F18A (MK1 VGA) FPGA Pre-order #3

[Shift838]

I still have quite a few users that signed up after the deadline and after components and PCBs were ordered.

 

Although I ordered 10 extra, those were used, but I still have a few users still wanting the F18A.  I can still get the FPGAs, so Preorder #3 will go through my webstore.

 

https://www.shift838.com/store/index.php?rt=product/product&product_id=5

 

The F18A is a direct pin-compatible replacement for the TMS-9918A VDP Family that was used in many retro-computers and game consoles from the early to mid 1980’s. The F18A’s primary goal is to provide a pixel-perfect output video signal that can be used directly with a modern computer display.

Great effort has been put into making the F18A physically, electrically, and software compatible with the original 9918A VDP, so all existing software should run correctly on a system with an F18A installed.

For new software development, the F18A is programmed exactly like the 9918A, so any existing documentation, techniques, and development environments that work with the 9918A will also work with the F18A.

The F18A also provides many enhancements over the 9918A, and those features will be the focus of this documentation. Having a basic understanding of the 9918A will help understand this documentation, since there is a lot of information covered in the original datasheet and programmer’s guide (see links above) that might not be repeated here.

Features

• 80-column (T80) mode.
• Position-based attributes for T80 mode, so each tile can have its own foreground and background color.
• 64 programmable 12-bit (4096) color palette registers.
• High-speed “data port mode” for fast palette register updating.
• Three enhanced color modes (ECM) that provide 1, 2, or 3 bits-per-pixel allowing 2, 4, or 8 colors per-pixel for each tile and sprite.
• 32-sprites on a line at once (can eliminate sprite flicker if software did not implement sprite-rotation).
• Each sprite can have its own size (8x8 or 16x16), and X/Y pattern flip.
• 30-column mode that provides 32x30 tiles (same as the NES).
• Two independent tile-layers, each with their own name, color, and pattern table base addresses.
• Per-tile attributes so each tile can have its own foreground and background color, priority over sprites, X/Y pattern flip, and transparency.
• Independent horizontal and vertical pixel-scrolling for each tile layer.
• Tile page sizes of 1x1, 2x1, 1x2, and 2x2 to support edge-to-edge pixel scrolling.
• Bitmap layer with programmable size from 1x1 to 256x192 pixels, pixel locatable, 4-colors per pixel, 16-colors per pixel “fat pixel” mode, sprite priority, and palette select.
• Programmable horizontal-line interrupt.
• Programmable signed increment value for the VDP Address Register.
• Ability to read all VDP Registers.
• Programmable 46-bit decimal counter with 10ns (nanosecond) precision (can count 18.2044 hours with 10ns accuracy).
• A 100MHz TMS9900-based “GPU” processor that can execute programs in VRAM, has full access to all VDP Registers, a high-speed DMA, and dedicated pixel-plotting and address instructions.
• Virtual scan-lines for a retro CRT look.
• VGA 640x480 60Hz video output.

The original F18A, or just “F18A”, was released in 2012 and continued to be available until late 2017. In total, around 550 F18A boards were produced. The F18A was physically larger than the DIP-40 package of the TMS-9918A IC, mostly due to manufacturing limitations of the time at the production quantities of the F18A.

Because the F18A is twice as wide as the 9918A, there were problems fitting the F18A into many of the various systems in which the F18A could be used. To accommodate some of the more popular systems, two variations of PCB-pins were used: a “tall pins” and “short pins” option was offered, as well as a custom adapter board for the Coleco ADAM computer. Even with these options, the F18A was still not able to be used in many systems due to its size.

[rwest]

Great news, I just hooked mine up from batch #2 and may have a friend who would like to order one.

 

When is the deadline for this run?

 

thanks

[rwest]

Answering my own question; I checked your website and found March 7, 2023 is the date.

[OrangeKryptonite]

Any idea when we will be able to order one with the Coleco ADAM adapter. I believe the adapter shows as out of stock. Are there instructions provided for installing these?