FPGA Based Videogame System

[Riptide]

Regarding shipping,

Analogue would have probably gotten far less flak if they increased the price of the product by $10 and decreased the cost of shipping by $10.

[LewisD]

MiSTer just added DSP1/2/3/4, CX4, and SDD1 support to the SNES core, and they are now shifting over to a lower lag HDMI open source scaler. Things are looking really good in MiSTer land.

[cacophony]

MiSTer just added DSP1/2/3/4, CX4, and SDD1 support to the SNES core, and they are now shifting over to a lower lag HDMI open source scaler. Things are looking really good in MiSTer land.

 

Definitely lots of great work being done recently! The new scaler is shaping up nicely and I hpoe they shift focus to more lag reduction soon.

Edited December 13, 2018 by cacophony

[SegaSnatcher]

MiSTer just added DSP1/2/3/4, CX4, and SDD1 support to the SNES core, and they are now shifting over to a lower lag HDMI open source scaler. Things are looking really good in MiSTer land.

Will wait for some tests before getting excited.

[Great Hierophant]

I updated my Super Nt Unofficial Manual today to cover the Ghostly x Analogue Edition's firmware and a few minor changes. Enjoy.

Super Nt Unofficial Manual v4.6-v6.6 12-13-18.pdf

[Reaperman]

Today, I've been chasing down radio interference with my NT Mini (or my setup), and I'm wondering:

when your NT mini is off (or asleep or whatever it does when it's plugged in and there isn't a power light on), and you touch an HDMI cable shield (other end plugged in) to the aluminum case, do you see tiny sparks between the edge shield and the nt mini's case? Because I do, and I don't think I probably should.

 

NT mini seems to work fine, but when I use a certain cable setup I hear interference (video below) on 444.575mhz.

My (current) guess is that there is RF noise with other cables too, but on frequencies I cannot pick up due to varied cable length.

I first thought this was an NT mini problem, but I'm thinking it might also be a problem with my setup (and leaning toward that conclusion).

 

Anyway, do you guys see sparks? All my cables do it.

It doesn't really bug me that badly--my town just happens to have a repeater on that frequency, so it was on my radio's scan list. I switched hdmi cables, but was my 'nice' one that came with the planet earth blu ray set--lol.

 

Edited December 15, 2018 by Reaperman

[Jurai]

Regarding shipping,

Analogue would have probably gotten far less flak if they increased the price of the product by $10 and decreased the cost of shipping by $10.

 

yeah couple people have mentioned it as well, their shipping prices make it look like they're trying to edge a few extra bucks out of you with inflated shipping, rolling it into the base price would be more appealing when checking out

[Schizophretard]

I lost my spot in this thread and other mega threads forever ago during a forum update. Anyway, I was looking at Analogue's site and that is how I first found out about the Mega Sg. So, I apoloize if this has been asked before but have they released the DAC yet so I can finally use their products? Also, have they already had or will they have any more Nt Minis in stock? Thanks.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Today, I've been chasing down radio interference with my NT Mini (or my setup), and I'm wondering:

when your NT mini is off (or asleep or whatever it does when it's plugged in and there isn't a power light on), and you touch an HDMI cable shield (other end plugged in) to the aluminum case, do you see tiny sparks between the edge shield and the nt mini's case? Because I do, and I don't think I probably should.

 

NT mini seems to work fine, but when I use a certain cable setup I hear interference (video below) on 444.575mhz.

My (current) guess is that there is RF noise with other cables too, but on frequencies I cannot pick up due to varied cable length.

I first thought this was an NT mini problem, but I'm thinking it might also be a problem with my setup (and leaning toward that conclusion).

 

Anyway, do you guys see sparks? All my cables do it.

It doesn't really bug me that badly--my town just happens to have a repeater on that frequency, so it was on my radio's scan list. I switched hdmi cables, but was my 'nice' one that came with the planet earth blu ray set--lol.

 

Something is definitely not right with either the outlets or your AV equipment.

 

The spark could potentially indicate improperly wired outlets (ie hot and neutral swapped, a common and potentially dangerous mistake often made when diyers attempt to rewire an outlet), or a ground loop fault in the circuit path. Ground loops could be caused when two devices share a connection to neutral or earth ground, the voltage potential may not be truly zero volts, and shorting the grounds together (ie connecting a cable between two devices) creates a current path. I would be concerned about ESD or shock hazard if your plugged connection is doing that. ESD could easily kill the Super NT.

 

I would recommend plugging the TV and Super NT into the same outlet in case there are multiple branches in the room, and get a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) installed to protect against potential shock hazards. If the GFCI outlet repeatedly trips, call an electrician to troubleshoot the wiring and connected electronics.

[Reaperman]

 

 

I would recommend plugging the TV and Super NT into the same outlet in case there are multiple branches in the room, and get a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) installed to protect against potential shock hazards. If the GFCI outlet repeatedly trips, call an electrician to troubleshoot the wiring and connected electronics.

