RickyDean Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 You know I was examining my unfinished zeno boards last night and I believe that it would be possible to either shoehorn the components onboard or to attach the ubergrom as a daughter board and still mount it into the console on top or underneath the Zeno and attached to it. There is still plenty of unpopulated real estate on the board and some can be worked around. Would regular cartridges still work with the ubergrom attached in this manner? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 ...was examining my unfinished zeno boards You have multiples? NICE! This was a great concept for the TI BITD, even more today I think. It just so beautiful, it's too bad it's hidden in the console. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 But once we install it it is still visible our hearts, mind's eye, and the results to the touch and sight . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 back in the day I used to sell, RDB Enterprises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tursi Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Would regular cartridges still work with the ubergrom attached in this manner? Probably not, it would answer to any cartridge space GROM requests, causing conflicts. I always toyed with the idea of a version that read the cartridge port and turned itself off automatically, but I haven't had time to build anything for a while now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 How about a switch, to turn off the ubergrom when using another cartridge, (though I would wonder why, with all the goodies in ubergrom), but possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tursi Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 (edited) Yep, that's easy. Put it on the *GSEL line (when 'off' the line to the chip should pull up through a 10k resistor to +5v) and the chip will not respond to any requests. (This is pin 24 on the AVR.) Edited October 3, 2015 by Tursi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyDean Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Ok, sounds like it will work. When I get a little extra cash to spend, I will buy a ubergrom kit and see where it takes me. Thanks Tursi, Ricky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehridian Sanders Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 I am Noob. That being established, the Zenoboard looks like a solution for (as was previously mentioned), saving space. Is there a working version? the notes state that there was a single trace line where a fault existed but should be easy to overcome. This looks like a very fun project to undertake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkdrummer Posted January 2, 2020 Author Share Posted January 2, 2020 One of these days I’m going to see if I can talk somebody into building mine up all the way and installing it in one of my spare consoles. Probably a beige one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 2 hours ago, Mehridian Sanders said: I am Noob. That being established, the Zenoboard looks like a solution for (as was previously mentioned), saving space. Is there a working version? the notes state that there was a single trace line where a fault existed but should be easy to overcome. This looks like a very fun project to undertake. The board hasn't been produced in 25 years or so. A few of us have boards from the original run, but that's pretty much it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehridian Sanders Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 A Wild Challenge has appeared. Roll Initiative! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 18 on the die, with a +7 initiative bonus (roll modified to 25) and bastard sword in hand. . .muahhhhhh! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 I see spots for what I think are TI GROM chips, what are the larger sockets for? I can imagine an "updated" version of this someday as "FinalGROM plus" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 I think it's called the SDD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 The board has spaces on it for the TI Extended BASIC chips and for the Speech Synthesizer chips. Some of those are obviously larger than the GROM chips. Probably the biggest issue I have with this board is that there are two places that run a pair of traces between two of the chip pads. That is some tight spacing when you want to avoid accidental shorts. I looked at respinning this board at one point, but I never took the project that far. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dhe Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 You know what's even more rare then a Zeno board? One that's actually in a console and working. I knew when I saw one it was way above my pay grade. So I had one of the guys in the Hugger U.G. build it for me. He had 30 years of experience as an electronics tech and an electronics hobbyist.. He was really good and said it was the most difficult board he ever worked on. Amongst the problems, mounting, no solder masks, small traces, super small pads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehridian Sanders Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 hmm I might try and work on this. I always have to try the most difficult thing. out of some strange sense of self loathing maybe... not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehridian Sanders Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 hmm if I am looking at this correctly it shoots off the cart slot. Why would you do this? Wouldn't it be more effective to utilize the sidecar port? oh wait ... adding XB to it would be the reason. Hmm.. so .. then the Cart slot connects the speech and the 32k Ram as well? Wow that seems .. highly complicated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehridian Sanders Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Has anyone worked towards putting this in the PEB? PEB connects to sidecar port. HmmmSent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dhe Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 From the book - rework... More working and less talking! ? In addition to all the other mounting issues, most of the working ones have a rotary knob at the top of the console that selects the module. I think most people gave up and had John Wilforth from the PA UG build it for them. Which is why I think he quit the TI hobby to never be heard from again..... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 On 2/22/2015 at 2:45 PM, Ksarul said: Not that rare, Willsy--Sparkdrummer and I both have them, and there are a few others floating around. I'd even considered doing a new layout for them, assuming anyone still has contact with Eric Zeno to ask permission. nudge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyPilot Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 (edited) A modern day Zenoboard that supported SAMS and TIPI would be the ultimate paired with a FinalGROM. Edited February 1, 2022 by SkyPilot Afterthought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 On 1/31/2022 at 7:33 PM, SkyPilot said: A modern day Zenoboard that supported SAMS and TIPI would be the ultimate paired with a FinalGROM. tipi/sams sidecars and a fg99.. sdd? no tipitho 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willsy Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 Just re-reading this thread. To me, the Zeno board always was, and possibly still is, the ultimate upgrade to real in-the-flesh TI consoles. It's a shame we can't re-do this board. It's surely possible, right? Question: The 32K ram on the Zeno board - is it 8 or 16 bit? I ask, because the second most awesome upgrade to a TI (IMHO, YMMV etc.) is placing the 32k RAM on the 16-bit bus. There was one other upgrade that I saw (and owned for a while) with my own eyes: Colin Hinson, an ex TI Bedford (UK) engineer and 4A nut, replaced the 9900 on the TI motherboard with a plug-in daughter board that contained a TMS9995. This was summer 1994. I can't remember what clock speed it ran at - but it was FAST. According to Colin, the board didn't do much - the board was modified to disable the 8-bit to 16-bit multiplexor (the 9995 having an 8-bit data bus) and there were maybe two PALs/GALs on the board, and a crystal. Not much. It's long gone now, I'm afraid, and Colin would be in his 80s if he's still alive. I never saw, or even heard of anything similar in the TI community. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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