Date : Sat, 04 Mar 2006 22:10:46 +0000
From : mogwai <fragula@...>
Subject: Re: Warning: Sad case on list!
Hi Dave!
>> Hehehehe, another Beeb nut works its way out of the woodwork.
Literally.. Fresh from the attic!
>> I can't see why the 32016 SP on eBay would be duff,
Its too late.. I'm going for it. Sick puppy that i am.. :-/
>> the hardware is almost bullet proof.
Err.. that's a big almost. I can't actually find a quote, but "delicate"
and "flakey" are words that spring to mind.. However they may be
undeserved, I do know they run hot. Very hot! I've had blisters as proof.
>> Although spares are going to be difficult,
Indeed.. Well I have a few RAMs kicking around (If I canniballise(fourth
attempt at spelling that right, i give up) the (tragically complete)
Guts-Of-Vax (no chassis/case, squeaky hard disk.) I have kicking around
in the attic. (yes, very full attic) Processors are probably impossible.
>> I've seen the Math Co-Pro chip on its own going for $100.
Strewth! (from the bloke who paid nearly £100 for an 8271 many years ago.!)
>> The big 4Mb board on eBay recently would be fun since it runs at a
decent clock speed,
It would have, I hovered over the button, but I figured it would be
better to let that go to someone who had a sick ACW443 in need, rather
than to push the price up, then have to provide casing, power etc. for
it. The Wedge is probably more my style, as I prefer B's to M128s, or
for that matter ACWs.
>> Mind you, I'm not convinced by the 32016 as a CPU,
Same here. Its not known for scintillating, or for that matter, even
decent, performance. Sophie Wilson made some interesting comments about
it too. Unfortunately I took it the right way (probably not the way that
it was intended) and that convinced me.
The comment was something along the lines of the 32016 being a big
influence on the ARM design. It demostrated clearely how NOT to do it!
But it would however be interesting to play with, and to learn that
lesson (I'm somebody with delusions of one day making my own processor)
from bitter first hand experience - the hard way.
If I want to bust numbers, I'll use the AMD box here, or SSH into a Cray
or Origin box. (I'm a massive fan of Cray architecture too, now THAT
would make a nice second processor, though the cooling system would ruin
the clean lines of the cheese wedge ;-)
>> it produces a hell of a lot of heat. The Ford Torino of Second
Processors,
>> everyone wants one no matter its real world performance.
Exactly.. My last car was a Bond Bug, the next will probably be a "sit
up and beg" Ford Pop. (which will be my second SUAB, and third Pop, the
first being a 100E, "LKG817", the methane powered gold Metalflake<TM>
one with a faux vinyl roof, fake bulletholes on the windows and flame
transfers down the side. Many Tens of Thousands of miles of trouble-free
motoring, and that's just between oil changes!
>> In theory (I believe) if we could extract the BIOS ROM from the
>> 6502/Z80/32016/80186/80286/68000 2nd Processors
Easy Peasy.
>> we could use a C/C++
>> emulation library for the corresponding processor and implement the Tube
>> interface and then run it on Sprow's ARM 2nd Processor. I just wish
it had
>> some more RAM, 64Mb would be nice, although not essential.
I have a feeling thats already happening someplace.
That's one of the things thats decided me Beeb vs. Linux/x86 Its /so/
easy (in principle) to (get someone to) port things (i.e. systems/apps)
to the Tube. There's virtually no BIOS to write, and no drivers - other
than the ONE for the Tube interface itself. (I'm thinking of something
like Embedded Linux, or FreeDOS (lots of which was, unfortunately, 386
code, the last time I looked. ) using the 80186 "Dos+" XIOS Layer as an
example - all the driver work is done on the 6502 side already.)
Of course, to make anything meaningfull happen, on a "hour here and
there2 basis. you need a critical mass of people.
>> Sounds like a fun project, haven't written any ARM assembler for over 18
>> years.
I've never written ARM.. I read all the blurb in The Micro User way back
when, was totally impressed, and waited for the price of the A440 to
get reaonsble, and waited, and waited and.. Well in 2000 one of my
friends neigbours threw a Arc out on top of the bin. That's the one I
have now. its in the attic at the mo.
>> Anyway, welcome to the list.
Thanks Dave!
Cheers!
M.