 

Sleeping on it, it's almost certainly my setup. I probably need one of those ghost-hunting emf detectors to see how 'haunted' my game room is.

 

It's likely an effect of the mix of ups units and power conditioners on the circuit, each connecting small groups of devices. Everything electronic in my game room has some form of protection between it and the wall, and because of the layout and mix of devices, few items are plugged into the same one. If something were seriously wrong with the power from the wall, I'd expect the PC UPS (on the same outlet) to have alerted me via its monitoring application, but it's still worth checking. I think what I noticed was a mix of cable length, and perhaps unit case construction, as that cable does not make the noise (at least on the same frequency) with other systems, in combination with the same switch.

Edited December 16, 2018 by Reaperman

[Nigoli]

 

Finally made an account here. Thank you Kevtris and Analogue for developing such awesome alternatives to real hardware. It's such a nice breath of fresh air not having to use emulation or rather a softmodded original Xbox anymore. I cannot wait until the Mega Sg happens.

 

There's one error I've noticed with the Super Nt using different displays and I'm not sure if it's noticed by anybody else. In 720p mode it seems like it's impossible to fill the screen with a Vizio TV I have. But with a Sharp it seems to work fine. I mainly go 720p even with my Nt Mini to fill the screen and have the correct pixel perfect aspect ratio while filling the entire 4:3 picture. The Nt Mini seems to not have the issue while the Super Nt does. Using the HDMI cable that came with it and @ latest JB FW.

 

As for the Nt Mini I have not had any issues and I'm still hopeful about FDS support happening. I want to still get it anodized in Blue but not sure how much money it would cost. I'm assuming taking the guts out and sending the casing somewhere?

[cacophony]

I mainly go 720p even with my Nt Mini to fill the screen and have the correct pixel perfect aspect ratio while filling the entire 4:3 picture. ...

 

Using 720p won't get you accurate looking pixel aspect ratio. If you stick with integer scaling it ends up way too wide from the comparisons I've seen to CRTs and PVMs. Try 1080p with 5x height by 6x width. That will get you a screen filling image with 1.2 pixel aspect, which looks much better.

Edited December 16, 2018 by cacophony

[Nigoli]

 

Using 720p won't get you accurate looking pixel aspect ratio. If you stick with integer scaling it ends up way to wide from the comparisons I've seen to CRTs and PVMs. Try 1080p with 5x height by 6x width. That will get you a screen filling image with 1.2 pixel aspect, which looks much better.

I want to see every pixel, which is why I'd want to go 720p trying to fill the whole image. For some reason the particular TV I want to use it on won't work the way I'd like it to. My Nt Mini @ 720p lets me do it fine with the NES core on both of the displays I used where I can see every pixel without having to resort with an overscan, same with my Sharp TV on the Super Nt @ 720p.

[cacophony]

I want to see every pixel, which is why I'd want to go 720p trying to fill the whole image. For some reason the particular TV I want to use it on won't work the way I'd like it to. My Nt Mini @ 720p lets me do it fine with the NES core on both of the displays I used where I can see every pixel without having to resort with an overscan, same with my Sharp TV on the Super Nt @ 720p.

 

The Super Nt has excellent interpolation so there's no reason you can't have screen filling 1080p output with whatever pixel aspect you want. There's a tiny loss in sharpness but it's not very noticeable.

 

Here are some recommended settings you might want to play with (credit to Sentient for keeping track of this on Discord):

H= horizontal interpolation, V = vertical interpolation

 

-- FirebrandX - pixel clock 4:3

1170x960 enable H, disable V

1462x1200 enable H, disable V

-- FirebrandX - "square pixels" for Super GameBoy

1024x960 disable HV

1280x1200 disable HV

-- MLIG - integer scale

1280x960 disable HV

1536x1200 disable HV

-- MLIG - PVM AR

1365x1149 enable HV

-- MiRlr - fill 224p 4:3 w/o overscan

1404x1152 enable HV

-- sentient6 - 720p scanlines

878x720 enable H, disable V, hybrid scanlines, gamma 1.20

Edited December 16, 2018 by cacophony

[Nigoli]

The Super Nt has excellent interpolation so there's no reason you can't have screen filling 1080p output with whatever pixel aspect you want. There's a tiny loss in sharpness but it's not very noticeable.

 

Here are some recommended settings you might want to play with (credit to Sentient for keeping track of this on Discord):

Thank you. I've tried the FBX and MLG ones before, usually have one interpolation active over another. But I would like to try to have success without using any interpolation through 720p. I'm forced to have interpolation on because the energy bars aren't good in particular games and my OCD senses go nuts when each pixel isn't consistent to how it should be.

Edited December 16, 2018 by Nigoli

[SegaSnatcher]

Thank you. I've tried the FBX and MLG ones before, usually have one interpolation active over another. But I would like to try to have success without using any interpolation through 720p. I'm forced to have interpolation on because the energy bars aren't good in particular games and my OCD senses go nuts when each pixel isn't consistent to how it should be.

