MiSTer and FPGA

  • Attack of the Clones – QMTech

    If you have been keeping up with the MiSTer forums, you will know that there are now at least two DE10-Nano clones being produced, with one, the QMTECH version being available now, and another one due soon.

    The one pictured is the QMTech version, and this one has the 128Mb SDRAM fitted direct to the rear of the PCB (rather than plugged onto GPIO_0). This has the advantage that it passes ram tests at 160Mhz.

    It also comes in at a much cheaper price than the official DE10-Nano board. I purchased this one with delivery and taxes for £133. (Official DE10-Nano + 128Mb SDRAM module would be around £290)

    So, the big question is does it work with the Astrocade interface ?

    The answer is … Yes, it does. I connected it up to my interface and everything appears to work as intended. The OTG USB socket is a normal type A socket, rather than the mini-USB, so you need a different lead to connect it up.

  • Bally Astrocade Interface – Gorf update

    The MiSTer image for Gorf using the Astrocade interface has been updated.

    For those of you running them in an arcade environment where customers have to put money in, it will now accept coins from both coin slots (with separate options in the DIP settings)

    In addition, the SLAM will now work, so if someone shakes that cab hard enough, then the game will reset.

    Finally, the test switch on the sound board should work, as well as the service option in the DIP settings.

    Late addition, coins and start buttons should now work immediately and not need the player 1 joystick moved first.

    Get it from the usual place (over here)

  • Bally Astrocade interface – Update BOM

    I’ve updated the bill of materials for the Astrocade interface a little. Two items have been changed to have better descriptions and where people have let me know part numbers from Mouser or Digikey I have added them on.

  • Bally Astrocade interface for MiSTer – Done

    Version 2.3 of the PCB has arrived, been assembled and tested … and it works without any wire patches!

    There is, however, one minor problem. I added some extra bits of screen print on the wrong side. This has now been fixed on the gerbers and any future boards will be correct, but I am not changing the version number for that minor problem. (there are only 10 PCBs that have this defect, so should not cause any problems in the long run)

    This is what it should look like

    On the sound filter section of the PCB, the second capacitors are tantalum, which means they have polarity so there should be a small + sign to show which way they are fitted.

    Check out the Bally Astrocade interface pages on the menu under “Mister” for more details of the board and assembly.

  • Bally Astrocade interface for MiSTer – Final?

    Version 2.3 has been ordered from the PCB makers and will hopefully fix the remaining incorrect track and complete the development of this PCB.

    I’ve mentioned this on Facebook (on the Gorf group) and had several questions about it, so in an attempt to answer those I have added an information page to the website which will make everything clear. (click here to see it)

  • Gorf interface for MiSTer Version 2.2

    Version 2.2 of the PCB built for Gorf including the 5v regulation to power the MiSTer direct from the cabinet’s power supply.

    This version uses a 2 amp version of the 7805 regulator and a couple of smoothing capacitors and takes power from the 12v line on the cabinet.

    An alternate version uses a commonly available LM2596S DC Buck Converter which does a similar job. Beware – if you use one of these you need to set the voltage to 5V BEFORE connecting to the DE10-Nano. The one I purchased came setup for 9V.

    Another option is to put a solder blob on the pad labelled “Direct_5V” on the PCB, and the 5v line from the cabinet is routed directly to the DE10-Nano. I would not use this personally with the original linear power supply, but it may be an option if you have a switcher in there instead.

    Finally, the option used on most of the boards currently installed, just use the PSU that came with the DE10-Nano and connect it to the 240v line inside the cab.