1stage
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Posts posted by 1stage
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Cool. I look forward to seeing more Aquarius+ units out in the wild. It's an open source project!
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Sorry this update was so long in the making...
Aquarius+ Signature Edition Units are now available on eBay...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/225777438199
Message me here or privately for any questions.
- Sean
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Hardware Update
I'm gearing up for a build of between 10-50 units, but the supplier is waiting for parts.
I'll post when units are available for sale, and I'm also working on a how-to video for would-be resellers to order their own.
- Sean
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I will eventually get back to producing some MX's, but the Aquarius+ is taking up most of my time right now.
I also want to wait until the MX BASIC 2.0 Beta is complete so I am burning the most current version of the ROM.
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A few more images of the fully functioning rev2 hardware, showing a cartridge running via the Expansion Port and the ESP32-S3 attaching to WiFi...
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Updated case: removed unused USB ports on front, reworked the beauty line around the LED and the SD card slot, added an FDM version of the top with two small rafts across the "racing stripes" to help hold them down until they join with the main body of the case.
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Here are the system features, at a glance:- 512kb of banked RAM
- Color sprites
- Color tile maps
- Fully editable character set
- Bitmapped mode with "cell-based" color changes between foreground and background
- 6 voices of sound (2 virtual AY-3-8910 chips supported), sent out through 3mm stereo jack.
- SD card storage
- Wifi and Bluetooth capable through ESP32 module
- Dual DB9 ports to support legacy Aquarius Control Pads, Atari joysticks and paddles, Amiga mouse, Intellivision II controllers, and others (switchable via IO)
- Full legacy Expansion port to support ROM cartridges
- Backwards compatible with all original Aquarius software
- Software updates via SD card
- VGA output
- USB keyboard input
- Legacy cassette and printers supported through modern 3mm audio jacks (no more scrambling for outdated DIN cables, just grab a standard one from your junk drawer!)
- Real Z80 processor
- Hardware core completely rewritable and open source
Full details at https://github.com/fvdhoef/aquarius-plus
Current Status:
- Rev1 of the hardware works, but has expansion port issues
- Rev2 of the hardware has arrived, but the core image is in development
- MacOS and Windows emulators available
A few more images...
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On 5/29/2023 at 5:47 AM, Bruce Abbott said:
Looking good...
OMG, it's The Bruce! The Aquarius MX owes it's very existence to the work you did on the Micro Expander.
I can't wait for you to see what we've accomplished with MX BASIC 2.0...
https://github.com/1stage/Aquarius-MX/tree/main/src/rom/v2-0
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We have started Alpha Testing for the v1.3 update to the Aquarius MX USB BASIC ROM. If anyone is interested in getting an early look at this update, message me.
Attached is a PDF of the new and updated features in USB BASIC.USB BASIC v1.3.pdf
The new version of AquaLite v1.36 (or later) is required for testing.
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First official version for sale. Proceeds benefit charity and help me continue making new and interesting stuff for the Aquarius.
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Working on the Aquarius MX, a refinement of Bruce Abbott's Micro Expander for the Aquarius.
GitHub site - https://github.com/1stage/Aquarius-MX
While there are Gerbers and STL files available, it's best to hold off ordering these components until prototype testing is complete.
Picture of the prototype...
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https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYvcOqsrz0jHdZVwT0Pa-zOuGcvaxmlmyvg
Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 7:00am, Pacific Time (check your locals for specifics).
We'll be showing off the new developments in the community.
As always, if you can't attend, a YouTube of the event will be available later.
- Sean
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This is a fun and fantastic tool for anyone who enjoys retro graphics, and you can use it on a Browser!
It is also an invaluable tool for Aquarius developers (all six of them, ha!) in layout out screens for their software.
Even if you're not an Aquarius fan/user, give it half an hour and see what you can come up with.
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We've finally finished the reverse-engineering and testing of the open-source Aquarius motherboards.
Enjoy them in good health, and promote the platform!
https://github.com/1stage/Aquarius-Motherboard-1-1-0
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The first one was VERY popular among the six people who attended
, so this time, we're hoping for even more attendees...
Attendees MUST register through THIS link...
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0sfumorDMtH9yOLfcJPgxXepn35jDsRXHz
I'll be showing my DIY Mini Expander and DIY Control Pads. Who knows what else our motley band of Aquarius lovers will be showing this time?
- Sean
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Hey Humblejack, if you can get the audio into a WAV or MP3 format, there are a few tools that can translate those into a data stream... from there, you’d need to try a few different emulators to see if they are readable.
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Modem for me, please!
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For those who missed it, here's a link (may go away after 60 days!) to the video, audio, and transcripts.
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Boards are being tested with original components to ensure they are indeed, like-for-like replacements.
A few corrections have been made (bodge capacitor under the LS165, etc.), but these are intended to be replacements.
Eagle boards and Gerbers will be available after testing is complete.
Schematics (current update) attached.
- Sean
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Hey Aquarius fans!
EDIT: I had the wrong Date here (corrected it), but the Zoom call is correct!
We're going to try for the first ever Mattel Aquarius (or Radofin Aquarius, if you prefer!) virtual meet and greet?
The virtual user group meeting will happen on August 8/9 (depending on where you live). It will begin at 21:00 London time (see chart below) on 15 AUG 2020 and will run for about 3 hours (or until we're either sick of talking, or we run out of interesting things to talk about).
Here's the FREE registration link:
https://clu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0pde-pqjIjHtLzIJ8BFbnvHe7qaEAakXFh
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Here's the VERY ROUGH agenda:
- First Hour - Welcome & Introductions
- Second Hour - Show and tell
- Third Hour - Future of the Aquarius
Here's a BROAD chart of the start times by city/country (a few are probably incorrect):
- EU - 22:00, 15 AUG
- UK - 21:00, 15 AUG
- West Africa - 20:00, 15 AUG
- Iceland - 19:00, 15 AUG
- Greenland - 18:00, 15 AUG
- Brazil - 17:00, 15 AUG
- NYC - 4:00PM, 15 AUG
- Chicago - 3:00PM, 15 AUG
- Denver - 2:00PM, 15 AUG
- Los Angeles - 1:00PM, 15 AUG
- Honolulu - 11:00AM, 15 AUG
- Melbourne AU - 06:00, 16 AUG
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Hey Quinten,
Did you ever get this to look better? This is LIKELY due a poor-quality composite video cable, but that statement itself assumes that composite has a range of quality.
For the RF shield, I leave mine off, but it's up to you if it fits.
- Sean
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Here is the current list of videos I have on how to perform some basic and advanced mods to your Aquarius Computer...
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Removing the Aquarius Motherboard "package" from the case -
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Removing the RF Shield (not the RF Modulator... that comes later below) -
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Removing the RF Modulator and the 7805 power regulator -
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Installing a Modern, Replacement Power Regulator (Runs MUCH cooler and no connection to heat shield) -
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Replacing the old electrolytic caps -
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Building the Aquarius Composite Video Adapter -
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Installing the Composite Video Adapter -
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Testing the Aquarius Composite Video Adapter -
- Sean
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Removing the Aquarius Motherboard "package" from the case -
, so this time, we're hoping for even more attendees...
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Introducing the Aquarius+
in Intellivision / Aquarius
Posted
Newest version of the listing...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/225810914467