exxos's Atari, Amiga & retro forum

Well done @LarryL. What are you going to do next?

PhilC wrote: 08 Nov 2025 12:29 Well done @LarryL. What are you going to do next?

Next?
Build two more boards for my friends :mrgreen:
The 4th one will be build together next weekend during a meeting in Hanover

When we re all on the same level HW wise, we go on
Cf card, CKBD, checking different VGA cards (I have one with WD chip coming), maybe a PicoGUs, installing Mint, …
Lots of fun ahead :D

I mean, basic functionality seems to be there, but who knows what we experience when playing with it :D

Sounds good to me @LarryL

#2 is in progress

Raven #2 is up and running :mrgreen:

For completeness: Board #3 is also built, but missing its CPU - so coming alive needs to wait…

One observation:
OSC-wise the boards are working fine with 32, 40 and 48MHz, both in x1 and x2 configuration. First short test, definitely no intense and long tests be done, so far. But I used Yaartt for thrusting the RAMs, which took a while…
But: 25MHz is not working - not booting, no serial output at all.
Both boards have a 68150FN40 - maybe 25 is too slow?

I mean, this is not important at all - who wants 25MHz if we can have 48 :D
But I thought this might be of interest…

Another thing: somewhere I have read, to take care about PLCC socket quality because of contact problems with the 68150.
My observation was, that all 68150 I have had quite black pins, which I had to clean intensively to get them blank again. Maybe this is even more important that socket quality…

Cheers
Michael

Geez, you're fast. Well done!

Atarian Computing wrote: 11 Nov 2025 12:52 Geez, you're fast. Well done!

Thanks :mrgreen:

Did some further testing and I am totally flashed by the Raven :D
Such a great system and so much fun to play with
And I have only scratched on the surface of it…

I love the boot screen :roll: and the BIOS
Managed to activate the NOVA driver and test some VGA cards - mainly a few ET4000AX and one W32
Need to get into configuring resolutions with the VMG - my monitors only like a few of the existing resolutions…
But at least now I have color in 1024x768x8bpp :mrgreen:

IDE also works - pretty easy just copying files from the PC to the CF, plugging it into the Raven - just love it!

CKBD also works - my old white Mac keyboard and mouse do look pretty neat with the Raven :D

I will be off for some days, traveling - but Saturday we will continue with the fourth board. Together with a friend during a retro meeting - we will have some fun then

Cheers
Michael

BTW: totally forgot to make some more photos :roll:

LarryL wrote: 11 Nov 2025 11:26 Raven #2 is up and running :mrgreen:

You're a machine!
That'll be number 15 giving a sign of life if my spreadsheet is correct :)

LarryL wrote: 11 Nov 2025 15:16 Did some further testing and I am totally flashed by the Raven :D
Such a great system and so much fun to play with
And I have only scratched on the surface of it…

Thank you! It's really nice to hear others are enjoying it too!

I feel a bit the same about only have the scratched at the surface.
For me the machine became very much the tinker-box I wanted, providing an almost endless supply of small or large projects at different kinds of levels.
Didn't really think it'd appeal to more than maybe one or two other people but it makes me happy that it does. Despite the DIY'ness, imprefections, a probably forever kind of work-in-progress and all :)