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FPGA Based Videogame System


kevtris

Interest in an FPGA Videogame System  

682 members have voted

  1. 1. I would pay....

  2. 2. I Would Like Support for...

  3. 3. Games Should Run From...

    • SD Card / USB Memory Sticks
    • Original Cartridges
    • Hopes and Dreams
  4. 4. The Video Inteface Should be...


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Could the Super NT in jailbreak mode feasibly use a plugged in cart's expansion chip in tandem with it's core for playing a dumped copy? (I am in no way shape or form familiar enough with the hardware to know if this can be done or not)

Presumably it's possible with dsp1, but not the others...
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Stupid question: does surround still work?

 

I remember hearing some rear channel out of my pro-logic receiver with certain snes games as a kid, and as luck would have it, that same unit has been handed down to me now. All I'd have to do is hook the rear up to it. (currently using it in dolby 3 stereo mode)

 

The surround stuff is just mixed in with the l/r on that setup, so I'd imagine it's still there--has anybody listened for it?

There's nothing going on that would prevent Dolby Surround encoding, so I guess it will work...

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It has enough ram, but the sdram on the motherboard has too much latency to fetch single bytes at the speed the expansion chips run at. Sdram may be able to stream data at a very high clock rate, but older consoles need sram to fetch single bytes at a time. So the sdram takes several clock cycles to fetch the data for each non-sequential request, so the fpga can't reliably fetch data faster than 7mhz or so. Sram is more expensive than sdram for lower capacities, and the expansion chips like fx and sa-1 run faster than 7mhz, so they can't read from the sdram at full speed. The fpga might have enough blocks to simulate the expansion cpus, but the sdram is too slow, so cart ram would need dedicated circuits in the fpga.

 

Kevtris can elaborate further, in fact he explained it much better than I could earlier in the thread. Info is getting hard to follow with people asking the same questions and answers again and again. I confess I've read every post in this long thread, and the search function works only if you already know what was said before.

This is why there should be some info added to the OP, or a new Super NT dedicated thread be made. Earlier said to be wanting to keep it all here, but the Super NT isn't even mentioned in the OP. Like you said, answering the same questions again and again, and the search being basically useless.

Edited by F34R
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There's little to no technical aspects of the Super NT in that thread. It's been promoted to keep that in this thread, and has been as such. Again, the same questions keep getting asked and answered over and over in this thread. The very least that could be done is update the OP with some of this FAQ stuff.

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Stupid question: does surround still work?

 

I remember hearing some rear channel out of my pro-logic receiver with certain snes games as a kid, and as luck would have it, that same unit has been handed down to me now. All I'd have to do is hook the rear up to it. (currently using it in dolby 3 stereo mode)

 

The surround stuff is just mixed in with the l/r on that setup, so I'd imagine it's still there--has anybody listened for it?

I know Vortex had Dolby Surround but my retro setup doesnt have surround hooked up so I cant really test it.

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Stupid question: does surround still work?

 

I remember hearing some rear channel out of my pro-logic receiver with certain snes games as a kid, and as luck would have it, that same unit has been handed down to me now. All I'd have to do is hook the rear up to it. (currently using it in dolby 3 stereo mode)

 

The surround stuff is just mixed in with the l/r on that setup, so I'd imagine it's still there--has anybody listened for it?

 

It does work. Samurai Shodown supports it and I've tested it on my system. (Although it took me awhile to figure out how to enable pro-logic on my receiver)

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It does work. Samurai Shodown supports it and I've tested it on my system. (Although it took me awhile to figure out how to enable pro-logic on my receiver)

 

encoding to dolby pro logic i is easy. center speaker is output through both channels -3db. left and right are left and right channels only. for surround content, invert one channel. technically its +90 and -90 for the surround but we cant percieve phase shift so it doent matter for discrete encoded channels.

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It does work. Samurai Shodown supports it and I've tested it on my system. (Although it took me awhile to figure out how to enable pro-logic on my receiver)

 

Thanks for checking. I'm really surprised modern stuff has a pro logic mode. Way to go on legacy support, dolby. I'm also a bit surprised samsho is on the surround list, since I don't recall ever hearing that anything on neo geo supported surround. when I get my rear speaker, I'll have to try it too.

 

I strip analog audio out with a converter, and send it to the old receiver that way, since it obviously lacks hdmi. Anyway, I've ordered myself a single speaker to try in the rear (a boston acoustics center channel, oddly). Two rear speakers in mono would actually be an unnecessary pain with my setup. It would also hurt me inside to think that I was actually using an audio product as intended ;)

Edited by Reaperman
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encoding to dolby pro logic i is easy. center speaker is output through both channels -3db. left and right are left and right channels only. for surround content, invert one channel. technically its +90 and -90 for the surround but we cant percieve phase shift so it doent matter for discrete encoded channels.

