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Using FPGA's to Play Bronze Age Arcade Games


Kaizen

Question

What is an FPGA?

 

For those who aren't familiar with them, see below for a couple of different explanations.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDE2qenDXKQ&t=300s

 

 

 

I've been following a few of the threads on KLOV relating to FPGA's and finding it quite interesting.

 

https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=419036&highlight=fpga

 

https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=418981&highlight=fpga

 

 

There's so many possibilities with what you can do with them but my main area of interest is in recreating some of the early discrete logic "Bronze Age" arcade games.

 

The first one I plan to try to get going is Death Race by Exidy which has already been done by one of the guys on KLOV and possibly Computer Space as well.

 

https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=410548&highlight=fpga

 

I purchased one of these units off Ebay so I can throw myself in the deep end and start learning through experience.

 

BEKiu7s.jpg

 

It should arrive in a few days time.

 

So has anyone else been messing around with these and what have you been doing with them?

Edited by Kaizen
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Anyone messing around with FPGA's?

 

I've looked into them in the same way you have and definitely want to pick up one of the basic development kits.

 

I have a few plans in mind but my ASM isn't strong so I need to start looking at that first I guess

 

It would be nice to reproduce some older games using the FPGA, I personally would like to reproduce the System 16 ROM boards (and hopefully use the FPGA in place of the PALs and custom on the one type that uses one)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I've decided to see if I can get this project up and running this weekend. It uses the same board as the one I have so there should be no stuffing around with pin assignments and configuration etc.

 

0ukAJeC.jpg

 

http://searle.hostei.com/grant/uk101FPGA/index.html

 

I have a ton of other stuff to do this weekend so I can't spend much time on it and all I really want to do is see if I can get an image on a scrren and confirm I've programmed it successfully.

It's an implementation of the Compukit UK101 Personal Computer and hopefully I can learn a few things in the process.

 

The link above provides plenty of detail and already has the .sof and .pof files so in theory all I have to do is make the I/O connectors and program it. I've rummaged through all my spare bits and pieces and have all the hardware required including the PS2 keyboard.

 

YzYZxe1.jpg

 

Sounds simple enough...

Edited by Kaizen
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I knocked up the wiring for the keyboard connector which required 2 x 10k resistors between VCC and the clock and data lines.

 

93OZ6s2.jpg

 

The next thing to do was work out how to program the FPGA using the Quartus software, that took a little while but I got it sorted.

 

UnHlNo2.jpg

 

I've learnt how to compile a project then convert them to .sof and .pof files for programming.

 

Everything was connected up and it worked perfectly.

 

meUULhj.jpg

 

I40mcC6.jpg

 

ronl5JL.jpg

 

 

I also tried Computer Space and Ultra Tank, they need different resistors for the video and sync but I could confirm they were working when programmed.

 

RigYAcv.jpg

 

Sr8p0XU.jpg

 

 

It only took a couple of hours to get to where I am at with it and getting it working doesn't really require a great deal of technical skill, these little boards are quite impressive.

Edited by Kaizen
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Great for dedicated cabs and I was thinking it could possibly be implemented as a keyboard emulator as well.

Cheaper than an Ipac and cuold run as many inputs as you need.

 

I decided to see if I could get Ultra Tank working.

I programmed the unit with Ultra Tank, connected the four resistors as per the posts on KLOV and am having issues with the white portion of the image.

 

NEQgWFXl.jpg

 

 

I've tested it on a CRT and LCD with the same results.

Any thoughts?

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