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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : PicoMite: PicoGAME VGA development
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| al18 Senior Member  Joined: 06/07/2019 Location: United StatesPosts: 205 |
Mick, Great work on your board. With the multiple options to connect a wide variety of joysticks and advanced audio circuits, have you considered submitting your design to Nuts and Volts or Silicon Chip magazines for publication? |
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Mixtel90 Guru  Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6820 |
Certainly not at this stage anyway - it's not complete. lol. It's pretty much an open design. I've not done much on it that's original apart from the concept of a PicoMite-based games console and the pretty red/green LED. :) There's nothing there that couldn't be built from the PicoMite manual. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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thwill Guru Joined: 16/09/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4047 |
Now we need some software, it feels like there are at least 4x more PCB layouts for the Picomite VGA than programs targeting it. I'm working on it, amongst a dozen other things. Best wishes, Tom Game*Mite, CMM2 Welcome Tape, Creaky old text adventures |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6820 |
Ah, but only one PCB is custom made to your design. LOL Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 4260 |
Mick, Tom, A simple way to swap left and right audio is to mount R7 and R8 diagonally. They are adjacent in layout, so that is easy fix. Volhout. PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6820 |
That will correct the headphones, but not low level audio. Both could be done using crossed links on LB2, I think. :) Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| thwill Guru Joined: 16/09/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4047 |
I'm not 100% certain (and will initially attach it with flying leads) but I think the "wrong" audio connector I ordered may actually be oriented "correctly" for this board (once the mic is wired to ground). I have also ordered some correct connectors for the Mk2 board. Best wishes, Tom Game*Mite, CMM2 Welcome Tape, Creaky old text adventures |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6820 |
I got in an awful knot with the audio side. lol 1 - I created a footprint block for the socket with R and L reversed. (From incorrect info on a web site - the truth is not necessarily out there!) 2 - I designed the audio layout round the example circuit shown in the PicoMite manual i.e. PWM A is Right, PWM B is Left. 3 - I tested it using PLAY TONE left [, right [, dur]] and discovered that the command is wrong. It should be PLAY TONE left, right [,dur] or you get an error. 4 - Now, was the problem with the GP pins, PLAY TONE or my mis-wired headphones? Not as easy to sort out as you may think at first as I am pretty deaf in my right ear. :) 5 - I used PLAY TONE to output 1kHz on one channel then used my meter (on the frequency range) to test the GP pins and discover that the example schematic is wrong. That aligns the GP pins with L and R. The jack socket is the next problem. It's obviously reversed, but so are the GP pins so my initial tests appeared to be correct apart from PLAY TONE being wrong. While testing I tried to correct things by reversing the order in the OPTION AUDIO setup, but that changes nothing. The "tip" of the socket will be Left and the "ring" will be Right. My markings on the PCB are reversed (and consequently wrong). This has been corrected on the next version. EDIT: I hadn't got the files with me when I wrote that last post. Now I've been able to look at them and the hardware again. Just taking the board as built and the phones the correct way round (verified) so the tip (Left) is connected to GP7 (PWM B). This is in line with the diagram in the PicoMite manual. PLAY TONE 50,0 (PLAY TONE left,right) should give an AC voltage on GP7 but it's on GP6 and consequently on the Right headphone channel. I knew I wasn't cracking up... Edited 2022-04-19 02:46 by Mixtel90 Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6820 |
This is the very latest documentation for this board, including BOM and list of known problems. I may very well find more as things progress, but I'll update this thread as I do. All the known problems will be addressed on the next issue - the drawings for it are being corrected as I go along. PicoGAME - prototype.zip Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Amnesie Guru Joined: 30/06/2020 Location: GermanyPosts: 396 |
I am really excited to see what is possible with the picoMite when it comes to games! I saw chess games for the CMM2 and some simple racing games. As an BASIC beginner it is really cool to see the huge interest and development for the Pico :) |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6820 |
It's highly unlikely to be able to get anywhere remotely close to the CMM2 in gaming. The CMM2 is a much more powerful platform. There are no multiple video pages to switch and no sprites for a start. It'll be interesting to see what/if anything happens. :) Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Amnesie Guru Joined: 30/06/2020 Location: GermanyPosts: 396 |
