Uzenet adapter V2

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uze6666
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Uzenet adapter V2

Post by uze6666 »

Following a discussions with Danboid about the either/or usage of the Uzenet interface vs the MIDI interface, it made me recall that a standalone module version was made for it. And it appears it never got officially published. :?

It's a little module that you plug in any revsion of the Uzebox PCBs extension header (as long as the Uzenet is not directly populated on the board) and it instantly gives you the WiFi and SPI RAM ram extension. Also perfect for those like Dan who'd like to leave the UART lines free at times. I've packed up the files and updated the BOM. I don't recall though if, when plugged in, it fits within the official enclosure. I'll have to check that out. See the Uzebox site Download page for all the files.

Btw, I bought enough parts and pcbs back then to build around a dozen of them. Still have them lying around so, I can make kits for USD10$ plus the price of shipping. Send me a PM if interested!
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Artcfox
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Re: Uzenet adapter V2

Post by Artcfox »

Oh wow! That does seem like the perfect way to do it, so you can swap it out for another expansion at a different time. PM sent!
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danboid
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Re: Uzenet adapter V2

Post by danboid »

I built my Uzenet adapter last night. I was going to get my friend to solder it but I managed to do it. Its not as tricky as the AD725 like I thought.

The bad news is that the 3D printed case doesn't fit when the Uzenet adapter is attached. I like my case so I'll be leaving it off.

When it was attached I tried UzeboxUI which loaded but the apps menu was empty and I think a few other things were missing too so maybe I have a problem with my Uzenet adapter?

How are we supposed to configure the wifi of the ESP? It seems there isn't a Uzebox app for this and nor can I find a guide for it on the wiki. I don't think I'll actually be using my Uzenet adapter but I'm still interested in how its supposed to be configured.

I think Tank Fu is the only game that uses Uzenet currently right? Does it actually work? Has anyone tried multiplayer Uzenet Tank Fu recently?
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ry755
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Re: Uzenet adapter V2

Post by ry755 »

danboid wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 8:36 am When it was attached I tried UzeboxUI which loaded but the apps menu was empty and I think a few other things were missing too so maybe I have a problem with my Uzenet adapter?
Did you copy the uzeboxui.txt file to the SD card? Also try clicking the About option in the menu, if a window opens up and looks correct then the SPI RAM part of your Uzenet adapter is fine.
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D3thAdd3r
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Re: Uzenet adapter V2

Post by D3thAdd3r »

danboid wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 8:36 am The bad news is that the 3D printed case doesn't fit when the Uzenet adapter is attached. I like my case so I'll be leaving it off.
Maybe dimensions are different on yours, but the expansion should fit under the case. If you used a DIP socket on SPI RAM you could just get rid of that.
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danboid
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Re: Uzenet adapter V2

Post by danboid »

ry755 wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 9:20 am
danboid wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 8:36 am When it was attached I tried UzeboxUI which loaded but the apps menu was empty and I think a few other things were missing too so maybe I have a problem with my Uzenet adapter?
Did you copy the uzeboxui.txt file to the SD card? Also try clicking the About option in the menu, if a window opens up and looks correct then the SPI RAM part of your Uzenet adapter is fine.
uzeboxui.txt is in the root of my SD card. If I open the 'About' window its black with 3 rows of f's at the bottom.
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danboid
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Re: Uzenet adapter V2

Post by danboid »

D3thAdd3r wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 5:30 pm
danboid wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 8:36 am The bad news is that the 3D printed case doesn't fit when the Uzenet adapter is attached. I like my case so I'll be leaving it off.
Maybe dimensions are different on yours, but the expansion should fit under the case. If you used a DIP socket on SPI RAM you could just get rid of that.
Maybe I've got a bigger connector or header (oh err) or maybe a thicker Uzebox PCB than you but I've done a visual check with my case and even if I removed the DIP and soldered the other components as near to the Uzenet PCB as I can, it'd still be too tall to fit in the case.
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danboid
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Re: Uzenet adapter V2

Post by danboid »

I've got UzeboxUI working! Check me out windowing with the greats!

Uze had included 2 SPI chips so I swapped it for the spare and now the Apps show up and the About menu option works too.
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danboid
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Re: Uzenet adapter V2

Post by danboid »

There appears to be a slot for the SPI RAM chip on the Uzebox mobo. Is the SPI RAM any faster when its soldered directly to the Uzebox board instead of being on the Uzenet adapter?
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D3thAdd3r
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Re: Uzenet adapter V2

Post by D3thAdd3r »

Very nice 8-)

UzeboxUI is pretty sweet, I was just thinking it could be a good way to setup the ESP8266. Primarily there isn't a defined standard I'm aware of, but IMO it makes sense to choose an official FW we all like, and make the saved default baud rate at 4800. This would allow any game to reset it, and know what baud to talk at(a speed so low that the smallest of UART buffers could handle it). Then from that known starting point, change it to the game specific baud(and change on Uzebox side too). To me, that would be an ESP8266 "configured".

Tank Fu should work as long as you have a compatible firmware. What FW rhat is...no idea :lol:

SPI RAM is a digital device, so it should either work full or not at all. There might be some small grey area(bad connections) where analog effects might cause it to work sporadically, but not really slower, just wrong.
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