Asmusr Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Okay, I have one last (and probably stupid) question about the SAMS card, and then I'll no longer bring it up. 1) Would it be possible, to use the 8K space of a SuperCart to install a control program that manages access to higher memory in the SAMS card? 2) Could a new class of programs (using a standard code) be written to access this control program? Would these two things working together make it possible to effectively write bigger and use larger programs on the TI? Yes, but there's no particular reason for that program to be on a SuperSpace cart and occupy the cartridge slot. The programs would have to be aware of the controller or memory manager (whatever you choose to call it) and be programmed to use it for allocating memo, so it might as well be included with the programs. Asgard wrote an extensive system for creating large program that took advantage of the extra memory (run ABOOT on the attached disk). I have never been through the whole documentation, but I think this is the closest we have to what you're talking about. However, if I was to write a program that used SAMS I would probably just write my own routines... SAMS1.dsk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speccery Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Since this thread is all about memory expansion, I thought I'll post links here too about my project and I hope you find it interesting. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/255855-ti-994a-with-a-pipistrello-fpga-board/ https://hackaday.io/project/13119-ti-994a-memory-extension-with-pipistrello-fpga My TI now has access to 64 megs of memory. This is still work in progress and at a hacking state, but it looks promising. Earlier in this thread there was some discussion why anyone would want to have 16 megs of memory for a TI? Well what about 64 megs - I tried to come up with some reasoning in the hackaday project description. More is more, and that has to be better, right? Erik 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Well, here is the closing stages of getting this baby put together. All I need to do is order the 74LS688, a couple of capacitors, resistor, and memory chips. I tried to stay with all TI chips, but I didn't have a LS259 or LS125 in a TI 'size'. I haven't soldered the LED yet, because I think I want a blue one. What do you think? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Nice job so far! On the memory chip sockets, you really didn't need to add the extra four pins to go from 32 to 36 pins (unless you want to put a 36-pin 2MB NVSRAM chip in one (and leave the other one empty). I did that on one of my test boards to see what would happen. You only get to use 1MB of the space though, as the logic to feed the rest of the address data to the mapper inputs is missing from this iteration of the board. If you do choose to use the single large chip, you do need to set the jumpers to 2048K. I'll have to look to see what my last assembled and tested serial number is to let you know what yours should be to maintain the sequence. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted August 19, 2016 Author Share Posted August 19, 2016 Speaking of space, you programmers need to get busy... I've got space fill. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 As I got a desoldering gun from China I wanted to try to replace the 7805 voltage regulator with a TracoPower TSR 1-2450. This is a tiny 5V DC-DC converter version that is pin compatible to the 7805, but it only can handle 1A, which seems to be fine for the Super AMS board. Works fine for me so far and it does not get even warm, I have not experienced any negative side effects so far, but I tested it only for a few hours. I am NOT encouraging anyone to replace the 7805 on his board, there is nothing wrong with that design decision, so there is nothing to "fix" here, I even felt bad touching that beautifully built board. I only wanted to check out if that solution would work. I just purchased 5 of these from Mouser Electronics, will mount them on this project and other existing works and see how they perform. If I am seeing this correctly i will not have to jumper across for at power supplies, as in the past. Is this correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 (edited) Nice job so far! On the memory chip sockets, you really didn't need to add the extra four pins to go from 32 to 36 pins (unless you want to put a 36-pin 2MB NVSRAM chip in one (and leave the other one empty). I did that on one of my test boards to see what would happen. You only get to use 1MB of the space though, as the logic to feed the rest of the address data to the mapper inputs is missing from this iteration of the board. If you do choose to use the single large chip, you do need to set the jumpers to 2048K. I'll have to look to see what my last assembled and tested serial number is to let you know what yours should be to maintain the sequence. Sounds good, I want to place the number on the card when you issue it to me. As for the chip I will probably put in the end the largest Memory possible on this board, till then 2 512's wil suffice, but for continuity, I am leaving the pins in place Sorry the pics look blurred, I will try to get a