MiSTer FPGA Forum

Does anyone know if someone is developing a FPU for the AO486 core?

Nobody is currently putting effort into that at this time. Space and timings are tight, and the amount of benefit versus effort is making it hard for developers to justify working on this rather than something else.

dshadoff wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 4:30 pm Nobody is currently putting effort into that at this time. Space and timings are tight, and the amount of benefit versus effort is making it hard for developers to justify working on this rather than something else.

I thought Sorg said there is plenty room left on the FPGA. I understand implementing a FPU takes a lot of work. Was just wondering if anyone was looking into it. The AO486 core would be done with a FPU implemented. I’m sure we’ll see something in the future.

Also hoping someone will pick up the X68000 core.

X68000 is definitely getting some attention.

H6rdc0re wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:06 pm ...
Also hoping someone will pick up the X68000 core.

See viewtopic.php?p=26448#p26448

I must have missed it. Great news. Some great games on the X68000.

TLPD-AVW wrote: ↑Wed Jun 30, 2021 8:29 pm I've been recently experimenting with games in .ATX format (accurate floppy dump with full data intact) from a romset sourced from Atari 8-bit Software Preservation Initiative. A couple of early Electronic Arts floppy releases like Archon and Pinball Construction set are marked there with "OS-B" postfix and indeed don't work on MiSTer's Atari 800 XL core. For example file "Archon (1983)(Electronic Arts)(US)[!][OS-B].atx" will display a friendly message on load.

Four full months after this post I discovered the joys of Atari Translator diskette. This disk was used back in the day to launch OS-B software on XL computers and it helped me to launch the original version of Archon on MiSTer core. To my amazement the error screen was gone. So I guess there is a workaround for 400/800 incompatibility.

The Acorn BBC core has issues with the VIDC implementation. Something with the timing for split-mode. The issue is obvious with Acornsoft Revs, a popular title bitd.

Not sure if that is a feature request though..

The ZX Spectrum core needs work in the tape support area, where disabling fast loading does not always work, and when it does you sometimes get a tape loading error.

The ZX Spectrum Next has issues saving to SD, see https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/ZXNext_MISTer/issues/6 (it was closed as a duplicate of issue #4, but issue #4 is about using an external drive, while issue #6 happens to me even with an image in the primary SD card).

The QL core could support saving microdrives.

TLPD-AVW wrote: ↑Sat Nov 06, 2021 2:24 pm Four full months after this post I discovered the joys of Atari Translator diskette. This disk was used back in the day to launch OS-B software on XL computers and it helped me to launch the original version of Archon on MiSTer core. To my amazement the error screen was gone. So I guess there is a workaround for 400/800 incompatibility.

It is odd, atari800mode is in the code already, but I'm not sure if there's any way to turn it on. 99.9% of the issues with games not running on Atari 8bit are the OS version, really. Atari800mode is mostly to activate 4 joystick ports. I'm not sure, can Mister run with 4 joysticks on any core currently?

I've added Recreated ZX keyboard support to the Spectrum core; it would be nice if that is merged but I'm not on GitHub so I can't submit a PR, any takers? The patch is in `git am` format.

viewtopic.php?p=37751#p37751

Beeper speaker for the spectrum & zxnext cores... Thru gpio?

Remembering back to when I had a BBC Micro, I always remembered a low beep before the high beep when switched on. 'Burr bip'. I never played with the Master so not sure if it had that behaviour.

alanswx wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 8:53 pm Acorn Atom
+ fixed video (15khz)

Keep the faith

Proper tape (UEF) and disc (SSD/DSD/HFE) support for the BBC Micro, MMC is a good start but not really a retro experience for the core.

Peter-FPGA wrote: ↑Mon Jan 17, 2022 6:38 pm disc (SSD/DSD/HFE) support for the BBC Micro

Cross your fingers, one of the devs is eyeballing it as we speak.

That would be nice to have indeed.

I would love to have the ability to load templates for Joy -> Key mapping on computer cores.

Today, we have to re-enter all mappings manually each time, and we must reload the core to clear them.
It's alright but it can get a bit annoying when switching games.

There were quite a few standard layouts that were used pretty widely on the Apple II and PCs (and I'm sure other systems too).

