pouët.net

I thought all the speccy enthusiasts on here might be interested. I mean ... just look at this beast, featuring Lan, USB, IDE, VGA and floppy emulation via SD. Yet the best thing ... it will introduce another new screenmode which will not only eliminate color clash, but 4096 colors as well.

"DEATH TO NATO"?

allahu akbar!!

It's an interesting looking computer, but, err, where's the speccy?

"PUSHME BUTT..." ?? I love funny circuit board etchings

Fanboi!!!!

when and where will these be sold? I'm very interested in acquiring one for demoscene stuff :)

Hey, some of us had decent, honest amiga-based upbringing. Bloody atari degenerates.

Or Nintendo and Commodore 64, like me.

i'm a big fan of true classic computer systems, this however... seems to be nothing but yet another boring generic fpga board with a highly theoretical link to a true classic system. it's no more fun to run emulators on altera boards than on a windows or linux box, afaik :(

@havoc: well, for me, this would be an excellent speccy gaming / demowatching board, because, well, emulators just aren't my thing.

visy: why do you assume the emulator this board runs is any better than those already available on other platforms?

havoc: emulator? it has a real z80..

@havoc: what I've heard of the machine (from the speccy sceners), it's a high quality product, so I have no predisposition to expect shoddy FPGA code on it. Of course, being a semi-obsessive person, I'd look into the compatibility BEFORE buying it :)

tribe: so everything with a real z80 is a real speccy?

visy: i'm afraid it will be the somanieth product where compatibility has been sacrificed in favour of "advanced options" (read: "stuff that won't ever be used for anything purposefull and is outpowered a million times by any random $50 2nd hand pc"). i got too many of those collecting dust in my closets already :( but ok, it is ofcourse theoretically possible this time round will be different- if it is, please don't hesitate to prove my prediction wrong ;-)

i'm with havoc: systems like this are good in their own way, but it's a bit like the PPC amigas: the amiga is almost just a boot device, that passes everything over to what's almost a separate computer when you run any ppc apps.

Or like this one, maybe it has a z80 but how much of the rest is just an emulator running on an fpga?

by the way, I've heard the commodore-one fpga board is now capable to emulate an amiga 500.

...but so is almost any PC, and a pc isn't an amiga :)

havoc: I can see your point being valid for Commodore products but the Speccy has a long history of weird clones emerging from the former Eastern block so this can be seen as just an extension of that. Any random PC outperforms this stuff yes but it also outperforms any of the classic home computers and saying that the original plastic adds something of value is just silly.

el topo, fyi, i didn't mention commodore or original plastic.

havoc, == original plastic. No Commodore but I think you get my point.

seriously.
why does it say "DEATH TO NATO"?

visy: it will most likely be a DIY board, which is currently beng developed in russia.

About the compatibility: I've build a Pentagon 1024SL 2.2 (which is the earlier version made with CPLDs and a little more discreet logic) which is 99.9% compatible to the original Pentagon, with the only known bug being available as a firmware upgrade. I'm planning to bring that one to BP next year ... as the floppy controller chip blew and I'm having slight problems with the video output.

About it being an emulator: kinda true ... but then again think of the ULA emerging to FPGA levels and tada ... Z80 + big logic chip = speccy.

I'll post some more news, when KOE (the author) replies to my email.

Gargaj: that's because there's a NATO base in the city where Alexey/KOE lives (forgot the name) ... I guess that doesn't make living there much easier ... but then again that's just speculation.

el topo: so you are dead wrong, i did not get your "point", and i would prefer if you do not make assumptions on my behalf again.