Mrbombermillzy's box of delights

[rubber_jonnie]

Oh, and one other question @mrbombermillzy whilst I'm here, do you have any idea what the modification is to your PC Speed, mine is not the same and despite trying to jumper it both ways, it still didn't work.

[mrbombermillzy]

I think I bought it from @frank.lukas a few years back. He told me that the problem with it was it needed a CPU. I got hold of a replacement CPU and thats as far as I got.

Im not sure what the extra pins are for on the side though compared to yours.

I will see if I can find out if it was an 'official' mod/patch, or if it was something frank added.

[rubber_jonnie]

I think I bought it from @frank.lukas a few years back. He told me that the problem with it was it needed a CPU. I got hold of a replacement CPU and thats as far as I got.

Im not sure what the extra pins are for on the side though compared to yours.

I will see if I can find out if it was an 'official' mod/patch, or if it was something frank added.

As its Frank I expect the diagnosis is likely correct, so I'll get the CPU swapped out and a socket put in.

Will be in a few days as in London tomorrow.

[kodak80]

Can I ask how you know the CPU is bad? Just curious is all. Obviously I can replace the CPU quite easily with the one you provided, however one thing I noticed is that it does have a pair of GALs installed so I'm hoping they are good. The rest are just logic IC's and easy to replace, but I'm not keen on removing the GALs from my own to try and read the contents as they are all soldered in.

In terms of the GALS, these Sack PC Speed boards were recreated by tOri and GALs are included:

http://atari.myftp.org/atari16bit/pcspeed/pcspeed.html

[rubber_jonnie]

Can I ask how you know the CPU is bad? Just curious is all. Obviously I can replace the CPU quite easily with the one you provided, however one thing I noticed is that it does have a pair of GALs installed so I'm hoping they are good. The rest are just logic IC's and easy to replace, but I'm not keen on removing the GALs from my own to try and read the contents as they are all soldered in.

In terms of the GALS, these Sack PC Speed boards were recreated by tOri and GALs are included:

http://atari.myftp.org/atari16bit/pcspeed/pcspeed.html

That's awesome, thanks 😁

[mrbombermillzy]

Thanks for the info @kodak80

As for the extra pins; no luck finding anything definitive so far, but two look to be attached to the 68000 reset and E clock pins.

[rubber_jonnie]

Thanks for the info @kodak80

As for the extra pins; no luck finding anything definitive so far, but two look to be attached to the 68000 reset and E clock pins.

Wonder if it's there to allow for the ST to be reset and get out of the PC mode?

[mrbombermillzy]

That seems like a fair assumption.

EDIT: BTW, did you buy the Megabus to 68000 DIP adapter, or did you make it yourself?

I was just wondering if its still available to buy from somewhere.

[mrbombermillzy]

Im backtracking a bit here, but referring to your earlier concerns about the CPU booster:

One quick note, the acceleration is very visible in SCR, but there is something wonky with the controls even with acceleration disabled.

Bit odd.

and certain SW not working, here is the details from Athena Labs:

An MCL 64 accelerator, with firmware has been upgraded by Athena Labs and now capable of running GEOS and many commercial games. Features a concise but detailed manual and 3 different compatibility modes. Source code is available on the included SD card. Not compatible with the Commodore 128

Pros:

Compatible with both PAL and NTSC systems, as well as both the breadbin and C64C
Great for speeding up your basic programs
Great for GEOS and other processor intensive software
Great for Stunt Car Racer and other early 3d titles
Real world performance varies, but typical performance is around 7mhz for accelerated code (Live speed readouts are available over the debugging micro usb port for the curious).
Able to use Kernal and Basic Rom images from the included SD card, such as JiffyDos
It's also capable of being slowed down to stock speeds for demos and trickier games.


Cons:

This is a small, independent project. While I do my best, support is going to be limited and bugs are to be expected. Because of this, we offer a 14 day no risk return policy. Keep your packaging, If it isn't what you want, and so long as the board isn't damaged, you can send it back for a complete refund (seller covers return shipping)
Due to the nature of accelerators as an aftermarket modification, many pieces of software won't be compatible. Bugs, issues, and jank comes with the territory.
Not compatible with ROM cartridges such as the Epyx Fastload. JiffyDos is strongly recommended as the fastloader of choice and is the most thoroughly tested. Certain utility cartridges such as GeoRam may work but have not been tested
Not compatible with the REU (Keep your eyes peeled for an updated firmware with included REU emulation)
If your C64 does not already have a CPU socket, installing one may damage your system board. Make sure that your system is in good working order before installing the MCL64
The MCL64 is less tolerant of poor quality power supplies than the original CPU. A failing PSU may cause erratic behavior even if the original CPU appears to work fine (Trust me, I've lost a not insignificant amount of development time to this one)
The website for firmware and other information is still under construction
It is physically larger than the original CPU and may have clearance issues with nearby chips (It doesn't on any of the boards I've tested but Commodore was well known for making many slightly different variations of the c64). The pins on the bottom are tall enough to have vertical clearance for a socketed IC right next to it, but short enough for the c64c case to fully close
Not compatible with tape based software


So, as you can see, its probably not going to be 100% yet.

However, I have had a quick chat and the guy seems to be very keen to help with any issues, so I will be in touch with him to try to resolve any kinks as I make any progress with my SW.

This board is going to be more of a testing/development machine. I have the other 2 for running games. ;) :lol:

[rubber_jonnie]

OK, cool and good to know. I'm in the office today so not much chance to look at anything, but sounds like that part of things is done then. Unless you want me to flash firmware and test it?

I'm hoping to get the CPU on the PC Speed done tomorrow evening, from what I can see what you've said, the wiring on the card shouldn't affect the base board if the jumpers are left open.

I think it's just some sort of reset. We'll see once the CPU is swapped.

After that I'll do the dual shifter soldering then I can start to look at the C64 DTV's.