DDI-1 units are hard to get and climb to crazy prices in eBay.
The device is quite simple and easily cloned in board level.
I would like to borrow one DDI-1 for cloning. I will pay shipping and the lender will get the unit back after 2 weeks (+time for shipping). The lender will also receive one cloned assembled PCB. Receiving the assembled PCB will take at least two months. Total time depends on my free time (fixing house atm.).
If you are interested in borrowing me one DDI-1 unit and receiving one assembled PCB as compensation, please PM me.
Notice that I have to disassemble the unit for cloning. I am however an experienced electronics engineer and design phones and tablets for work. In my free time I fix & modify consoles and smartphones.
Hello,
i have a brandnew, never used and still sealed DDI-I Controller in a polybag. If i can help you with it, i will trust you and send you this rare piece of my collection. Its in full working condition and really brandnew.
So if you like to borrow please contact me in PN i will give you my Email Adress then.
Hope i could help
kindly regards
Tom
The schematic is available in the Wiki. why don't you just transscribe it into Eagle / OrCAD or whatever and make your own layout?
Bryce.
Quote from: Pentagon on 07:55, 15 July 13
Hello,
i have a brandnew, never used and still sealed DDI-I Controller in a polybag. If i can help you with it, i will trust you and send you this rare piece of my collection. Its in full working condition and really brandnew.
So if you like to borrow please contact me in PN i will give you my Email Adress then.
Hope i could help
kindly regards
Tom
PM sent.
Quote from: Bryce on 08:23, 15 July 13
The schematic is available in the Wiki. why don't you just transscribe it into Eagle / OrCAD or whatever and make your own layout?
Bryce.
I noticed that. I want to clone the pcb so it's a direct replacement for the original one.
I will make a layout in Eagle and having an original at hand makes it faster.
I'll probably make a batch of 12 at first. 1 for me and 1 for the lender. 10 will be available for others to purchase as a kit.
Pentagon is nicely lending me one. I'll keep this thread updated about the project. I'll inform when any extra clones are available.
Nice idea , there is long time i wanted to see this coming , too late for me as i got my DDI-1 but i am still interested if it is powered with something else than the FD-1 itself to use hxc on my 464 ;D
There are some ideas to add extra features like dual ROM (AMDOS+Parados), ABBA switch, pinheaders for cables etc.
Powering HxC via the DDI-1 clone is also one feature I will add.
I had been working on a similar solution, with 34 and 26way header, Ready switch, ABBA switch, side switch etc, but mine is based on the FDC9266, not the µPD765.
It got shelved (for now) due to lack of time.
Bryce.
Quote from: Bryce on 14:23, 15 July 13
I had been working on a similar solution, with 34 and 26way header, Ready switch, ABBA switch, side switch etc, but mine is based on the FDC9266, not the µPD765.
It got shelved (for now) due to lack of time.
Bryce.
What is the function of ready switch and side switch?
The side switch allows you to use both sides of a 3.5in disk. The ready switch is to allow you to use disk drives that don't provide the ready signal when a disk is inserted.
Bryce.
Why make a clone? Why not try to make it smaller, and then bundle it with a HxC. I mean so that DDI and HxC is inside the same box. Just plug one unit in the back of the CPC464, and you can load from SD cards. :)
That's why I chose the FDC9266. It's 100% µPD765 compatible (so AMSDOS / ParaDOS etc supports it) and the data separator is integrated, which saves quite a few extra components and a fair bit of PCB space too. Even with the extra switches and headers, it should be possible to get it down to half the size of the original or the same size as a HxC PCB.
Bryce.
Smaller layout is possible. It is more about how much time I have for this. Layout copy and small add-ons is quite fast. I have a CPC 464 waiting for getting played :)
Declaring interest in one (also have one to send if necessary) :) But yeah, I think size is important...
QuoteBut yeah, I think size is important...
Sure, that's what the girls want.... ;D ;D ;D
Cheers
Tom
Two more easily added features would be reset and pause.
If you are starting a list of people interested in one of the 10 kits. Put me down for one.
Thanks.
Let me know when someone makes a DDI+HxC in one (small) device for the CPC464. :)
Hi - just wondering if there's any news on this? Seems like a fantastic project - and one which I'd happily purchase / contribute towards.
I have taken enough pictures and measures of the disassembled unit. Still need to read the ROM and then send it back. I'll make the new schematic and layout in the next few months.
http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=34143&p=312164 (http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=34143&p=312164)
Can't a Raspberry/Arduino/whatever be used to emulate a freaking Floppy AND FDC and all ?
on a 464, the FDC is external, all is connected to extention port if I remember well.
Yes, but it's a complete overkill solution. If you are going to use a Pi, then you don't need the CPC either, you can emulate it in the Pi too! :D
Bryce.
Quote from: Bryce on 08:40, 21 August 13
Yes, but it's a complete overkill solution. If you are going to use a Pi, then you don't need the CPC either, you can emulate it in the Pi too! :D
But the Pi is very cheap, widely available and also includes nice things like ethernet and USB sockets.
So if you could make something that is a couple of "ICs and resistors" and plug it into the Pi, I think it would be a great solution.
Looking the circuit made by the guy who done the Pi FDC emulator, I thing that is not more difficult to add a real FDC on the CPC instead.
Why not using an advanced version of the FDC765, some copy protection uses them ... so .... we would have a cracking floppy :P 8)
Quote from: TFM on 20:57, 21 August 13
Why not using an advanced version of the FDC765, some copy protection uses them ... so .... we would have a cracking floppy
It was my idea... ;)
Using a PC FDC will allow to dump and write protected floppies with the appropriated software.
Quote from: TotO on 21:59, 21 August 13
It was my idea... ;)
Using a PC FDC will allow to dump and write protected floppies with the appropriated software.
Yes, it was your idea ;) I had to adopt it, because I couldn't find a better one :)
Does anyone have schematics for standard 64kB RAM expansion?
I would like to see what is needed to include extra 64kB RAM to the DDI-1 clone.
I'm not aware of a schematic for an external memory upgrade.
It has been discussed -
464 and ram extension .... (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/464-and-ram-extension/)
(There is a link to some board pictures I took in that thread, or some pictures here - Upgrading a Dk'tronics RAM Expansion - CPCWiki (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Upgrading_a_Dk%27tronics_RAM_Expansion))
As it details in the thread, you will need to short MREQ and A15 to +5V to get modes c4-c7 to work.
The recent thread about the 6128 PAL may give some useful info - Amstrad 6128 HAL/PAL16L8 chip (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/amstrad-cpc-hardware/amstrad-6128-halpal16l8-chip/)
The device here - Upgrading a Dk'tronics RAM Expansion - CPCWiki (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Upgrading_a_Dk%27tronics_RAM_Expansion)) is mine. I could work out the schematics from the PCB, but without a dump of the PAL it's not going to be of much use to you.
Bryce.
Thanks for the info. I'll skip the RAM from this project.
It would be nice to reverse engineer the RAM expansion and use a newer single 64kB chip. But maybe after this is finished.
What do I miss with CPC464 with only 64kB RAM?
Quote from: plazma on 14:16, 17 December 13
What do I miss with CPC464 with only 64kB RAM?
Not much.
Bryce.
The right to plaster a "128k" badge on it?