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simbin

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Posts posted by simbin

  3. Posted · Edited by simbin

    Hey all, just heard about the N8, and since this thread is great resource for discussing all things FPGA related...

     

    Quick question for you gurus...

    Do you still need FDSStick, or now N8, to correctly play FDS roms on Nt mini, or has there been developments with loading from the Nt mini's internal SD?

  4. Posted

    I'm going to assume that if Analogue/Kevtris decides to make a standalone Genesis console with an expansion slot, they will design the console to fit the Sega CD Model 2. Which I feel is the right choice since the Model 2 is far more reliable.

    Hopefully we get that FPGA dongle first. :) The Sega CD Model 2 looks hideous. I'm dreading the day my Model 1 bites the dust. I just did a recap and trace repair of my power board.

  9. Posted · Edited by simbin

     

    JUST IN CASE... the jailbreak was not written by Kevtris, I would feel more comfortable with the SD2SNES since it won't brick your system and void the warranty. Analogue specifically said that Kevtris's firmware would not void the warranty. "Unbrickable" or not, someone will always find a way to break something.

     

     

    This isn't generic advice. I wrote it, and this is how it works. You cannot flash a "bad" firmware, there are multiple checks for proper firmware, and even if somehow you managed it, it will gracefully recover when you try again. If you turn it off mid-update it will detect this on the next power up and flash the LED waiting for you to put an SD card with firmware on it in the slot. It's "unbrickable" via the update mechanism.

     

    I'm pretty sure you can also go back to any previous firmware. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

  15. Posted · Edited by simbin

     

    Probably: I've not looked into it specifically, but I don't see why you couldn't.

     

    There are other solutions for analog video output from the Pi, though. Bob's covered a bunch of them here:

     

    http://retrorgb.com/rpi240p.html

     

    The RGB-Pi is probably the "smallest" solution, since the PCB is entirely within the SCART head, so there is only the connector and a ribbon cable to go inside the Pi.

     

    Since I don't have any RGB SCART monitors, I decided to set everything up for Component. HD Retrovision cables for the win! I can easily transition everything over with the OSSC when CRTs are extinct. My local Goodwill stopped carrying CRTs about two years ago icon_sad.gif

  16. Posted

     

    Most of them are straight up digital to analog converters: no lag because they don't have framebuffers and aren't doing any scaling or fancy processing, they just convert directly with the timings unchanged. A lot of effort has gone into looking into them for use with the OSSC, since it only has DVI/HDMI output. People want to use the OSSC on VGA PC monitors, since the OSSC is also lag-free. IIRC it was a Tendak unit that ended up being the recommended one for the OSSC due to being cheap ($14 IIRC) and having decent quality output (no crushed blacks, a common issue with these sort of things), but I don't know if it was one of the units that worked with 240p HDMI signals. The OSSC can output 240p HDMI (just plug a 240p console into it and set the output mode to passthrough), but it's a somewhat useless use case to convert that to analog, because it would mean you're outputting to a 15 kHz CRT, and if you're doing that, you could just plug the console directly into the monitor instead of going through the OSSC. In the case of the Super Nt, however, it's a potentially valid use case.

     

    Thanks for sharing this info. I'm curious if I can use this solution for my RetroPie box. I was planning on getting the RetroTINK but it won't fit in my case.

  17. Posted

    Sounds good, would the HDMI-to-VGA converter produce lag? I am not at all familiar with how HDMI works and no idea what is in these converters, is it a circuit/decoder/encoder widget of some kind or just a pin adapter?

     

    I know you can pass VGA to component with something like the Audio Authority 9A60 and get no lag. Not sure about HDMI to VGA though.

  18. Posted

    People who want to wait and see are playing it safe, but could run the risk of missing out or having to wait longer to get a machine.

     

    No need to be afraid - this ain't no SNES Classic Edition :)

     

    If these are the same great quality we've come to expect from Analogue, they should have no trouble pumping them out to meet demand. Plastic injection moulded shells probably make things easier on the manufacturing side.

     

    I waited until the second batch, after Jailbreak was announced to order my Nt mini, and only had to wait 3 weeks. No biggie :)

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    I want to start off by saying, I truly appreciate all the hard work Kevtris and Analogue have done, making these devices possible. I'm the proud owner of a Nt mini and consider it one of my most prized possessions in my retro gaming collection. I absolutely love it!

    That said, if you want certain features in the Snes Nt, you should probably address your concerns directly to Analogue before making a pre-order purchase. It's really important for Analogue to hear your feedback, as opposed to getting lost in a forum. We can all help make Analogue the best ever! :)

    1.) Ability to load roms directly from SD card
    2.) Jailbreak cores
    3.) Snes Nt model with Analogue video support
    4.) Other

    • Like 3

  20. Posted

    I think they're just going to continue their don't ask don't tell policy regarding all this jailbreak stuff. As far as Analogue is concerned, the NT Mini is a NES/Famicom. I could see them maybe not wanting him to port the actual NES/Famicom core but I doubt they'll stop him. The NT Mini still offers value to people who want to use their original NES/Famicom carts, controllers and Famicom Disk Systems without adapters.

     

    Good point, I wasn't thinking about the cart slots.

     

     

    They've said that it's an open system and they encourage people to do what they want with it, so it sounds like they wouldn't prevent it.

     

    That sounds like good news then. I'll be happy just playing SNES games from SD, so I don't have to steal the SD2SNES from my RGB modded SNES :)

  21. Posted · Edited by simbin

    While I expect that Kevtris will port over all his NT cores to the Super NT in all deliberate speed (assuming there are no technical hurdles to overcome in such core ports) I don't think it's a good idea to assume that we'll see new "jailbreak cores" for the Genesis, Turbografx-16, Game Boy Advance, Neo-Geo, etc. released every couple of weeks like we (amazingly) saw with the NT Mini.

     

    Good question, but I wonder if Analogue would even allow Kevtris to do that since they're still selling the Nt mini.

  23. Posted

    So I bought a couple of these Famicom controller to NES adapters.

     

    http://www.raphnet-tech.com/products/fc_to_nes/index.php

     

    Does anyone know how they will function with the Analogue Nt Mini?

     

    My goal was to use the Famicom Computer Controller with the keypad to play Colecovision games.

     

    So will I plugging the controller into the back of the NT Mini's accessory port? Or will this also work properly plugged into the front with the adapters from Raphnet?

     

    -James

     

     

     

     

    I have a feeling that the extra buttons (the number pad) Will not work on the front ports with an adapter. Even if it did, the cores may not recognize it as they are expecting the Network controller to be plugged into the accessory port.

     

    I can confirm the Famicom Network Controller works with the ColecoVision core, using the port on the back. It also seems to work fine with the NES core. I haven't had a chance to test all the other cores. One big bummer is the lack of menu support, so you can't use it as your sole controller. Hopefully kevtris will expand the capabilities with firmware updates.

  24. Posted · Edited by simbin

    Does the MIST FPGA have more power than the NT Mini? I am surprised it has Amiga, Atari ST, etc.. cores.

     

    If you're really into retro computers (Commodore Amiga, Apple, etc.) the MiST FPGA is for you. MiST FPGA has no overhead for HDMI, which allows some more advanced consoles like Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16. However, you'll probably need a VGA adapter for your TV. I'm using an Audio Authority 9A60 (VGA to Componnent) and experience zero lag. Everything I've thrown at it works flawlessly.

     

    I still prefer the overall design of the Nt mini. It feels more like a finished product. Hopefully kevtris will have time to add most of the other cores between paid projects. In the meantime, the MiST FPGA makes a nice companion to the Nt mini. Totally recommend both systems!

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