ACSI2STM

[Jfcatari]

I have not run into any cards that don't work.

I am using gigastone cards in my recent builds.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N78MVFY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Edited June 20, 2023 by Jfcatari

[ChrisXF]

Yeah, I figured if it was picky about cards I'd see a lot more forum posts on the subject. Damn, something else then!

[ojanhk]

Just to make sure: you’re using slot for SD0, not the others? On this slot, the 3 rightmost pins seems a bit too close, but it might be the picture quality. 

[Jfcatari]

On 6/18/2023 at 3:24 PM, Jfcatari said:

I messed up on the second run (wrong size on a pin header), this is what the final board should look like.   Please PM me if you would be interested in this board.  I will be open sourcing the final board.

 

The board has been working fine with the 4.0 firmware from  https://github.com/retro16/acsi2st both acsi (using hd images) and GEMdos.

 

 

I also altered the above to be used with the Ultra-Satan IDC to ST cable.

 

 

I just got both updated boards in from JLBPCB, once tested, I will have the designs published as open source hardware.

I might offer them as kits or prebuilt units.

 

[ChrisXF]

On 6/20/2023 at 2:18 PM, ojanhk said:

Just to make sure: you’re using slot for SD0, not the others? On this slot, the 3 rightmost pins seems a bit too close, but it might be the picture quality. 

Tried em all, individually and in groups. Yeah, that's a bad angle / flash on the shot, none of the pins are shorting out

[Jfcatari]

2 hours ago, ChrisXF said:

Tried em all, individually and in groups. Yeah, that's a bad angle / flash on the shot, none of the pins are shorting out

Can you post images of the front and back of one of your boards that is not working?

 

Silly question, do you know if the DMA port on the ST is good?

[Jfcatari]

Here is a repo for an alternate design for the ACSI2STM hardware.  The hardware is based on designed from https://github.com/retro16/acsi2stm but uses it's software.

 

The repo includes a db19 and an IDC20 (Ultrasatan stlye) board;

 

https://github.com/jfceklosky/acsi2stm-alt-hardware

[snarkdluG]

8 hours ago, Jfcatari said:

The repo includes a db19 and an IDC20 (Ultrasatan stlye) board;

 

Overall very nice work!

 

I also did some small PCB some time ago. I didn't do a github on them though. UltraSatan compatible as yours. They can be found here.

[Jfcatari]

7 hours ago, snarkdluG said:

 

Overall very nice work!

 

I also did some small PCB some time ago. I didn't do a github on them though. UltraSatan compatible as yours. They can be found here.

I do like your compact version of the db19.  I use the same trick cutting down the db25 that I have seen others use.

 

Someone working on a printable db-19

 

https://68kmla.org/bb/index.php?threads/3d-printing-the-notorious-db19.43603/

Edited July 18, 2023 by Jfcatari

[snarkdluG]

4 hours ago, Jfcatari said:

...

Someone working on a printable db-19

https://68kmla.org/bb/index.php?threads/3d-printing-the-notorious-db19.43603/

Ooh. I had not seen that one. Neat. Always great to see that people make stuff.

[ChrisXF]

Right sitrep: I was kindly sent another version of this project, pre-built by masteries. It works perfectly!

 

I had a look over the design of his version and it has a few subtle differences from the open source variant: like properly matched pull up resistors for the SD card which also has its own vreg.

 

So far it works with every single SD card I've sent its way, and it was sent to me with proper documentation and no guesswork required.

 

The version I built I went over with a fine tooth comb and eventually concluded it wasn't worth my time trying to get it to fly right. Could have been a faulty blue pill, a bad PCB, or the design is just trash, I don't know. 🤷

 

I think the open source version is very much like the ST itself: maybe works... sort of, but precariously balanced at the very edge of works/doesn't.

 

Anyways, I've got the ST on the go now and playing a few of the old games I remember. 😄 My luck of course, bombjack isn't one that's included on the complication for SD that I got, damn, lol

[Jfcatari]

Glad to hear that you have a working solution now!

 

I have had no issues so far with the versions I built with any SD cards that I have tried.  The STM32 can always be tricky

I have tested both of these and they do work fine:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B3X4BH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VKSVM21/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[ChrisXF]

If I was super interested in investing the time I'd take the blue pill from the working card and graft it onto the not working card and see if it worked then.

 

I think the most likely problem area is that blue pill. With so many knock offs floating around who knows maybe I got a dud even though it passes diagnostics and seems to work?

 

To be honest that whole 'pill' ecosystem does itself no favours: so many variants, so much nonsense online, confusing and contradictory ways to program the thing, procedures that need specific variants of the support software to work but that's not mentioned, etc etc

 

Of course that could all be a 'me' problem rather than an actual problem 🤣🤣

[TGB1718]

21 hours ago, ChrisXF said:

With so many knock offs floating around who knows maybe I got a dud even though it passes diagnostics and seems to work?

I downloaded the STM32CubeIDE just to see if I could compile the code on that, what this IDE does is compile the code

and upload the the compiled code to the STM32 via an STLink which you have to connect while using it.

 

I tried the obvious simple "blink" example and found several of the boards I have would not upload, the IDE checked the CPU model

before uploading and will not upload if it doesn't recognise a known CPU.

 

So I recently purchased a couple of guaranteed genuine STM32's and they programmed perfectly.

 

The IDE is quite complex and unfortunately the way the code it written for this device, it will not compile using

the IDE, but at least I know which of my boards are "Fake"

 

[Jfcatari]

On 8/4/2023 at 7:50 AM, ChrisXF said:

If I was super interested in investing the time I'd take the blue pill from the working card and graft it onto the not working card and see if it worked then.

 

I think the most likely problem area is that blue pill. With so many knock offs floating around who knows maybe I got a dud even though it passes diagnostics and seems to work?

 

To be honest that whole 'pill' ecosystem does itself no favours: so many variants, so much nonsense online, confusing and contradictory ways to program the thing, procedures that need specific variants of the support software to work but that's not mentioned, etc etc

 

Of course that could all be a 'me' problem rather than an actual problem 🤣🤣

Repeating...sorry

 

I have build acsi2stm's using both of these with no issues:
 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B3X4BH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VKSVM21/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by Jfcatari

[jacek.jakubowski77]

i see on picture JP0 and JP1 is not solder .

[ChrisXF]

That's true, but jp0 doesn't need to be populated: slot 0 is enabled by default, the jumper just controls the lock switch.

 

That said, I did actually try all slots with almost all combination of jumpers set and no dice, sadly.

 

I think the design is almost perfect for the ST: everything is marginal and it's just your luck if it works. 😂