sethbramwell Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Does anyone happen to know where the cartridge slot connections connect to on a Rev. 16 Vader? I know certain pins are tied to data and address lines, but I do not know which specific IC they connect to. I've tried reviewing the schematics in the field service manual, but reading and interpreting schematic is really not my forte. I'm asking because I'm working on an idea that requires removing the cartridge slot to connect one via wiring to be away from the board and unfortunately I pulled up some pads and traces. Any help is greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 15 hours ago, sethbramwell said: Does anyone happen to know where the cartridge slot connections connect to on a Rev. 16 Vader? Well, the cartridge slot connections are the same on every VCS model from the Heavy Sixer to the Junior - that’s part of how they maintained compatibility. However, and I’m not sure there’s an easier way to explain this, but if you can’t read a schematic, maybe you shouldn’t be tackling such an ambitious project? But if you want to go forward, take time to study and understand this one image from the schematic: I’ve circled the areas to focus on. This shows you exactly which data and address bus pins on the cartridge connector are wired to which pins on the 6507, TIA and RIOT chips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethbramwell Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 1 hour ago, DrVenkman said: Well, the cartridge slot connections are the same on every VCS model from the Heavy Sixer to the Junior - that’s part of how they maintained compatibility. However, and I’m not sure there’s an easier way to explain this, but if you can’t read a schematic, maybe you shouldn’t be tackling such an ambitious project? But if you want to go forward, take time to study and understand this one image from the schematic: I’ve circled the areas to focus on. This shows you exactly which data and address bus pins on the cartridge connector are wired to which pins on the 6507, TIA and RIOT chips. Thanks! I should probably clarify, I can read a schematic and follow the components, but I was lost on which connections led where as I could not seem to find actual lines of how they connected. To be honest, I'm still a bit confused. I understand the pins connect to the data and address lines, but do they connect first to the 6507, the TIA, or the RIOT? Or do they each go to different chips? I assumed they fed into one chip that in turn fed to the others, but the traces on the board seem to indicate otherwise and trying to test continuity with a multi meter has not been successful (partially due to the damage I did, I'm sure). Had the connector been removed successfully without damage, I would have simply ran wires to a new connector and in turn connected them to the points on the main board - an extension cord for the cart connector, if you will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChildOfCv Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Most lines connect to all of the chips. It's shared data and address lines, which is why they call it a bus. A0 connects to A0 on all the other chips that have an A0 connection. Same for the rest of the A and D lines. It's up to the CPU to direct when the lines become input or output to the CPU, and all the other chips have to behave properly to support that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethbramwell Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 57 minutes ago, ChildOfCv said: Most lines connect to all of the chips. It's shared data and address lines, which is why they call it a bus. A0 connects to A0 on all the other chips that have an A0 connection. Same for the rest of the A and D lines. It's up to the CPU to direct when the lines become input or output to the CPU, and all the other chips have to behave properly to support that. So in theory, the A1 pin from the cart slot could be connected to the A1 pin on any one of the three chips? Just want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 4 minutes ago, sethbramwell said: So in theory, the A1 pin from the cart slot could be connected to the A1 pin on any one of the three chips? Just want to make sure I'm understanding this correctly. Yes. Same for all the lines on the Address and Data buses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethbramwell Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 47 minutes ago, DrVenkman said: Yes. Same for all the lines on the Address and Data buses. Thanks so much. My big concern was connecting to the "wrong" chip and frying something. I should have to reroute only a few lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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