GadgetUK Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 240PLN is roughly 48 pounds in the UK, or $73.38. - not bad, hopefully the price might come down later, if the screen is only 16usd, presumably the majority of cost is in the PCB and FPGA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Don't own a Lynx, but been following this and 48 quid looks pretty damned good considering the small order quantity... and bearing in mind VBXEs for the A8s are / were around twice that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LX.NET Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 (edited) I've been following the discussion at my work, unable to reply until now. A lot has happened today in this thread. Exciting stuff. Most of the requirements candle has asked about have been decided upon. Cool to see how one can make decisions within a day. I always have problems making (architectural design) decisions. Really glad to see the TV/VGA out support. Also, controller support is a nice feature. Candle, as a Lynx developer I am wondering if it is possible to create some thingy that allows developers to add something extra (hardware) according to a spec of your choice? I cannot express it more clearly, as I have no idea what is possible. But I am thinking along the lines of some external device being connected to the address lines or even simpler the AUDIN line. This would allow us devs to do creative stuff if we can hook up another device to the box/board/connection points. We had a recent discussion on hooking up a barometer or thermometer that could be read. A friend of mine is exploring possibilities to add a ATMega128 (?) processor to the address lines of a Vectrex cartridge. Something like that would be cool when you can upload mini-programs to the on-board processor and use it as a level-generator e.g. I'm just putting this out there, knowing that the current connection to the box sounds like just video signals and the control buttons. Then again, I am electronically challenged. Anyway, what I am saying is: if there is even a remote possibility to create an interface for something like what I mentioned, or prepare it on the PCB for a future project or Do-It-Yourself experiments I would totally appreciate it. If you need more info on what the in/out lines of the Lynx are like, I am happy to fill that in to the best of my knowledge. Edited March 27, 2013 by LX.NET Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emehr Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 now, controller why sega? snes are cheap, have lots of buttons (and propertiary connector) and i already have them sorry guys, but i'm not sega guy, so i don't know nothing about them really - not that i can't learn, i could, but i'll have to buy damned thing first I recommended the Sega Genesis/MegaDrive controller for a few reasons: - The pinout is simple. It's very Atari-like with pins for up, down, left and right. The buttons are paired and a multiplexer switches between the pairs. [A, Start] <-> [b, C]. When I made my adapter for the 7800 I had to hardwire it so that B and C were my fire buttons. - The port is a standard off-the-shelf part: DB9. Easy enough. - No wasted buttons. [A, B, C, & Start] can map to [b, A, Option 1 and Option 2] - I have a bunch of controllers and a couple of sweet arcade sticks. If you decide to go SuperNES that's totally cool too. I'm just happy to see the monitor-out/upgraded LCD screen options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 (edited) Will there be any NTSC/PAL issues with the tv/out? now, controller why sega? snes are cheap, have lots of buttons (and propertiary connector) and i already have them sorry guys, but i'm not sega guy, so i don't know nothing about them really - not that i can't learn, i could, but i'll have to buy damned thing first usb is also out of question - i don't want to implement full usb stack, so don't get too wild - this is fun project for a weekend, not two years saga I'm the one that first voted for supporting Sega controllers. I did that since they're well liked, widely available, and I visualized it being easier for you to source controller ports for. But if Super Nintendo is an option, I'd prefer that. That controller is my favorite gamepad and it fits the same criteria that a Genesis controller would. They're widely available, high quality, fit the needs of the project, have lots of options from arcade sticks to turbo controllers, and are already in many of our collections. I just pictured the proprietary controller port being a problem so I figured it wasn't viable. So I didn't ask. Edited March 27, 2013 by Atariboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candle Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 i know that for some of you FPGA lights a creativity blub and you immediatly start to think everything is possible and it is, but! hardware developers of lynx made some nice cost-saving decisions that, from time perspective, made whole system pretty hard to expand, thus, add-ons in lynx memory space are possible, but unessesairly complicated ie, you need to de-multiplex address bus - nice thing if you're cutting down board complexity, package cost (silicone is not as expensive as packaging it), and overall board space using build-in ddram controller this resulted in saving 5 pins on cpu plus removing the need of adding separate ram chip controller, neat, eh? as a result, if ram chip fails you're doomed, since getting 4464 chips in plcc18 package will be hard or impossible cartridge port is read only, so this is another no way to do such thing the most convinient way of doing such upgrade is a cartridge port, but it has to be self-contained not a video upgrade with kitchen sink built in sega genesis (?) with 6 buttons is on ebay for $6 including shipment, plus it has nice db9 connector, so this seems the way to go pal/ntsc issues? such as? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