 

I would dispute the latter. I've long noticed that I can very easily tell whether the sound from two different sources is in phase or 180 out, even with headphones. I think maybe not everyone is conscious of it, but almost everyone has the "brain hardware" to tell, because it's the basis of Binaural Beats, a well known phenomenon that almost everyone can hear.

 

I actually like using the old pro logic in games that have it, even with only a two speaker setup, because I can "hear" the phase difference and tell whether a sound is coming from in front of me or behind me in the game, even without a rear speaker.

Edited by Forsaken
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I would dispute the latter. I've long noticed that I can very easily tell whether the sound from two different sources is in phase or 180 out, even with headphones. I think maybe not everyone is conscious of it, but almost everyone has the "brain hardware" to tell, because it's the basis of Binaural Beats, a well known phenomenon that almost everyone can hear.

 

I actually like using the old pro logic in games that have it, even with only a two speaker setup, because I can "hear" the phase difference and tell whether a sound is coming from in front of me or behind me in the game, even without a rear speaker.

Yes, inverting the channels does kind of produce "fake" surround effect. It was the dirty little secret of jukebox makers in the 90s. Fake stereo "surround" mode. All it does is subtract a portion of the left channel from the right, and subtract a portion of the right channel from the left. The fact that you have a strong sound coming out of the right channel, with a weaker inverted channel coming from the left, pushes the perceived location of the right speaker further away from the jukebox. The same applies to the left likewise. So suppose the jukebox speakers are three feet apart, it makes the sound stage seem much larger.

 

There is a drawback to this effect however. Speakers with in phase or out of phase signals will constructively and destructively interfere with each other creating a moire pattern that varies based on distance to the speakers, and frequency of the sound. Combing artifacts are a part of all stereo setups. In fact monaural sources played through two speakers will show dips in the frequency response where the interference occurs, with a more predominant effect in the treble range. Playing two speakers out of phase only exacerbates the effect, since you only hear the sound in places they would normally cancel.

 

Other fun facts: Since the pro logic rear surround channel is out of phase with itself, this component of the sound disappears entirely when played back on monaural reproduction equipment (such as TVs with one speaker, or the RF modulator in the Super Nintendo itself).

 

Pro logic II further separates the sound into the right and left surround, based on fractional ratios between the left and right speakers. A soundtrack encoded for Pro Logic I will still output both surround speakers for content placed entirely on the rear channel, but content between the surround and left speaker will play through the left surround on Pro Logic II enabled equipment, and visa versa. 7.1 surround systems further extrapolate the audio between the surrounds and rear surrounds, and also uses an algorithm similar to Pro Logic to upmix 5.1 soundtracks into 7.1.

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This piqued my curiosity. I couldn't get it to work either using roms from a certain someone's pack.

 

 

This is probably a bad time to bring this up given all the other conversation, but I don't recall seeing anything about this earlier in the thread. What I want to know is if it's possible to play Wonder Boy III with FM sound on the Mini? I know the US version of the game is supposed to work with the FM mod and switched to the japanese region (although I can't seem to get it to work on my modded SMS, but that's another story....), but I can't figure out a way to get it to work on the Mini and I've tried all of the different BIOS, with the FM sound enabled too of course. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Has anyone figured out how to enable FM sound with Wonder Boy III from the smokemonster pack? I was able to get it to work with the older SMS Wonder Boy game in the series.

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Has anyone figured out how to enable FM sound with Wonder Boy III from the smokemonster pack? I was able to get it to work with the older SMS Wonder Boy game in the series.

 

You need to use one of the FM-enabled ROMs from one of the Hacks directory or you must play the unmodified ROM in Japanese. If you go the Japanese route, select smsbios2.bin for your BIOS and disable the Export System option. Regardless of ROM used. make sure the YM2413 option is checked.

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Well, seeing as the thread is slow lately, I thought I'd thank Kevtris for the SNT. I'm enjoying SNES games with it to a degree I haven't since I first traded my CRT for an LCD. It truly brings these games back from the dead, especially with the hybrid scan lines, gamma boost and ultra low lag monitor.

 

I've already replayed Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and Pilotwings to 100%, now working on Yoshi's Island.

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On the hotkey selection, could we get l/r as options? I think start+select+l+r would be my ideal reset hotkey.

