Author Topic: Albireo - USB/SD/Serial interface for CPC (Read 69928 times)

||C|-|E|| · « **Reply #200 on:** 13:00, 26 January 16 »

I already paid mine!

Singaja · « **Reply #201 on:** 13:09, 26 January 16 »

Can someone post a photo how does it look like upon receiving? :-)

Apollo · « **Reply #202 on:** 14:14, 26 January 16 »

You can push my second board into the second batch as well so others don't need to wait longer

Gryzor · « **Reply #203 on:** 19:28, 31 January 16 »

I received mine this past week, so thanks

It looks lovely even with the manual mods. No time to test it though yet

TFM · « **Reply #204 on:** 00:45, 05 February 16 »

Quote from: PulkoMandy on 10:31, 23 January 16

4 - cpcmaniacoLA004875968FR
5 - ||C||-||E|| LA004971085FR
6 - TFM (x1) LA004971111FR

Gosh! Tracking numbers are hell. If I click am mine.... nothing... I did send a package to TotO recently, tracking number doesn't work either. Maybe an US problem?

PulkoMandy · « **Reply #205 on:** 08:11, 05 February 16 »

Usually it means they didn't scan the barcode anywhere yet, but I find that surprising after one week. Even if the destination country doesn't offer tracking, you should at least get "package left France for international shipping" or somesuch.
I'll go to the post office tomorrow, I'll ask them, they probably know better.

TFM · « **Reply #206 on:** 18:04, 05 February 16 »

Thanks!

PulkoMandy · « **Reply #207 on:** 12:53, 06 February 16 »

Hi, I checked with the post office and it turns out it is an user error on my side when using their self-service machine. The package should get to you eventually, but the tracking number may or may not work, it depends if they catch and scan it.

Sorry about this.

TFM · « **Reply #208 on:** 05:20, 07 February 16 »

Quote from: PulkoMandy on 12:53, 06 February 16

Hi, I checked with the post office and it turns out it is an user error on my side when using their self-service machine. The package should get to you eventually, but the tracking number may or may not work, it depends if they catch and scan it.
Sorry about this.

Thanks!!! Can't wait to give it a try.

Gryzor · « **Reply #209 on:** 11:17, 09 February 16 »

Hey, @PulkoMandy , I noticed the wiki page for the device is rather poor at the moment... would you object if I copied the material from your site?

PulkoMandy · « **Reply #210 on:** 11:25, 09 February 16 »

No problem with that, the device is "free hardware" (schematics are available and everything) and the documentation is also freely redistributable and modifiable.

Gryzor · « **Reply #211 on:** 11:27, 09 February 16 »

Thanks for that

Still, I can't go around just copying pages like that, hence I had to ask!

Ok, going to add all the details soon!

Gryzor · « **Reply #212 on:** 12:52, 09 February 16 »

Done

Albireo - CPCWiki

majikeyric · « **Reply #213 on:** 17:18, 11 February 16 »

I received my board today!!!! Many thanks Pulko! Great work!!!!

Sykobee (Briggsy) · « **Reply #214 on:** 17:38, 14 February 16 »

Thanks Pulko, I've paid! Great to see that things like USB mouse are so simple - maybe someone will hack up some of the old mouse supporting software (Art Studio, etc) to use a USB mouse on this device.

(I have been so bus the past few months I had completely forgotten about it)

reidrac · « **Reply #215 on:** 11:18, 16 February 16 »

I finally started to read the docs and I'm looking forward to get my board to start fiddling with it!

I only see a minor limitation and is that the board doesn't include a ROM to automatically install the driver (excuse me if that's not the right terminology, I'm newbie here), and needing another board to provide the ROM (or, in my case, loading the driver from tape as I only own a 464 with no ROM expansion) is not ideal.

EDIT: to be clear, I already knew that because you mentioned it in the first post. But until I read the documents I guess I didn't understand the implications

I still think is a nice piece of very versatile kit (and I want mine, 29th on the list!); just wanted to mention that I would love it even more if in a future revision it included a ROM on board

That said from the ignorance, because I don't know how difficult would that be (if possible).

pelrun · « **Reply #216 on:** 11:28, 16 February 16 »

That's not really a limitation - if you're going to be fiddling around with hardware, then you already want to buy a MotherX4/X-MEM/X-MASS/Minibooster from TotO (especially since the Albireo is designed to plug into the MotherX4.) They're cheap, readily available, and everyone already has one. Putting a ROM board directly in the peripheral is just going to conflict with the other hardware.

reidrac · « **Reply #217 on:** 12:00, 16 February 16 »

Quote from: pelrun on 11:28, 16 February 16

That's not really a limitation - if you're going to be fiddling around with hardware, then you already want to buy a MotherX4/X-MEM/X-MASS/Minibooster from TotO (especially since the Albireo is designed to plug into the MotherX4.) They're cheap, readily available, and everyone already has one. Putting a ROM board directly in the peripheral is just going to conflict with the other hardware.

OK, thanks for the advice. I see that there's a market for people already having expansion boards, but I still think it would be nice to have a solution that ticks all the boxes instead of requiring 2 boards + the MotherX4.

TotO · « **Reply #218 on:** 12:06, 16 February 16 »

The CPC 464 is a base system that require many things to be up-to-date.
If too much plugs are required, you should start to take a look for a CPC 6128.
It is more reliable and cost less than DDI+Floppy+RAM expansions.

reidrac · « **Reply #219 on:** 12:17, 16 February 16 »

Quote from: TotO on 12:06, 16 February 16

The CPC 464 is a base system that require many things to be up-to-date.
If too much plugs are required, you should start to take a look for a CPC 6128.
It is more reliable and cost less than DDI+Floppy+RAM expansions.

Yes, well... you're probably right. This is about tinkering anyway, my 464 is just fine and I use it mostly because I do development and the occasional gaming.

TotO · « **Reply #220 on:** 12:19, 16 February 16 »

I understand well the choice to keep your own CPC.
But, building a new expansion to embbed all the features required is close to redo a new CPC mainboard.

PulkoMandy · « **Reply #221 on:** 12:24, 16 February 16 »

Yes, you need an X-Mem/MegaFlash/FlashGordon/RamCard/ROMBoard if you want to use a system ROM. The reason for that is that I ran out of space on the board, and also that I already have a FlashGordon here, and it is not possible to have another board provide ROMs in that case (they would conflict as the FlashGordon uses all available ROM numbers from 0 to 31, and ROMs above 7 are not initialized by the OS on the 464).

You don't need a minibooster and an x-mass, both have functionalities that for the most part overlap with Albireo.

There are other solutions than loading everything from tape however:
For example, you can write a minimal driver that you load from tape/disc. It can be something very small that initializes the SD card or USB drive and reads a few sectors from there with a more complete code to manage the board. It is less convenient than a ROM, of course, but better than nothing.

TotO · « **Reply #222 on:** 13:06, 16 February 16 »

Quote from: PulkoMandy on 12:24, 16 February 16

You don't need a minibooster and an x-mass, both have functionalities that for the most part overlap with Albireo.

When the softwares will exist for.

PulkoMandy · « **Reply #223 on:** 13:15, 16 February 16 »

That is also the case for X-MASS

TotO · « **Reply #224 on:** 14:11, 16 February 16 »

No, as the X-MASS was designed to be compatible with existing things.

So, you can use it with BDOS, SymbOS and others since it was available.

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Author Topic: Albireo - USB/SD/Serial interface for CPC (Read 69928 times)