Thinking about STMUzebox

Discuss anything not related to the current Uzebox design like successors and other open source gaming hardware
WAHa.06x36
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2012 6:11 pm

Re: Thinking about STMUzebox

Post by WAHa.06x36 »

makapuf wrote:Excellent demo, UP !

I like it - code, music, GFX : nice ! Concerning source, what is the license of the provided code ?

Besides, what is the specific difference you did to the video generation to improve its stability ? I think you enabled the DMA FIFO which was not enabled before IIRC ; what other phenomenons were issuing jitter / impeding image stability ?
Code is just public domain, except maybe the fonts that have some kind of license and the graphics because I haven't asked Forcer about it yet.

The better VGA does two things: First, it uses the PWM generation capabilities of the timers to produce the hsync signal, instead of doing it in software from an interrupt. Second, it uses timer chaining to set up the timer for the DMA ahead of time, but with the clock gated. Then the hsync timer generates a signal which starts the DMA clock at a precise time.
Dirt.Diver
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:50 am

Re: Thinking about STMUzebox

Post by Dirt.Diver »

I came across this article about the music in the demo.

Programming the music to “Jupiter and Beyond”
http://coda.s3m.us/2013/03/31/programmi ... nd-beyond/

Is there a hg repo for the latest work. I am going through the original demos revisions and using that to learn through your code the basics.

thanks
WAHa.06x36
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2012 6:11 pm

Re: Thinking about STMUzebox

Post by WAHa.06x36 »

There's no repository for the demo, since it's just mostly a mess anyway, but there is a dump of the source code. Check the pouet link.
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Matej
Posts: 44
Joined: Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:36 pm

Re: Thinking about STMUzebox

Post by Matej »

Hello WAH.
Nice demo. Reminds me my ATARI ST but it is better in graphics.
Can be possible to make "demoshield" for STM32 DISCOVERY F4
(something like arduino shield).
Simply people wil plug in "demoshield" and enjoy stuff...

- 1 x VIDEO OUT (VGA)
- 2 x STEREO CINCH (AUDIO OUT - like on AMIGA)
- 1 x SD-CARD (loading stuff)

And is possible to write driver for USB /gamepad/???
F4 got USB...

And maybe it can be nice platform for games like UZEBOX...

Matej
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makapuf
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Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2012 11:55 pm

Re: Thinking about STMUzebox

Post by makapuf »

Hi all,

just a quick reply on the preceding comment, cause I did almost exactly something resembling that for the last few months thanks to this very thread on this very forum : I bit the bullet and prototyped a simple console based on stm32f4, with some (prototype !) game engine software to ease game development.

Quick specs of the hand-soldered proto : (not everything is final - well practically nothing , this is the first pcb rev.)

- stm32f4 based+few components (resistors, power, plugs)
- DMA VGA out, 12 bits 4096 colors with DMA (currently hesitating to up that to 15bits).
- software tile-based renderer at 640x480 (scanline), no hard limits on sprites besides ~ 5000 cycles to render each line ;)

- mini-din (aka ps2) connector to connect either a keyboard (not tested) or a SNES controller (tested) ! (snes connectors are big, difficult to find, incompatible
with anything. Easier to rip the male connector and replace it with mini din!)
- mini usb on the right (used for power as well as possible connexion / DFU firmware loading from USB (to be tested))
- mini jack out with lowpass filtering from stm32 DAC (mono, to be tested)
- microSD card reader (stm32f4 SDIO, not tested)

currently developing in C on linux, gcc+summon arm toolkit.

please read it more about it here : http://bitboxconsole.blogspot.fr/

The pcb is shown , but i'll provide the schematics + sample code /tuts when the thing is more stable / code is less of a mess. I'll try to keep the blog updated.

What do you guys think ?

-- makapuf
WAHa.06x36
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2012 6:11 pm

Re: Thinking about STMUzebox

Post by WAHa.06x36 »

Make sure to check out the updated VGA code for some tricks to get better timing.

(Hopefully you're using the same pins for sync as me, otherwise you will have to hope some other timer can drive the pins you are using.)
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makapuf
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Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2012 11:55 pm

Re: Thinking about STMUzebox

Post by makapuf »

Yup, I will definitely check the new driving logic (once I stabilize a bit the current version), very interesting.

However, I had to change VGA pins / sync ports. I will check whether it's drivable by timers (or if I need to change timer). I use PC10/11 which by the datasheet don't seem to be drivable by a timer :cry: I could however change it for a next version !

makapuf
antibyte
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 10:36 pm

Re: Thinking about STMUzebox

Post by antibyte »

New STM32F4 Discovery with 8MB external RAM and LCD !
24$

http://www.st.com/web/catalog/tools/FM1 ... 2/PF259090
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makapuf
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Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2012 11:55 pm

Re: Thinking about STMUzebox

Post by makapuf »

some news from the bitbox stm32 prototype console (based on stm32f4) : prototype advanced, a running preview of a game.

see blog post at http://bitboxconsole.blogspot.fr/2013/0 ... -news.html for screenshots (I'll try to post a video).

There are photos of the prototype & screenshots, (I don't want to post big images on this forum and I don't know how to link to screenshots here.)

[edit] here is the post about the game, with a video : http://bitboxconsole.blogspot.fr/2013/0 ... -jump.html
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Matej
Posts: 44
Joined: Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:36 pm

Re: Thinking about STMUzebox

Post by Matej »

Ahh this is nice. How much cost such Bitbox board? Can I use C for games? Can I use MOD and PNG for graphics?
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