I realize it's been a while since I posted any updates on this project.
The project is still very active, but it has "evolved" somewhat.
Everything up to this point was mainly testing on the Audio and Video Hardware, and I have finally settled on the general design, which is 400 x 600 resolution with 4096 simultaneous colors.
I have also had the chance to test the 65C02 IO decoding system, which worked very well. So I now have a powerful 6502 powered computer system built with nothing but 1980's era logic gates and simple static RAM.
The challenge now became... how do I develop code, assemble, save, and load?
The original idea was to just drop in a PS2 keyboard and SD card, or some kind of USB host chip like the Vinculum II.
Something about relying on modern hardware didn't feel right to me.
It would be like dropping a 57 Chevy on top of an Impala frame... not my kind of Hotrod!
So I have recently rediscovered my favorite computer of all time, The Immortal VIC-20!
I have decided to rename the Vulcan-74 System to The VIC-2000 Expansion System.
This entire system will become an Expansion Cartridge for my stock VIC-20!
The VIC will handle the Operating System and IDE / Assembler, and the 65C02 on the board will run the code, talking directly to the logic board. This way, I am staying "retro", and can start to enjoy the first computer I ever owned again. The VIC will remain completely stock, and talk to the new hardware only through the Expansion Port. All 6502 code will be developed on the VIC-20 screen, and the 65C02 on the board will display its output from the assembled code on a separate VGA monitor. Yep, dual display VIC-20 in charge of 16MB of SRAM!
Because of this course alteration, I have continued my build log over at the VIC-20 forum "Denial" here...
http://sleepingelephant.com/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=8734I'm sure some of you are members there as well, and it is a great wealth of VIC-20 knowledge for me.
This entire project will be re-posted on my own site in much greater detail when it is done "some year", but for now you can continue following the trials and tribulation on the link above.
Here are some highlights as I reacquaint myself with the inner workings of the VIC-20...
VIC-20 Draws 400 x 300 color bars in Basic.Initializing the SyncGen Hardware and Code Memory.Quick video showing the test setup...
https://youtu.be/R1eGVoCmE5kVIC-20 (top section) merges with Vulcan-74 (lower section).Thanks for all the comments and suggestions during this part of my design phase.
I will pop back in here once and a while when this project reaches new milestones.
Looking forward to using my VIC-20 as my main computer again.
Having that second 65C02 and VGA output is going to be fun.
Cheers!
Radical Brad