better view loaded tonight. Edited August 19, 2016 by RickyDean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Since Ksarul has been so kind to buy enough components up front to make 40 of these cards, I was thinking a dedicated thread on it's discussion might be nice to have. This way anyone who has a question on this device will know where to come, sort of like the dedicated thread for the F18A has kept everyone educated, informed and up-to-date. No longer on the "r@re", 'hard to get' list, or priced in the 'beyond belief' category, I see this new affordable 1 Meg Super AMS card bringing the community to a whole new level like the F18A has done for so many of us. Where will this new card lead us? I'm not sure anyone can say yet, but I do believe there will be things and new capabilities available to us in the future that no one ever thought possible on a TI, because with the talent I've seen on display here, and all the mind-blowing things I've witnessed over the past year alone, I now know... almost anything is possible. Stuff like the this 1 meg card, the F18A, Stuart's browser, the USB keyboard project, and all the others too numerous to mention are why the TI community is thriving. It's an exciting time to be a TI'er! I can't wait to plug one of these into my P-Box so I'm ready for the next big thing when it's released. Also,....if anyone needs a beta tester... What is the voltage rating of the tantalum capacitor in the 22uF area just above the 2016 in the lower left corner of this picture, I don't see it listed in the BOM and there is a big difference in price between a 16v and a 25 or 35V. Thanks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 I've used both 16V and 25V in my testing--both seem to work fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXB Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 Speaking of space, you programmers need to get busy... I've got space fill. Guess I could make another game using the full memory of the SAMS 1Meg or even a 4Meg version. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 Stay with 1Meg for now, Rich--I still have to work out the layout changes that I'll need to make one that works as a 4Meg board. . . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 I've used both 16V and 25V in my testing--both seem to work fine. Okay, thanks, I didn't know if it would matter that much. Here are some clearer photos, I am waiting for the rest of the parts to come in before I can call it complete. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 (edited) Okay I now have the board Stay with 1Meg for now, Rich--I still have to work out the layout changes that I'll need to make one that works as a 4Meg board. . . Ksarul, My board is complete, except for sram, but I need to ask a couple of questions. First will this board do anything when plugged in without a set of SRAM, should the light flicker or something? I suspect that the TRACO switching regulator may have an issue with the filter capacitor, as it has some built in. The reason I say this is that, I have replaced the two jumper wires on both of my CF7+'s with these and they are not booting up. The datasheet for the Traco says that it should produce 5 volts, with between 6.5 and 36 volts applied. Now to be honest I have not taken any measurements as of yet and will do so tonight, to see what it is producing. And since I looked at the datasheet, I do not think these will work in a case that has been modified to use an AT power supply(not the case the SuperAMS is being tested in, though). Also, I have some Dallas DS1251Y 512x8 RTC's will this work on this board? I haven't had time to look at all the applicable datasheets. Thanks for any pointers. tsr1.pdf Edited August 30, 2016 by RickyDean 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Normally (based on the 30 or so of these that I've built), the light will come on when the PEB powers on and switches off when the TI itself is turned on. As to whether or not the 512Kx8 Dallas RTC chips will work, I would say that you need to compare the pin out to the one for a regular 512Kx8 SRAM chip. If they are the same, it should work. That said, I've never put one into my PEB without the RAM chips installed, but it should work as noted above. I've also found that almost all of my problem boards were that way because one or more of the chips were bad when delivered (the 612 and the 688 are both notorious for this, the other chips less so). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 (edited) Okay, the pinout of the chip looks compatible, I measured the voltage through the converter and it went down from 13.36 at pin 1 to 4.94 volts at pin 3, so I have to say it is working. I will attempt to see if anything happens when I plug in the NVRAM and see if a light comes on. I cannot test the 612 on my TL866A USB minipro Programmer as it doesn't give that one as an option, I bought 20 612's on ebay from electosurp. Correction 10, not 20. Edited August 31, 2016 by RickyDean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 (edited) I've bought 612s from Electrosurp as well. Most of those were good. I have put 2MB NVRAM chips onto one board for testing--those did work (although I only saw 1MB, as expected). Edited August 31, 2016 by