 

I am just loving the Super NT so far. I picked up a starfox 2 repro, which has a good bit of depth, and reminds me a lot of star raiders. It can play out a lot of different ways, and there's a lot of risk/reward in its time and resource management that I wasn't expecting. I've also just picked up geno in super mario rpg, and am almost at where my previous save quit. Super NT's picture is a lot more crisp than I'm used to on snes, and it feels properly modern. My old flashcart/framemeister setup had the annoyance of having to get up and reset to save/switch games--I didn't even realize how much that bothered me until I never had to do it again. This is fantastic.

Edited by Reaperman
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On the hotkey selection, could we get l/r as options? I think start+select+l+r would be my ideal reset hotkey.

 

I've been thinking the exact same thing. Although I'm getting better at not accidentally hitting the hotkeys I have setup, I know the problem would totally be gone if we could use the L & R buttons.

I'd also really like to see the option to save profiles so that when I move the console to another room and television, it's just one quick selection instead of changing all the options.

 

I've had my Super NT for a week now and after playing with all the video settings, I finally have it dialed in exactly how I prefer and it looks and plays amazing. I'm enjoying this even more than I enjoy my NT Mini. I know Kevtris said it isn't possible, but my only knock on the system is that my lazy ass can't power it on and off with the controller.

 

Great job Analogue & Kevtris! you guys are 2 for 2 with these consoles and you've exceeded my expectations. I'm definitely pre-ordering whatever comes next!

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I've been thinking the exact same thing. Although I'm getting better at not accidentally hitting the hotkeys I have setup, I know the problem would totally be gone if we could use the L & R buttons.

I'd also really like to see the option to save profiles so that when I move the console to another room and television, it's just one quick selection instead of changing all the options.

 

I've had my Super NT for a week now and after playing with all the video settings, I finally have it dialed in exactly how I prefer and it looks and plays amazing. I'm enjoying this even more than I enjoy my NT Mini. I know Kevtris said it isn't possible, but my only knock on the system is that my lazy ass can't power it on and off with the controller.

 

Great job Analogue & Kevtris! you guys are 2 for 2 with these consoles and you've exceeded my expectations. I'm definitely pre-ordering whatever comes next!

Just add a button to it, like B. Something like Up+Select+B is virtually impossible to hit accidentally, it would be too awkward while holding the control as if you were playing a game, you need to move a hand and use a finger to hit all those at once, can't just use your thumbs. But when you really mean it, it's not too hard to do.

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So I have a question,

 

I bought a Chrono Trigger cart off eBay and failed to read the listing (or the listing was changed after I bought it, whichever) and it turns out to be a repro designed as a counterfeit (eg copies the packaging.)

 

Anyway, I know kevtris said earlier that the SuperNT shouldn't harm flash carts, but I want to get a clarification as when I took the cover off of this one, I don't see any voltage shifters.

 

 

a71c63301b.jpg

 

The board has an Altera CLPD EPM7032AETC44-7 on it, which is 3.0v. The 512M29EWH is Micron NOR FLASH ( 512Mbit 65nm MLC), 3.6V, the M5M5256DVP is a 32KB SRAM, 5V.

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Anyway, I know kevtris said earlier that the SuperNT shouldn't harm flash carts, but I want to get a clarification as when I took the cover off of this one, I don't see any voltage shifters.

 

A potentially important distinction:

I think he said that the off voltage carts wouldn't hurt the SNT. I'm not sure if the circuitry of the SNT also prevents the cart itself from being damaged over time.

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So I have a question,

 

I bought a Chrono Trigger cart off eBay and failed to read the listing (or the listing was changed after I bought it, whichever) and it turns out to be a repro designed as a counterfeit (eg copies the packaging.)

 

Anyway, I know kevtris said earlier that the SuperNT shouldn't harm flash carts, but I want to get a clarification as when I took the cover off of this one, I don't see any voltage shifters.

 

 

a71c63301b.jpg

 

The board has an Altera CLPD EPM7032AETC44-7 on it, which is 3.0v. The 512M29EWH is Micron NOR FLASH ( 512Mbit 65nm MLC), 3.6V, the M5M5256DVP is a 32KB SRAM, 5V.

 

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Given traffic is low now on the thread can we speculate on what Kevtris is up to now?

He said they were working on something with Analogue, do you think it is new features for the SuperNt or just a new FPGA console?

I have been hard at work on a new crop of fixes to the firmware on the super nt. I have fixed pretty much all the outstanding bugs now. Even Rendering Ranger R2 works! The new update has around 10 or so game fixes which clears most of the backlog. It should be out by the end of the week I hope. but no guarantees.

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Is there an easy way to change the Super NT's solid white on light to a solid red one?

Super easy. Settings>System>LED Options, Select "SF" then go to "Adjust Pattern", uncheck "Animate Pattern", and set "Pattern Position" to zero, if it's not already there. Back out of that menu to the previous one and set "LED Brightness" to taste. You're done.

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