But isn't the challenge the real fun? I mean I am too young to know the ages where one had to cope with just kilobytes of memory - but I think this can be fun, too. What's about the BLIT command / statement? I know it can not really replace sprites, but what I have read so far, it could be used as an simple alternative of spirtes? I mean at least some kind of Tetris should be possible, I think. Edited 2022-04-19 08:45 by Amnesie |
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| al18 Senior Member Joined: 06/07/2019 Location: United StatesPosts: 205 |
You can download David Murray’s Tetris for the Maxamite - just Google it. Create a new first line Option Legacy On Change the Mode command to Mode 2 You’re all set - Tetris for the PicoMiteVGA |
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| thwill Guru Joined: 16/09/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4047 |
Hi Mick, I don't know if you've already caught it but the holes to take the USB-A anchor points are too small. Of course according to the warning in your recent notes the 50 x USB ports I bought may also be the wrong polarity, is that even a thing, I thought USB was a "standard" ? Best wishes, Tom Game*Mite, CMM2 Welcome Tape, Creaky old text adventures |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 4260 |
Mick, Under the level shifter there is free board area. You could add footpriont for the FET's Peter uses, and the pullup resistors. So people who don't have the level shifter can use discrete components. Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6820 |
Hmmm... The USB-A sockets that I have fit perfectly. They are some that I got to build my CMM2 but TBH I can't remember where I got them from. The bag seem to have gone now. Vertical USB-A connectors can be left-hand or right-hand, so as the pcb connections run front to back they reverse depending on which hand of socket is used. If you have dimensions and details for your sockets let me know. I'll see if I can use slots for the mountings and use solder blob pads to reverse the polarity so that either can be used. Thanks, Tom - the controllers have just arrived. :) They look ok, don't they? I was just getting round to setting up the test for them. ----- That's an idea, Volhout. There is very little space around there now though as I've had to fit the full size SD card socket in. I'll have a look. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| thwill Guru Joined: 16/09/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4047 |
Hi Mick, These are the ones I ordered (and I think received, though I'm away from my workbench now for a few days) https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32820712409.html. No technical drawing, but the price was right  .You are welcome. Haven't tested them myself yet, but I think I posted some PicoMite code that will do the job earlier in the thread. Best wishes, Tom Game*Mite, CMM2 Welcome Tape, Creaky old text adventures |
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| thwill Guru Joined: 16/09/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4047 |
Are there I2C pins free so that an RTC module can be added? Hot glued in the analog joystick space and then with some flying wires, I'm not asking for a PCB modification. Best wishes, Tom Game*Mite, CMM2 Welcome Tape, Creaky old text adventures |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 4260 |
On the 9 pin connector K7, you can use GP4 and GP5. There is also +3V3 and GND. So a RTC inside a 9 pin D connector housing would be the solution... Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6820 |
Both controllers work on Port A exactly as expected. :) Not tested on Port B yet. There are no spare pins and no I2C used on the board, unfortunately. I'd have liked a RTC but you can't have everything. However, if someone was playing in single player mode and was willing to plug a RTC module into the other port it should work nicely. There's no reason why GP4 (I2C SDA) and GP5 (I2C SCL) on Port B couldn't be used as is. Using Port A *might* not be quite as successful due to the protection resistors on GP0 (I2C SDA) and GP1 (I2C SDL), but it might work as the RTC has its own. It would be a neat way to do it and would allow the RTC to be plugged into either port. Alternatively, if the analogue pins definitely aren't required, I2C2 SDA (GP26) and I2C2 SCL (GP27) are available on pins 5 and 9 of Port B. That would keep GP3 and GP4 available for networking. Those USB sockets look as if they are the same way round as the ones I have so you'll have the same polarity problem. I just cut the tracks to it and wired round. I've done it on both boards because sure as anything I'll eventually plug something in that's polarity conscious. If you have a small drill you could open up the holes to make one fit - the shell isn't connected to anything, they are just holes. The plating doesn't really matter. If you have a micrometer or something it would be nice to know the size of the mounting lugs. I bet the centres aren't far off. EDIT: All that work and Volhout beat me to it.... lol EDIT EDIT: Port B is working correctly with a controller too. :) I've modified Tom's routine a little and now have both controllers able to operate simultaneously. Very happy so far. :) . Edited 2022-04-19 22:52 by Mixtel90 Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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