Ksarul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+InsaneMultitasker Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Today I have been repairing and/or testing some of my PEB cards. I happened to 'find' my 1MB SAMS card and out of habit, I inspected the card front and back sides. One of the socket pins of the lower 512K RAM chip had never been soldered! I soldered it into place and remembered that this card was somewhat flaky, hence my putting it away. Turns out I may have found the cause of the problem. Is the latest version of the SAMS test program downloadable somewhere? I know I saw a picture of it in another thread, but I can't for the life of my find it now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jedimatt42 Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 (edited) Today I have been repairing and/or testing some of my PEB cards. I happened to 'find' my 1MB SAMS card and out of habit, I inspected the card front and back sides. One of the socket pins of the lower 512K RAM chip had never been soldered! I soldered it into place and remembered that this card was somewhat flaky, hence my putting it away. Turns out I may have found the cause of the problem. Is the latest version of the SAMS test program downloadable somewhere? I know I saw a picture of it in another thread, but I can't for the life of my find it now. This thread has the FlashRom99 version at this post: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/253095-flashrom-99-image-repository-10012016/?p=3592592 and here is a TIFILES ( or V9T9 ) file version of it: AMSTEST4.zip Edited October 1, 2016 by jedimatt42 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXB Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Should have posted this on this thread first: I may release a RXB 2016 with new routines to access that extra 32K for the possible function of two 32K expansions so you can swap out the upper 24K with a XB program with another 24K loaded with XB programs. There is a problem with this idea in that some variables are in the 16K VDP memory would be in conflict unless both XB programs used the same String and Numeric variable names. Keep in mind that the XB ROMs would search for those names so location would not matter within the VDP 16K. This could also be used for programs that work with the F18 as having 24K more XB programs space added to the current 24K XB would be pretty cool! By the way that would also leave 8K still not used yet in the SAMS with RXB. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+InsaneMultitasker Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 This thread has the FlashRom99 version at this post: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/253095-flashrom-99-image-repository-10012016/?p=3592592 and here is a TIFILES ( or V9T9 ) file version of it: AMSTEST4.zip Thank you. Sadly, the SAMS card won't even present a standard 32K to the system, so it is dead in the water. I found two unsoldered pins that I had hoped would fix the flaky behavior, instead the card is consistently 'unresponsive'. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Two chips to check immediately when you have that symptom: the 74LS688 and the 74LS612. I have occasionally seen one of the other chips cause it, but almost every time the card wouldn't show up at all, it was one of those two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Two chips to check immediately when you have that symptom: the 74LS688 and the 74LS612. I have occasionally seen one of the other chips cause it, but almost every time the card wouldn't show up at all, it was one of those two. I got a bunch of both, but changing them around is not producing a working board, I'm suspecting either a bad solder point or the DC DC converter, or all my 612's and 688's are bad. Been busy with other things so have to take a little time off, will eventually get it, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 One thing to do is to put the chips (all of them on the board) into a logic tester to see what's bad (if anything). After that, it is usually a solder joint, a reversed capacitor (this board uses tantalums, all of which are polarized), or a bad socket connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 One thing to do is to put the chips (all of them on the board) into a logic tester to see what's bad (if anything). After that, it is usually a solder joint, a reversed capacitor (this board uses tantalums, all of which are polarized), or a bad socket connection. Yes, I have checked all the logic chips except the 612 and 688 as previously stated in two ways with a regular logic tester and with the minipro, found one 245 that checked good with the tester, but failed in one area with the minipro, that wasn't the issue though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budz2355 Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 Hi Everyone. I've been away for a while. Is there a link or quick hit list of 'killer apps' or basically anything I can run using my SAMS card? Right now it is basically running as a 32K for most intents and purposes. I'd love to see the full potential of this baby! Anyone can link me? (thanks in advance) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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