Date   : Wed, 27 Jul 2005 10:01:41 +0200
From   : "Eelco Huininga" <eelco@...>
Subject: Re: ARM copros, speech cartridges, real time clocks,etc

 

> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
> Van: Majordomo List Manager [mailto:majordomo@...] 
> Namens Johan Heuseveldt
> Verzonden: dinsdag 26 juli 2005 17:59
> Aan: bbc-micro@...
> Onderwerp: RE: [BBC-Micro] ARM copros, speech cartridges, 
> real time clocks,etc
> 
> Hi Eelco,
> 
> On Tue 26 Jul, Eelco Huininga wrote:
> 
> > > Actually, it'd be nice if someone was looking at ULA replacements for
> > > the Acorn machines anyway - all the other parts can still be sourced
> > > pretty easily, but it's presumably reasonably difficult to find a ULA
> > > (particularly wihtout destroying another machine in the process)
> > 
> > I think the most reasonable solution would be to program a FPGA to act
as
> > an Tube/Serial/Video ULA.
> 
> There's a misconception here.

Indeed! :-)

> Serial and Video ULA's belong to the Beeb as system properties. The
> Tube ULA belongs to the CoPro, for which the host-side is seen by the
> Beeb.

[snip]

Yes, you're right, but I'm not talking perticulary about the Tube ULA. If
you'd want to replace one of Acorn custom designed ULA's you'd have to go
with the FPGA approach IMHO. ULA's are getting scarce, and if you're going
to design your own second processor hardware, you'd have to come up with
either a recycled Tube ULA (which means, as Jules pointed out, destroying
another piece of hardware) or a custom designed chip of your own. The same
goes for replacing the Serial or Video ULA, so that's why I brought them up.
Not because I thought the Tube ULA was part of the Beeb's hardware :-)

Cheers,
Eelco