Just to let you guys know that my final version of my ROMBO Redux Deluxe is now finished. This is similar to my last board, but now has a through connector and a Pause button.
I've posted a quick video below of it.
https://youtu.be/k0q76PNmoiU (https://youtu.be/k0q76PNmoiU)
And Muckypaws quick review of the previous model :
https://youtu.be/_Ag1v4mF4q8 (https://youtu.be/_Ag1v4mF4q8)
If you're interested in one PM me.
Rob
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LOVE the PCB edge for the edge connector!!
Thanks for honoring retro-compatibilty and the CPC 464 edge connector legacy.
Ordered one / paid via PayPal :D
And here are two connected together for maximum ROMness...
Regards
Rob
PM sent Rob.
Nice CTM 644 also... wish I still had mine. Had to leave mine in Germany when I relocated to the US. :(
That's one I fixed. It was dead and needed a new offline regulator, fusible safety resistor and zener diode and fuse.
It's been soak testing on our shelf :)
Rob
Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
I like the graininess they give to the picture. I heard they are actually TV tubes, not real monitor tubes, cause they had to be inexpensive. I also used to have my CPC on my Commodore 1084, and it never looked / felt right, since the 1084 was so good and smooth and sharp.
Yup that sounds right. Amstrad definitely enjoyed some penny pinching on the CPC hence the 3" drives. Ironically though they seem really reliable. I actually really like the ctm monitors although I run my CPC off of a rgb to HDMI board that I've fitted internally to my 6128.
If you're interested in cpc hardware stuff you should def sub to my YouTube channel as there's a good video about my custom modded 6128 on there, linked below.
https://youtu.be/syAvezrMmfM
Rob
Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
Mine arrived today and I couldn't be happier with it!A great product - highly recommended :D Works like a charm, also chained with DDI3 and LambdaBoard and LambdaSpeak and some other extensions.
Thanks a lot for making such a reliable "out of the box" straightforward piece of retro-hardware, Rob!!
It's awesome value for money. The easily accesible pause and reset button AND nice LEDs are a great useful little extra, too.
And having DIP switches makes turning ROMs on and off so easy.
Thank you Michael for those kind words :-) It's been a real labour of love this thing and it's so nice to have everyone appreciate it. I haven't had a single bad comment about it!
Much props however should go the the actual designers of the original Rombo; they did a fantastic job back in the 80's and this board wouldn't exist without them.
Jason [Muckypaws] has done a new review of this board and he loves it. He actually sounds like a shill for me but I'd never even spoken to him before I sold him these boards!
Jason's review :
https://youtu.be/rOzH6r6DYI0 (https://youtu.be/rOzH6r6DYI0)
regards
Rob
PM sent :)
BTW: If possible put ROM at lower positions than the DOS (1-6) to omit problems with certain software relying on the DOS starting about A700 or so. :)
My board arrived yesterday, and I couldn't be happier. It's an absolutely beautiful piece of hardware. Still waiting on some roms to arrive, which I'm looking forward to trying :D
But I also want to give a big shout out to @The Equalizor (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=2279), for the outstanding service he has provided me with this, and my soon to arrive roms. Anyone can just sell stuff, but it takes commitment and passion to provide the level of service I've received.
He's been more than happy to help guide me in right direction with the roms, and provided me with invaluable information. Very much appreciated.
Cheers,
Rob
Hi Rob,
Any plans for another batch?
I'll have two if you are thinking about it :)
I have all the parts in stock for about 8 boards IIRC. I have had a redesign on them to remove the Pause button and add a White LED for Power but apart from that they're the same great board :-)
Please let me know what you need.
Regards
Rob
Brill!
I'll PM you shortly.
Hi Rob,
I'd be interested in a board - I could also build from parts if it helps...
Do you have pricing?
The boards are £40.00 each plus postage and I'm only shipping to the UK due to the faff with Brexit and all that fun stuff. I also include a free 3D-printed bottom case for them, and I'll try to supply in any colour that you request providing I have the right filament in stock. If I don't, I'll get as close as I can or pick a random one.
Please note that like the original ROMBO boards, mine are not Plus compatible as I can't get the chips required to make that happen in Surface Mount format. Which is a shame but it is what it is.
Regards
Rob
@260Z (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=1465) I've just seen (!) your message above. Thank you so much for those kind words. Really appreciated :-)
Regards
Rob
Well Amstrad Plus Update...
