Dk'tronics mouse interface clone [Available]

[TotO]

Cloning the SF2 is not really a good thing, if not redesigned. (like the CPC Booster in its time)
The board is big and require an external power supply. Not easy to use for everyone.

[talrek]

I asked Dr. Zed for the CPLD files a while back (2013 I think). He never answered the e-mail.

Bryce.

Dumping the CPLD files from an original is not possible ?

[dodogildo]

Cloning the SF2 is not really a good thing, if not redesigned. (like the CPC Booster in its time)
The board is big and require an external power supply. Not easy to use for everyone.

But if CPLD files get obtained, then you hardware magicians may create a modern (mini?) SF, right?

[TotO]

The SF2 RAM and "ROM" are not CPC friendly (only work with SymbOS).
So, I don't see why it will be interresting to clone the CPLD logic...

[Munchausen]

TBH it would be easier (and better?) to just create a symbiface compatible mouse and RTC board. The rest (IDE, RAM, ROM) is provided by TotO's X-MASS and X-MEM. And the X-MEM has a programmable LowerRom, which SF2 does not.

[TFM]

Kind of... you got a good point there for sure. New hardware should also be compatible to previous solutions, if possible and if this does not mean to take some kind of disadvantage. About proportional mice I guess the SF2 is common, but maybe also the AtariST mouse which can be used at the joystick port (with adapter). The SF2 mouse leaves the joystick port free. For the ST mouse there is the awesome great G-Paint program. Well... let's say SF2 mouse wins. 


About RTCs.... aside of the SF2 RTC the Dobbertin RTC is great too. Here I favor the batch of RTCs from dxs, because the battery can be replaced, and it has support for CP/M and BASIC too, the SF2 RTC sadly not. Just my thoughts... 

[Bryce]

Dumping the CPLD files from an original is not possible ?

I'm not sure whether the chip is protected or not, I've never tried and it's not an IC I'm familiar with.

Bryce.

[TFM]

Back the day Pentagon and Workaholic stole the design of the IDE part and tried to sell their own version of it, so it's obviously doable.

[||C|-|E||]

I received mine while I was on Holidays, it was already in the lab when I went back!  It is already installed, but I did not have time to try it! Thank you! 

[dodogildo]

Mine just arrived too, thanks @talrek ! I'll give it a try next week with my (almost) new Genius mouse.
Exciting!

[hsimpson]

I received mine too. Thanks a lot @talrek.
I have to just buy a Genius mouse .

[Rennert]

The interface i have tested with Atari ST mouse on SymbOS. Works fine

[dodogildo]

It works great, thank you @talrek
Here are some photos

[talrek]

It works great, thank you @talrek
Here are some photos

You're welcome since you draw better than me  also too sad from what i heard about istanbul today 

[dodogildo]

also too sad from what i heard about istanbul today 

Thank you. So sad

[CraigsBar]

The SF2 RAM and "ROM" are not CPC friendly (only work with SymbOS).
So, I don't see why it will be interresting to clone the CPLD logic...

Please explain this... The sf2 is as friendly as the xmem. I use mine on the plus and CPC all the time and it is as friendly with amsdos and CPM as the xmem.

[TotO]

Please explain this... The sf2 is as friendly as the xmem. I use mine on the plus and CPC all the time and it is as friendly with amsdos and CPM as the xmem.

The SF2 RAM not work with 464 and 664 and, at less, do not support the C3 mode.
The SF2 "ROM" only work under SymbOS and can't be used as standard CPC ROM board.

[CraigsBar]

I'll test on a 464 tonight, but the ROM statement is blatantly not true, I have 32 ROMs (including the whole protext suite) installed in mine and they work perfectly on the CPC 6128 and plus, from amsdos and with 576k ram. Either I mis understand your statement, or you are wrong

[TotO]

You can test on your 464, the RAM will not work properly. (ask to Prodatron, he will said the same)
About the "ROM" (backed-up RAM), I have always read that was not on the same I/O port. But, it look to be wrong. 

[Munchausen]

You can test on your 464, the RAM will not work properly. (ask to Prodatron, he will said the same)
About the "ROM" (backed-up RAM), I have always read that was not on the same I/O port. But, it look to be wrong. 

As I recall at some point I did try this and the RAM did appear on the 464, there was some oddity with it IIRC (I think perhaps about the amount reported... it was 512K maybe) but it was basically working.

And the ROM definitely works for general ROM usage.

[gerald]

As I recall at some point I did try this and the RAM did appear on the 464, there was some oddity with it IIRC (I think perhaps about the amount reported... it was 512K maybe) but it was basically working.

The symbiface RAM is not 464 compatible.
This has been discussed there : FIRMWARE 3.1 / Lower ROM / Megaflash

[Munchausen]

Ah that's right, I got a display of 560K from FW3.something (as I reported in that thread!)

I thought I'd reported this and got comments back somewhere, but couldn't find the thread before my last post - didn't remember that it wasn't actually working  !

EDIT - I wonder if a mod can be made on the SF to fix this?

[gerald]

EDIT - I wonder if a mod can be made on the SF to fix this?

Having no schematics nor PLD content information, a fix is unlikely. The 464 compatibility is quite tricky !
Also, the ROM side of the Symbiface use ROM slot incomplete decoding, which make it incompatible with C4CPC. For this issue, an external fix is possible. But it would be better to do it within the PLD.

[CraigsBar]

I'll take an external fix please.

[TFM]

Are we totally off-topic? Ok, so the SF2 works with a regular Cart, right? Well, it does for me... so... where is the problem with the other one???