2 Nov
2011
2 Nov
'11
1:03 p.m.
On the subject of hardware, I'd like to pass along a link that
details my efforts to clone three PALs--the AT&T 6300 video display
card HAL10L8; the Soundblaster 2.0 upgrade PAL16L8 and the Trantor
T130B SCSI controller ROM address PAL16L8.
http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/entry.php?314-Cloning-a-PAL-
HAL-%28Part-1%29
I don't know if I'd stick with SSI TTL for the "brute forcer", but it
worked well enough. I'd probably just use a cheap microcontroller if
I were starting afresh.
This appears to be a valid approach for pure combinatorial PALs and
HALs. Registered devices are a different matter entirely.
--Chuck
2 Nov
2 Nov
1:11 p.m.
Chuck wrote:
This appears to be a valid approach for pure
combinatorial PALs and
HALs. Registered devices are a different matter entirely.
The most challenging devices are actually the combinatorial ones where internal feedback
is used to create sequential (not strictly combinatorial) circuits.
1:59 p.m.
On 2 Nov 2011 at 13:11, Eric Smith wrote:
The most challenging devices are actually the
combinatorial ones where
internal feedback is used to create sequential (not strictly
combinatorial) circuits.
True, but at least it's a start. In the blog posting, it's apparent
that one can't do this blindly--that some knowledge of the circuit is
very useful and very often, essential.
--Chuck
7:09 p.m.
On 11/2/2011 4:03 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
On the subject of hardware, I'd like to pass along
a link that
details my efforts to clone three PALs--the AT&T 6300 video display
card HAL10L8; the Soundblaster 2.0 upgrade PAL16L8 and the Trantor
T130B SCSI controller ROM address PAL16L8.
http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/entry.php?314-Cloning-a-PAL-
HAL-%28Part-1%29
I don't know if I'd stick with SSI TTL for the "brute forcer", but it
worked well enough. I'd probably just use a cheap microcontroller if
I were starting afresh.
This appears to be a valid approach for pure combinatorial PALs and
HALs. Registered devices are a different matter entirely.
--Chuck
Chuck,
Thanks for posting those links. Your work was very fascinating, and
I've often thought about brute-forcing hardware in exactly the same way
(using a uC) to derive those equations.
Glad to see you helped those soundblaster guys out!
I have a piece of amiga silicon (paula, 8364, nmos) which haunts me. I'd
love to extract the floppy DPLL schematic out of chip and then either
recode in HDL or gate-level schematic entry............
Not something similar, or something that works approximately the same
way. The real thing. Yes, I've read the patents. The portion of the chip
I actually want is actually a pretty small area of the die. Most of the
chip is taken up by the four-channels of D->A, serial port, joystick
ports, and so on.
Anyways, I digress.
Fantastic work and thanks for posting it.
Keith
3 Nov
3 Nov
9:17 a.m.
On 11/02/2011 04:03 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
On the subject of hardware, I'd like to pass along
a link that
details my efforts to clone three PALs--the AT&T 6300 video display
card HAL10L8; the Soundblaster 2.0 upgrade PAL16L8 and the Trantor
T130B SCSI controller ROM address PAL16L8.
http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/entry.php?314-Cloning-a-PAL-
HAL-%28Part-1%29
Nice touch backdropping your board with the BYTE "programmable
hardware" issue. ;)
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
New Kensington, PA
9:56 a.m.
On 3 Nov 2011 at 12:17, Dave McGuire wrote:
Nice touch backdropping your board with the BYTE
"programmable
hardware" issue. ;)
You get the "sharp eye" award! I was wondering if anyone would pick
that up. I'd thought about using an old Lattice databook instead,
but I spotted the BYTE on my shelf and that was that. I do so like
the old Robert Tinney covers...
--Chuck
10:27 a.m.
On 11/03/2011 12:56 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
Yes, they certainly are fun. I'm glad BYTE didn't leave their covers
to random afterthoughts like many magazines seem to.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
New Kensington, PA
Nice touch
backdropping your board with the BYTE "programmable
hardware" issue. ;)
You get the "sharp eye" award! I was wondering if anyone would pick
that up. I'd thought about using an old Lattice databook instead,
but I spotted the BYTE on my shelf and that was that. I do so like
the old Robert Tinney covers...
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