RetroWiz

[tinctu]

Hello.

 

Here is our AVR project we are working since late 2011.

It is something like Rapsberry Pi but 8bit.

It is based on Jerry´s AVGA platform.

(He is also behind all RetroWiz hardware, HW designer).

I am WWW and FORUM admin, enclosure designer.

We call our platform RetroWiz. (from "Retrocomputer Wizard" or "Retrogaming Wizard").

 

Our webpage will be here:

http://www.retrowiz.com

 

Our forum is online (since 12.nov.2012):

http://www.forum.retrowiz.com

 

1st early prototype - brown AVGA y. 2009:

 

Video AVGA platform:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mMdc-rNNtU

 

Screenshot from AVGA platform:

 

Hackaday Blog:

http://hackaday.com/tag/avga/

 

RETROWIZ:

2nd prototype // green one y.2011-2012:

 

3th prototype PCBs // blue one y.2012:

 

Our JAVA game editor:

 

SPECs:

{still work in progress, not final}

 

PCB half size of Raspberry Pi...

172x200 x 16 colors

simple FM synth codec

menu and firmware on chip

20 mhz/8bit risc cpu (ATMEGA328)

stereo audio out

VGA out

PS/2 keyboard port for keyboard or arcade joy hacks

C language API

SD card port

good price

 

It will be awesome platform for FM music, pixelart, retrogames, indiegames, coding...

 

Join FORUM, join DEVELOPMENT and welcome to RetroWiz world...

 

Have a nice day.

 

Matej

[jmetal88]

Hmm, that kind of has the look of some of the 386/486 era Apogee or Epic Megagames platformers (like Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure or Xargon).

[Amstari]

This looks interesting. I have been considering making a Uzebox console.

 

It's great that you have created a Java game editor.

 

Why have you chosen VGA output? Is a composite out version possible?

 

What is the estimated price?

[tinctu]

@jmetal88 - Yes we use very similar palette to EGA/VGA card.

Here is our hardware defined palette (we loved PC MS-DOS games era):

 

@Amstari - UZEBOX is more powerful in graphics because they use PAL-NTSC.

Why VGA? Simply on every modern TV or MONITOR there is VGA connector,

plus you can buy old LCD or CRT for 5USD-3EUROS /second hand/.

But main reason is that on VGA monitor there is better pixel graphics.

Maybe we will add TV encoder in future and we will be able to have

344x400 on PAL or NTSC TV (we had some prototype tests on TV too).

Maybe there will be RetroWiz TV version with

composite output. RetroWiz will have OPL FM not PSG like UZEBOX. So

sound will be like on SOUNDBLASTER,ADLIB,SEGA MEGADRIVE,JAGUAR

but only 3 channels mono... So there will be better sound than UZEBOX:

So first we will release VGA version and than TV version...

There will be also JAVA music editor and JAVA or FLASH emulator .

Edited December 4, 2012 by tinctu

[tinctu]

Price:

 

Prototype (super rare):

Hmm price for hand made development prototype board (few pieces from 15-20 pieces testing series) 80Euro-90Euro (circa 100usd).

 

Mass production (spring - summer 2013):

I hope under 20-40Euros (25-45USD).

[+Gemintronic]

This project needs more:

 

* BASIC

* Composite out

* Enclosure

 

The UzeBox needs to come closer to the hobbyist who DOESN'T know how to solder and program in C. Those folks tend to make their own solutions anyway.

[tinctu]

Ahh this is not UzeBox. It is based on AVGA platform which was here before uzebox. Yes you dont need solder anything...

 

- Why Basic? C is faster than basic. Anyways I found lot of BASICs in C. So maybe we will port it to RetroWiz platform.

BTW there is Mikroelektronika Mikro BASIC http://www.mikroe.com/mikrobasic/avr so you can code BASIC on PC.

Or http://www.fastavr.com/ with very short and fast code. Bascom http://www.mcselec.c...id=14&Itemid=41

But we want to make C API first.

 

But my dream is to have simple tool like GAME STUDIO or SCIRRA CONSTRUCT simply Visual Programing Language on PC with project export for RetroWiz.

 

- Yes there will be RetroWiz TV version too with 344x400 resolution on TV . We just need to find super low priced RGB2TV chip. 344x400 on TV will be pretty cool! But first we want to make VGA version.

 

- YES YES YES There will be acrylic enclosures!!! And mold form enclosures!!! And maybe ALU enclosures too!!! I am designer behind enclosures for RetroWiz.

Edited December 6, 2012 by tinctu

[jadedrakerider]

A BASIC would be a good stopgap measure between now and having a simple dev kit. It would give noobs like me a way to make something and run it without too much hassle.

 

VGA is a very good idea I wouldn't have thought of. I have two CRT monitors at my parent's place that we cannot figure out what to do with. This would be awesome!

 

Any chance there could be a way to hack a serial game pad into the ps/2 slot? This just begs for a Gravis Gamepad! Ah, memories!

 

You might consider trying to hock this at universities with strong electrical engineering or computer science programs. It might be nice if students could program for a standardized device and be able to swap source files that will work without modification.

[tinctu]

Hello.

We have toons of spam registred on forum each day.

I chceck out new users day by day and look into spam ban databases...

So any new user - please send me here PM+register on forum. And I will approve you.

 

Project news:

We are running 172x200 now... Still optimizing code. Web and social networks will be soon.

 

Matthew

[Matej]

NEWS>

Here is our latest 172x200 firmware (sprites, scrolling - works!):

[+Gemintronic]

Thanks for the update! As soon as BASIC gets implemented I'll definetly make some games. I hope you can keep the price around what the Raspberri Pi is going for.