6 replies to this topic

[Pixelboy]

Hello all.

I know next to nothing about electronics, so please forgive me if I sound like a total noob: When a homebrew author makes a console game and wants to test his game on the real hardware, he has to transfer the ROM file to a PCB, right?. Are such PCBs rewritable? If so, what kind of support hardware does one need to transfer ROM files, and where does one buy PCBs 100% compatible with the ColecoVision? Is all this stuff expensive?

Thanks in advance for any info.

[panamajoe]

Pixelboy, on Fri Feb 3, 2006 1:20 PM, said:

Hello all. 

When a homebrew author makes a console game and wants to test his game on the real hardware, he has to transfer the ROM file to a PCB, right?. Are such PCBs rewritable? If so, what kind of support hardware does one need to transfer ROM files, and where does one buy PCBs 100% compatible with the ColecoVision? Is all this stuff expensive?

well you transfer the Rom file to an EPROM (an erasable and programmable chip) and then you put this EPROM into an PCB like these: http://www.atariage....php?cPath=41_71
to program the Eprom you´ll need an EPROM-BURNER of course (they´ll cost you 60$+...)

[Bruce Tomlin]

Yep, that's basically it.

Though some of us lucky ones have an In-Circuit Emulator (ICE). That's lucky as in even having the chance to buy one. At the very least they let you do single step and breakpoints. I have one which can overlay any and all 4K blocks in the Z80 address space with RAM, and which can be write-protected from Z80 accesses. So while I have to upload stuff as Intel Hex files at 9600 baud, which is a tad slow but faster than erasing an EPROM, I can even load custom BIOS ROM code if I set the switches right. The only down side is that I can't bank switch the RAM overlay.

[FujiSkunk]

Isn't classics working on a USB flash cart for the ColecoVision?

[Pixelboy]

panamajoe, on Fri Feb 3, 2006 8:12 AM, said:

well you transfer the Rom file to an EPROM (an erasable and programmable chip) and then you put this EPROM into an PCB like these: http://www.atariage....php?cPath=41_71
to program the Eprom you´ll need an EPROM-BURNER of course (they´ll cost you 60$+...)

So I'm guessing you just unplug the EPROM from the PCB and plug it in the burner when you want to reprogram it, right? Sounds easy enough, although I think the term "burner" is somewhat misleading for uninitiated guys like me. It sounds like a write-once device.

And what's this I see in the AtariAge store about PCB boards with "sockets"? What is this "socket" used for?

[panamajoe]

[/quote]
So I'm guessing you just unplug the EPROM from the PCB and plug it in the burner when you want to reprogram it, right? Sounds easy enough, although I think the term "burner" is somewhat misleading for uninitiated guys like me. It sounds like a write-once device.

And what's this I see in the AtariAge store about PCB boards with "sockets"? What is this "socket" used for?
[right][/right]
[/quote]

not quite, if you want to reprogram an EPROM you have to unplug it from the PCB, put it into an UV-Device that will erase it, and then you can put it into the burner again...

You can use socketed PCB-devices if you want to be able to remove your programed EPROM from the PCB, otherwise you have to solder it to the PCB - making it quite difficult to be removed, erased and reprogramed.

[Pixelboy]

panamajoe, on Sun Feb 5, 2006 8:53 AM, said:

not quite, if you want to reprogram an EPROM you have to unplug it from the PCB, put it into an UV-Device that will erase it, and then you can put it into the burner again...

You can use socketed PCB-devices if you want to be able to remove your programed EPROM from the PCB, otherwise you have to solder it to the PCB - making it quite difficult to be removed, erased and reprogramed.

Thanks a lot for the info. I'll go to bed a little less stupid tonight.