Still not understanding your reasoning to choose 720p over 1080p when interpolation is very good. Unless you need scanlines I can't see any other benefit to using 720p.

[F34R]

Maybe this was already answered... will the Mega SG support the 32x addon?

 

edit: nvm, I read that it doesn't, and it "might" be made into the fpga. So, nope.

Edited December 17, 2018 by F34R

[Jurai]

Still not understanding your reasoning to choose 720p over 1080p when interpolation is very good. Unless you need scanlines I can't see any other benefit to using 720p.

 

I'm using 720p for scanlines, I know Kevtris mentioned he was gonna adjust the scanline 1080p code down the road but don't think that ever came o ut

[Nigoli]

 

This is what I mean to clarify my issue a bit more. See how it reaches more to the top moreso than the other display? The left display is a Vizio and the right is a Sharp TV.

 

Still not understanding your reasoning to choose 720p over 1080p when interpolation is very good. Unless you need scanlines I can't see any other benefit to using 720p.

 

Interpolation just seems not like the way things should be. After using the Nt Mini in 720p, that completely filled the screen with it's scaler and it didn't need to use any interpolation to do so. Energy bars height and width wise were consistent all around. So that's one reason why I'd wanna stick with 720p since it's a perfect integer scale. 1080p isn't so much.

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

Sleeping on it, it's almost certainly my setup. I probably need one of those ghost-hunting emf detectors to see how 'haunted' my game room is.

 

It's likely an effect of the mix of ups units and power conditioners on the circuit, each connecting small groups of devices. Everything electronic in my game room has some form of protection between it and the wall, and because of the layout and mix of devices, few items are plugged into the same one. If something were seriously wrong with the power from the wall, I'd expect the PC UPS (on the same outlet) to have alerted me via its monitoring application, but it's still worth checking. I think what I noticed was a mix of cable length, and perhaps unit case construction, as that cable does not make the noise (at least on the same frequency) with other systems, in combination with the same switch.

Why not just split your game stuff off of one single UPS? It's not like they draw a ton of amperage...

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

Using 720p won't get you accurate looking pixel aspect ratio. If you stick with integer scaling it ends up way too wide from the comparisons I've seen to CRTs and PVMs. Try 1080p with 5x height by 6x width. That will get you a screen filling image with 1.2 pixel aspect, which looks much better.

I use 720p 4:3 pixels. It's slightly stretched compared to CRT but not screen filling. I've messed with 5x 1080p crops and was never fully satisfied.

[phoenixdownita]

If we have to believe this one:

http://krikzz.com/forum/index.php?topic=7305.msg65399#msg65399

the new SuperNt firmware (Ghostly White) seems to break MSU-1 audio .... is that true?

(just curious)

[Reaperman]

Why not just split your game stuff off of one single UPS? It's not like they draw a ton of amperage...

 

They're currently on a shared power conditioner, but in the short term, I could probably get rid of that, and run cheap power strips off of the Projector's UPS, since no more than one of those would reasonably be on at the same time. The projector really needs an UPS, since I lost a lamp after a power outage once (lamp shut off without cooldown cycle).

 

There are currently 3 UPS systems in the room--one mostly for networking/wifi/storage, one for the PC, and one for the projector/AV-gear. I wonder if I could just wire a big gameroom ups right in the utility room with the breaker box and kill off this entire mess. When I start needing new batteries, I'll revisit that idea, but it sounds super-pricey.

Edited December 18, 2018 by Reaperman

[phoenixdownita]

SD2SNES 1.9 is out.

 

Announcement

https://sd2snes.de/blog/archives/1036

 

Download page

https://sd2snes.de/blog/downloads

 

Direct download

https://sd2snes.de/files/sd2snes_firmware_v1.9.0.zip

 

When anyone tested it with SuperNt please report

[Andromeda Stardust]

They're currently on a shared power conditioner, but in the short term, I could probably get rid of that, and run cheap power strips off of the Projector's UPS, since no more than one of those would reasonably be on at the same time. The projector really needs an UPS, since I lost a lamp after a power outage once (lamp shut off without cooldown cycle).

 

There are currently 3 UPS systems in the room--one mostly for networking/wifi/storage, one for the PC, and one for the projector/AV-gear. I wonder if I could just wire a big gameroom ups right in the utility room with the breaker box and kill off this entire mess. When I start needing new batteries, I'll revisit that idea, but it sounds super-pricey.

You might need to plug the power conditioner for the projector into an isolation block transformer to prevent ground loops if it doesn't already have one.

 

I wasn't aware projector bulbs could just go poof if turned off cold. I thought they were just like incandescent lamps: full spectrum radiation (except from a single point rather than a filanent) cut the circuit and it goes off. You are right though, the lamps are pricey.