for some
nifty 3D graphix, say?
Have to end here. The dualCPUcard project
wonīt leave me alone, have to continue...
Gimme some reflexions, and Iīll be back
with a progress report soon
|
| Topics |
Author |
Date |
 The TOSTer!!!!!!!! new |
Facundo |
11-21-2001 20:25 |
 RE: The TOSTer!!!!!!!! new |
Fat Rakoon |
11-21-2001 22:25 |
  RE: The TOSTer!!!!!!!! new |
Facundo |
11-22-2001 02:18 |
  RE: The TOSTer!!!!!!!! new |
Fat Rakoon |
11-22-2001 20:07 |
| OK, ok... |
Flash |
11-22-2001 04:50 |
| RE: OK, ok... new |
Fat Rakoon |
11-22-2001 19:46 |
| RE: OK, ok... new |
GokMasE |
11-22-2001 22:58 |
| RE: OK, ok... new |
Flash |
11-22-2001 23:57 |
| RE: OK, ok... new |
Flash |
11-22-2001 23:52 |
| RE: OK, ok... new |
Fat Rakoon |
11-23-2001 05:13 |
| RE: OK, ok... new |
Flash |
11-23-2001 08:03 |
| RE: OK, ok... new |
Elliot |
11-23-2001 13:59 |
| RE: OK, ok... new |
Fat Rakoon |
11-23-2001 19:39 |
| RE: OK, ok... new |
Fat Rakoon |
11-23-2001 20:01 |
| RE: OK, ok... new |
Scott |
11-27-2001 10:16 |
| RE: OK, ok... new |
Scott |
11-27-2001 10:11 |
| RE: OK, ok... new |
Flash |
11-27-2001 18:49 |
| Some minor details... new |
Flash |
11-22-2001 22:22 |
| RE: Some minor details... new |
Mintboy |
11-22-2001 23:11 |
| RE: Some minor details... new |
Flash |
11-23-2001 19:38 |
| RE: Some minor details... new |
Elliot |
11-23-2001 14:16 |
 |
|
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