It also works nicely for games like SF2 where you could define 6 keys per player, while the joystick may not support 6 button pads.
Karateka also plays differently with keyboard or joystick (it uses one key per attack, whereas with joy it's button + direction)

Some examples:

Newsdee wrote: ↑Fri Feb 11, 2022 1:41 pm I would love to have the ability to load templates for Joy -> Key mapping on computer cores.

Today, we have to re-enter all mappings manually each time, and we must reload the core to clear them.
It's alright but it can get a bit annoying when switching games.

I agree in general, but maybe not exactly just templates. I think the answer would be permanent per-game configs. I've been meaning to make a request for it on Git for some time now.

Thing with templates is, there will always be some games which use different schemes. Eg, on Spectrum the QAOP is quite famous too, but in reality countless games have their own layouts. Same on PC, for example with flight sims and the like. With saveable configs you'd only have to set it once per game and then load it up, or maybe it could even be automatic. Some of them would double up for other games too, thus becoming "templates" as well.

akeley wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:16 pm I agree in general, but maybe not exactly just templates. I think the answer would be permanent per-game configs.

'Why not both? Load a template then apply minor tweaks, then it can be saved to match the filename of the last disk you loaded.

Ideally we xould see the current mapping in the OSD, although there isnt much room for anything too advanced.

I think saving different templates could be too much for OSD - require text input and so on - and apparently this is not a possibility: https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Main_MiSTer/issues/517

Saving just one remap sounds easier, though I don't know if it really is or not of course. Anyway, I submitted a request, you can comment there or just watch it get sorged

https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Main_MiSTer/issues/538

Support for dual mouse inputs on the Amiga (SNES supported it too, but that’s a very niche case). Lemmings and Settlers/Serf City need it for multiplayer (which MiSTer currently doesn’t support), while a few other games just supported it as an alternative to using a joystick (e.g. Hired Guns, Battle Squadron).
Doesn’t have to be two physical mice, could just be a minimig OSD option to enable emulation of two mice with joysticks when you needed it. Technically, I think the minimig core already supports it (it does on MiST and TC64), but the MiSTer framework doesn’t.

akeley wrote: ↑Sun Feb 13, 2022 2:31 pm get sorged

Well, that didn't take long...*eyeroll.gif*

akeley wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 9:16 am

akeley wrote: ↑Sun Feb 13, 2022 2:31 pm get sorged

Well, that didn't take long...*eyeroll.gif*

To be fair, per-game config is a very different case than using pre-canned templates that are only loaded
(it mostly works for ROMs or single game per disk)

Newsdee wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 11:46 am To be fair, per-game config is a very different case than using pre-canned templates that are only loaded
(it mostly works for ROMs or single game per disk)

The premade templates would be useful for some games, but you'd end up tweaking stuff over and over anyway because they wouldn't fit most of the others, so it'd be back to square one.

I don't mind being told something is impossible technically, that's fair enough. Or even that it's a very low priority request and unlikely to be ever done. But hearing that "some games were made for keyboards, get a wireless one" is a textbook definition of "getting sorged"

I suggest C64 DTV graphics modes support. It was an actual thing you could buy in a store and hack, and people wrote programs for it that are available in the wild.

arromdee wrote: ↑Fri Jul 15, 2022 1:20 am It was an actual thing you could buy in a store and hack, and people wrote programs for it that are available in the wild.

It's a shame they never made more of the DTVs. Jeri Ellsworth says she still has a huge bin with leftover chips.

Newsdee wrote: ↑Fri Jul 15, 2022 1:47 am

arromdee wrote: ↑Fri Jul 15, 2022 1:20 am It was an actual thing you could buy in a store and hack, and people wrote programs for it that are available in the wild.

It's a shame they never made more of the DTVs. Jeri Ellsworth says she still has a huge bin with leftover chips.

I still have two, one opened, the other still NIB untouched ..

H6rdc0re wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 3:51 pm Does anyone know if someone is developing a FPU for the AO486 core?

I have FPU code for add, sub, mul, div and sqrt, plus conversion, using 32 bit, ie, float, not double, and certainly not the 80 bit that would be required. My code could be extended to 80 bit, but would also need all of the extras that the 80x87 requires.

I considered working on a 486 FPU, but it's hopeless to try. It won't fit.