Some from-scratch homebuild projects worth following

[BigEd]

This week I saw a couple of blog posts with projects relevant to this sub-forum. As we've said, there are many possible approaches to getting started, and these people have of course picked one - it's worth understanding what they are trying to do and why, before choosing your own path.

Having posted about two, another showed up, and I'm going to add a fourth. There are also several mature from-scratch projects which have been mentioned previously - I'm not going to link those here because it's extra research, but they are just as worthy of a bit of study. Perhaps others can help provide good links: preferably to development stories rather than finished projects.

3-Chip computer by Stian Søreng (of 6502asm.com fame) uses an ATmega and dual-port RAM to address the bootstrapping and I/O problem. The ATMega drives a display by snooping the RAM, so the 6502 acts as if it had memory-mapped video.

The Übersquirrel by Scot Stevenson is at the free-running tied-off NOPs stage. He uses an Arduino to snoop some of the address bus so he can see what's going on.

The MOUSE project by Mario Keller (in German, auto-translate here) uses a RIOT and an EPROM. He used his Ardiuno-based MEEPROGRAMMER project to program the EPROM.

Finally, the Veronica project by Quinn Dunki is a must-mention because the write-ups are so good: covering successes, failures, and debugging travails. This grows into a multi board system with video out, but the first post covers free-running and the second post covers manually programming data into RAM using switches and LEDs.

[Simon]

I think several of us here have projects we are working on. Maybe the forum could have a section like a lot of car forums have where people can post about their own project in a sort of build log. All the posts for a particular project are then covered under one thread.

I know I have posted various questions about mine when I've needed help. Would it be better if all those posts were in one thread?

Simon

[BigEd]

Eeye has run a couple of project-specific mega-threads, and I think BDD also has at least one.

I think a mega-thread does have its uses, but
- good to start a new non-mega thread for specific questions or discoveries, with a good subject/title.
- good to update a head post with the present state of play, specs, files to download

The mega-threads are quite difficult to search through when you know specific things have been mentioned and want to find the specific post.

I think perhaps it might be worth trying a series of threads, but always put the project name in the subject/title so they can be searched.

Cheers
Ed

[GARTHWILSON]

Ed is right, but since I wrote this up while he was posting, I'll add:

That's what ElEctric_EyE's "Concept & Design of 3.3V Parallel 16-bit VGA Boards" topic under "Programmable Logic" is. It's out to 41 pages so far. It's kind of like a blog.

About all your posts for a project being in one topic: If the project has various parts like software, FPGA, where to get certain parts, and then you want to run EhBASIC or Forth on it, putting everything in one place only might keep certain members from seeing it, ones who don't usually look at all parts of the forum but might have some knowledge that could help you. I do encourage however that all questions about a particular subject matter be kept together. For example, someone years ago was trying to understand clock circuits, so every time he had another question, he started another topic, even if the question was for clarification on an answer someone gave him on one of his previous ones. Those should have all been in one clock-circuit topic instead of all chopped up and cluttering the index page of the particular forum section.

[Simon]

I'll stick to posting specific questions in the right places when they arise then I think. I have my own blog for my projects (all sorts of things, not just 6502 stuff) and people can always look at if really interested. I'll keep mentioning the name of the project though in my posts. I find that helps people know what you're talking about and it can help with searches. I always try to report back in threads if I have asked for help to say how things went and if it solved my issues which hopefully helps people in the future.

One difference I realised between car projects and computer ones is car projects can have lots of photos showing progress. Our computer ones not so much really. Although I suppose I could post a picture everytime I add a (red) wire to the breadboards

Simon

[BigEd]

Linking to your blog is no problem (to me), or indeed posting that you've just written something substantial to it.

Relevant subject/titles to threads is the biggest help to navigation - and, if you're mentioning an existing project which has been discussed before, linking back to a master post.

In the case of 65Org16, I posted an index to relevant threads, which I kept up to date.

Cheers
Ed

[Simon]

As suggested I've added a link to the 6502 relevant bits of my blog to my sig now.

This reply is to see if that works!

[ElEctric_EyE]

O.T.: My intention for my project threads is to learn and post progress. Sorry they get so long, that's not the intent. Back when the Programmable Logic section was first introduced, I was already deep into FPGA stuff so I thought it was a good way to keep that section interesting. Now it's seeing more action, and if you notice I have no intentions to bump my threads to the top, except when something big happens or I really need help.
If I had time I would learn how to set up a website. Alas, not enough time...

If the consensus is to not post projects on this forum, I will abide by that or maybe certain rules to adhere to when posting projects... I'm all ears. But that's probably for a sticky or another thread.

[BigDumbDinosaur]

ElEctric_EyE wrote:

If the consensus is to not post projects on this forum, I will abide by that or maybe certain rules to adhere to when posting projects... I'm all ears. But that's probably for a sticky or another thread.

I think we should encourage the posting about projects, as long as they are relevant to the 6502 family. I really don't want to read about how someone hooked up an Arduino to a toilet flush handle using a Propellor as an interface and a Raspberry PI to sense the water level in the tank. However, if the handle servo is controlled by a 6502, then by all means post something about.

[ElEctric_EyE]

O.T.: I was thinking of adding a section to the head post of my PVB Project that would detail the successes from the inception of the header up to current. It would be like the page of a book that shows the chapters, except this would have links to posts relevant to the successes within the thread (the failures do take up some space). I will work on it, but it will take some time... The header really needs updating bad! I like this idea too, because editing the header post will not bump a thread.

[BigEd]

That would be great EEye - helping navigation is always good.
I have no issue with a project - specific mega thread, but I think it would be useful to also post a short auxiliary thread for interesting points learned. For example, I have several times tried to search your threads for info about memory interfacing.
Cheers
Ed

[GARTHWILSON]

EE, I was just thinking, and then read your post about it, that the only problem with the 41-page topic is that it's too long to find anything in, and that editing the first post to add links or at least page numbers for major sections would be a good remedy. Go for it.