108 Stars Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 (edited) Honestly, I would not want any hardware enhancements on the Lynx anyway. The screen just means better output of the original visuals, but any upgrade in memory or something would not be the Lynx anymore. sega genesis (?) with 6 buttons is on ebay for $6 including shipment, plus it has nice db9 connector, so this seems the way to gopal/ntsc issues? such as? Sega Genesis is the name of the Sega Mega Drive in the USA. Same thing. Mind you, those cheap new pads are usually low quality, but it shouldn't matter for you since I understand it's about learning how the pad works and testing it. By PAL-/NTSC-issues he probably means the usual stuff; on a standard CRT TV from Europe you could only play NTSC games in black/white unless you used RGB. You could not get PAL systems to work with NTSC TVs either, and there is no solution for that save for a converter. It's because PAL TVs run in 50Hz, NTSC uses 60Hz. So people want to know what the TV out outputs. Personally I think 60Hz would be good, since you offer RGB anyway, and with RGB Europeans can play in color even with 60Hz. Edited March 28, 2013 by 108 Stars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael David Morsette Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 All this has me pretty excited. I like the Sega controller idea, and RGB for video out sounds great. One thing I saw mentioned that I thought was an awesome idea was a docking station. Well I really don't have any real constructive input, I just wanted to voice my support and excitement for the great job Candle is doing!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+swlovinist Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 i know that for some of you FPGA lights a creativity blub and you immediatly start to think everything is possible and it is, but! hardware developers of lynx made some nice cost-saving decisions that, from time perspective, made whole system pretty hard to expand, thus, add-ons in lynx memory space are possible, but unessesairly complicated ie, you need to de-multiplex address bus - nice thing if you're cutting down board complexity, package cost (silicone is not as expensive as packaging it), and overall board space using build-in ddram controller this resulted in saving 5 pins on cpu plus removing the need of adding separate ram chip controller, neat, eh? as a result, if ram chip fails you're doomed, since getting 4464 chips in plcc18 package will be hard or impossible cartridge port is read only, so this is another no way to do such thing the most convinient way of doing such upgrade is a cartridge port, but it has to be self-contained not a video upgrade with kitchen sink built in sega genesis (?) with 6 buttons is on ebay for $6 including shipment, plus it has nice db9 connector, so this seems the way to go pal/ntsc issues? such as? Totally agree with using Sega. Also, if you need any controllers, send me your address and I will ship some to you. Support this project 100% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GadgetUK Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 (edited) I think regards video output we need to understand if its fixed or variable. For example, some Lynx games might display at 50, 60, or 70 hz, does that pass through to RGB and VGA, or does the FPGA output a fixed 60hz (vga compatible) signal? In my mind 60hz fixed output should work for most people as its native to US TVs, monitors, and most european TVs work with 60hz as well now. I am not sure the PAL / NTSC even comes into play because RGB has no encoding, neither does VGA. NTSC/ PAL becomes an issue with RF only I think, and we wouldnt even want that! On the subject of 4464 DRAM, coincidentaly ive recently discovered ive got loads of 4464 DIP chips, no PLCC though :/. Found tonnes of other old DRAM as well, mostly for Amiga, ST, Speccy and Amstrad - 41256 81256 etc. Edited March 28, 2013 by GadgetUK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitari Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I recommended the Sega Genesis/MegaDrive controller for a few reasons: - The pinout is simple. It's very Atari-like with pins for up, down, left and right. The buttons are paired and a multiplexer switches between the pairs. [A, Start] <-> [b, C]. When I made my adapter for the 7800 I had to hardwire it so that B and C were my fire buttons. - The port is a standard off-the-shelf part: DB9. Easy enough. - No wasted buttons. [A, B, C, & Start] can map to [b, A, Option 1 and Option 2] - I have a bunch of controllers and a couple of sweet arcade sticks. If you decide to go SuperNES that's totally cool too. I'm just happy to see the monitor-out/upgraded LCD screen options. I think we've got a problem with megadrive/genesis controller in that if we want option 1 and 2 then there's no pause. I for one would really like to be able to pause the game from the controller. So my gut instinct is SNES control (or jaguar ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candle Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 i know why nothing gets done in lynx wold you talk too much genesis controllers have 3 or 6 buttons, making it possible to map all nessesary keys, including pause button and video output will be configurable, so there are no issues with 50, 60hz output, and scan rate of lynx is also not important it can be anything from 45 to 75hz if i remember correctly and game developers don't bother with initialization of suzy chip, thus splashscreen looks like so on the video i've posted sorry if i sound harsh, but hey - i'm used to another speed of developments 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GadgetUK Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Lol, talking is good, its the source of all arguments! And when people dont talk even more arguments start =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitari Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I am more than happy with a 6 button megadrive controller as they are so much more comforatble than the 3 button ones. I just thought we were talking 3-button here being the standard type. And in fact I prefer this to SNES. I'm happy to say no more on this subject until Candle comes up with the next surprise. (I think!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GadgetUK Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Talking about Suzi not init'd and the incorrect display when a game first starts, what is the problem, how does Lynx display it properly when we cant do it with FPGA? Just curious to understand the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candle Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 remember first video with batman splash screen rolling over? i found that vertical line counter overfows after 105 line, so i've added this, and this made screen synced up, but at wrong place problem is fpga and lynx are not powered simultanously, plus me not using reset pulse lynx's lcd has Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venom4728a Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I am still in, I will take at least one if we only do a small order, I we can get enough orders to get a quantity discount I will take 2-3. Awesome work as always Sabatian!! Best regards Robert Miller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GadgetUK Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Same here, ultimately I would like 2 or 3 once its passed prototype stage. I will buy and test a prototype though if there's one available when you get to that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LX.NET Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Count me in as well for buying and testing a prototype and a number of final versions. It will be anywhere between 2 and 10 depending on the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emehr Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I'm in for at least two if the price is good. Otherwise, I'm in for one for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammy Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 (edited) This is a very cheap source of 6-button Sega pads. I've bought several from them with no problems, they work on my Segas, Commodores, Amigas and Ataris: http://dx.com/p/addi...sku-28970-30530 There are price reductions if you buy in bulk. I've also used Alibaba before, I bought my little notebook computer from there, and although the process was different to eBay, everything went smoothly and I received my computer in reasonable time. I think it's worth using if you can source the screens much cheaper there. As for the layout on the Sega controller for the Lynx adapter, this is how I'd imagine being most effective: X = Option 1 Start = Pause A = Option 2 B = B C = A Y = Rapid-Fire B Z = Rapid-Fire A I figure since two buttons are unused, why not make them have a rapid-fire option to help out in games like Zarlor Mercenary. If rapid-fire is too much, making Y and Z still act as B and A is still logical since the layout is still the same as the Lynx (two sets of B and A buttons). Oh, and for anyone who ends up using this, swapping the A and C buttons around inside the Sega control pad is easy and might look better. Edited March 29, 2013 by Cammy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skosh Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I am definitely in for at least 2. Thanks for creating this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candle Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 (edited) well.. i better get some sleephere is initial version of schematics http://spiflash.org/...nx/LYNX2LCD.pdf version that would only contain LCD replacement would consist of 2 chips and would be 50% cheaper just for you to know... Edited March 29, 2013 by candle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obschan Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 (edited) version that would only contain LCD replacement would consist of 2 chips and would be 50% cheaper just for you to know... I am totally for the simple LCD replacement, I don't plan to transform my Lynx in a full TV gaming system... Edited March 29, 2013 by obschan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I'd also be happy with an LCD only upgrade. I wouldn't mind getting in on the prptotype, but if not, I will definitely buy a final. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.