My board works on the Plus computers!
Turns out my Plus had an odd fault which I thought was caused by the Rombo but in fact wasn't.
A mate of mine has tested it and confirms the machine boots okay and ROMs are usable without error.
I will be doing some tests myself on another Plus and I'll ask him to test it a bit more but so far, all is looking good.
So, if anyone needs one for a Plus, it'll be a bit more expensive as the 50 way connector is much more expensive than an edge connector, I reckon it'll add about £10.00 to the price, which is what the connector would cost me.
Regards
Rob
Hi Rob,
Boards arrived this morning - within 5 minutes of opening the parcel I was transferring files from 30 yr old 3.5" Romdos D20 disks to 3" discs.
"Plug and Play" on the CPC - I've waited a very long time to get this done - Fantastic!
Also thanks to @Bryce (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=225) for the help with the ready signal problem I had with the 3.5" drives I've purchased over the last few years :)
Xmas CPC was a little late this year but was well worth waiting for :D
Happy New Year Rob!
( :) and everyone else :) )
You're welcome Peter,
All I gotta do now is try to work out why the boards won't work reliably on the Plus machines. I might see if @Bryce (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=225) can help me with this. It's very odd as the board initialises okay but crashes when you start issuing ROM commands. The chips are 74HC which are the correct ones for both Plus and CPC compatibility but they just don't work.
Maybe I can bribe someone knowledgeable with a free one if they can work out the Plus issues with me.
Regards
Rob
If you need it I have a Centronics equipped 6 socket board (MicroStyle, Siren?) which I used on a Plus here for years - if you think it might help identify the issue let me know and I'll send it off for you to examine.
Quote from: The Equalizor on 13:18, 30 December 21
You're welcome Peter,
All I gotta do now is try to work out why the boards won't work reliably on the Plus machines. I might see if @Bryce (https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=225) can help me with this. It's very odd as the board initialises okay but crashes when you start issuing ROM commands. The chips are 74HC which are the correct ones for both Plus and CPC compatibility but they just don't work.
Maybe I can bribe someone knowledgeable with a free one if they can work out the Plus issues with me.
Regards
Rob
Hi Rob,
have you changed anything significant since the board version you sent me? I have used the board a lot, but not on a plus. I can set it up later and see if it works or has issues on a plus if you like.
Bryce.
Hi Bryce,
Thank you for the offer but I've actually fixed the problem.
It was caused by an incorrect pullup resistor that should have been 680ohm but was 1K on the board. This is the Resistor that is at one end of the 1N4148 and goes to 5v for Pullup and ROMDIS on the Expansion connector and the 74HC27.
This doesn't affect standard CPC's (purely by luck, or rather hysteresis) but I guess the Plus machines are more fussy.
This issue was caused by me sticking a 1K placeholder resistor in the Schematic that I was supposed to remember to change but, well, I didn't, so when the parts went across to the PCB it took the 1K designator with it.
If you want to fix this yourself, just change out the resistor that's next to the 1N4148 Diode under Socket 2 of the board to 680R.
Regards
Rob
Quote from: The Equalizor on 17:11, 31 December 21
Hi Bryce,
Thank you for the offer but I've actually fixed the problem.
It was caused by an incorrect pullup resistor that should have been 680ohm but was 1K on the board. This is the Resistor that is at one end of the 1N4148 and goes to 5v for Pullup and ROMDIS on the Expansion connector and the 74HC27.
This doesn't affect standard CPC's (purely by luck, or rather hysteresis) but I guess the Plus machines are more fussy.
This issue was caused by me sticking a 1K placeholder resistor in the Schematic that I was supposed to remember to change but, well, I didn't, so when the parts went across to the PCB it took the 1K designator with it.
If you want to fix this yourself, just change out the resistor that's next to the 1N4148 Diode under Socket 2 of the board to 680R.
Regards
Rob
Well done! Now you've learnt the difference / importance between a pull-up and a weak pull-up. Always use the same value (or slightly lower) pull-ups as the system that you are interfacing to, otherwise you'll encounter the issues that you had and it'll mess up your day.
It's always better to discover these things by real life experience. You can read about it a thousand times, but you only really learn it when you experience it for yourself. Glad you got it sorted.
Bryce.