SiDi Next Core

[Pegaz]

Next core in action on SiDi board:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA989P0qHOw&t=446s

[PeterJ]

Above post moved from MiSTer thread by PJ.

As there are so many of these FPGA devices around it's probably worth adding that the SiDi is a low cost Mist style device available from the same developer as the N-Go.

It's no good for me as a like the 16:9 ratio (Odd I know!). It looks great value though if you are on a budget.

https://manuferhi.com/p/sidi-fpga-sin-c ... thout-case

[akeley]

70 Euro, phew. This is a good value for money, seeing as it has MiST's cores which are usually well developed.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

I see it includes USB ports for keyboard, that's something that I see ZXUNO or ZXDOS don't have (correct me If I'm wrong!). I don't think having a PS2 keyboard is so usual these days.

On the other hand, I'm missing an HDMI port. It would avoid an additional VGA to HDMI cable, for example. Is it a technical reason?

Anyway, seems an interesting gadget.

[PeterJ]

I see it includes USB ports for keyboard, that's something that I see ZXUNO or ZXDOS don't have (correct me If I'm wrong!). I don't think having a PS2 keyboard is so usual these days.

I can only speak for the ZXDOS+, you can.plug in a USB keyboard but it must support the PS/2 protocol.

It is nice to have full USB support on the SiDi.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Another question: in terms of accuracy, compatibility, etc -exclusively speaking about the ZX Spectrum- is it better ZXUNO/DOS or any other FPGA (like SIDI)? Are they the same?

[PeterJ]

Another question: in terms of accuracy, compatibility, etc -exclusively speaking about the ZX Spectrum- is it better ZXUNO/DOS or any other FPGA (like SIDI)? Are they the same?

I think this sort of stuff has been exhausted elsewhere (although not specific to the SiDi), but here goes.

99% of games will run flawlessly on all these devices. I did ask sometime back if there was a list of games that don't run completely as expected. I know others have identified a list of demos that struggle..but as many have said you get similar issues between different versions of the Spectrum. Probably because the ZX-Uno has been around the longest that will have the most compatibility. Some of the cores for this device are very precise.

It all depends if you are just wanting to play games. or if you are interested in the undocumented Z80 instructions and similar stuff. These impact a tiny number of games and some demos.

You seem to have been thinking about one of these devices for a while. None of them.are perfect. You just need to see what best suits your need and bite the bullet. Worry more about the important things like video output standards.

I may need to split or merge this topic.

[PeterJ]

[mention]Juan F. Ramirez[/mention] Sorry to throw other options in the ring, but if everything you want to play runs on Fuse without issues then buy yourself a £30 Raspberry Pi 3B+ and install RetroPie on it. You get HDMI out and can access the device over the network for copying over files. It's my new favourite solution. You also get Amiga, Atari ST, C74, Amstrad CPC and much more.

You do need some patience and time to get it all up and running.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Thanks for the info, Peter. I'm exploring some alternatives (from the N-Go to the ZXDOS, SIDI,... now that you mention, I'll also see the Raspberry, etc) and since I'm not an expert, they're too many and I have too many questions!
1
I'm sure there won't be the last question I'll make!

[PeterJ]

Good luck with your explorations [mention]Juan F. Ramirez[/mention] !

[akeley]

Thanks for the info, Peter. I'm exploring some alternatives (from the N-Go to the ZXDOS, SIDI,... now that you mention, I'll also see the Raspberry, etc) and since I'm not an expert, they're too many and I have too many questions!

The multum of options can be indeed confusing, but the differences basically boil down to:

FPGA:
+low latency (no lag) and overal snappines (boot time, etc)
+the "simulation" aspect meaning it's more representative of the real machine, contributes to the general retro "feel"
+better for CRTs and original peripherials like joysticks
-no HDMI (only on MiSTer)
-limited configuration options

RPi
+all the extras which come with emulation: save states, rewinds, more config options, etc
+frontends with fancy gfx
+native HDMI
-lag
-can be a pain to set up, messy configs
-sluggish

If you only care about the Spectrum, Sidi is probably the best option on the FPGA side. If you really want the HDMI, then it's the RPi. Although, it's worth remembering often you might be as well off with just an emulator on your PC.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

If you only care about the Spectrum, Sidi is probably the best option on the FPGA side. If you really want the HDMI, then it's the RPi. Although, it's worth remembering often you might be as well off with just an emulator on your PC.

Thanks [mention]akeley[/mention] !

The question is I don't have much time to spend in free time, so I'd rather focusing on the Spectrum (I know it'd great to have 1,000s of other sistems games/roms!!!).

On the other side, I've been playing over emulation for more than 20 years in many plattforms: DOS, Windows, Android (phone, tablet), NDS, ... apart from my old Spectrum Plus, so the idea is getting one of those FPGA devices.

[akeley]

Well, I'd go for SiDi then, it really seems the best value from all these non-MiSTer FPGA boards. You can always flog it if you don't like it

The only problem is the VGA. Unless you have a monitor/TV with this kind of input you'll need some sort of adapter and I'm not sure how well these work (might be fine, I've just never used any).

[PeterJ]

Agreed (mostly with [mention]akeley[/mention]), [mention]Juan F. Ramirez[/mention]. If you just want Spectrum then the SiDi sounds fine (but confirm how you will connect to a monitor and sound first), or if you have SCART the ZX-UNO is a good budget plug in and play too, but factor in the cost of the extension board to provide VGA, and the special SCART cable. I know that the more technical members of the forum are impressed with the core. Just remember that it's a Spectrum first device, and the other cores are considered a nice to have, but many have not been updated for some time and are not perfect. For Spectrum only though it's a bargain.

[clebin]

Also agreed on the SiDi. I just saw you get a cased one for €79. That's a bargain, especially with the Next core.

You may never use the other cores, but it's nice to have the option. You'll probably find they're so dead easy to set up that there's no reason not to. Just copy a couple of files to the SD card and off you go...

[Alone Coder]

If you only care about the Spectrum, Sidi is probably the best option on the FPGA side.

Is it compatible with ATM-Turbo 2 software, that is over 500 titles?

[PeterJ]

If you only care about the Spectrum, Sidi is probably the best option on the FPGA side.

Is it compatible with ATM-Turbo 2 software, that is over 500 titles?

Sadly very few emulators are (as I'm sure you know). By Spectrum we would be meaning the original Spectrum and Amstrad models. I would love to see the ATM more popular outside of Russia.

It does support the Pentagon models.
https://github.com/ManuFerHi/SiDi-FPGA/ ... 20Spectrum

[lister_of_smeg]

I would love to see the ATM more popular outside of Russia.

Maybe we could start a rumour that it actually does dispense bank notes.

[akeley]

Is it compatible with ATM-Turbo 2 software, that is over 500 titles?

Seems a significant update from last September

Are there plans to include ATM-Turbo support? There are around 100 demos and around 50 games for it

Seriously though, it's like Peter said, I usually think about original Spectrums first and foremost. And I don't think ATM is available on any FPGA?

I know ZX Uno has quite a few different Spectrum versions, including some clones. Not sure about SiDi? So maybe in that respect Uno is better for somebody who is only interested in Spectrum. (I think SiDs other cores are in better shape though than Uno's). There is also one Uno version which is designed to fit in the original 48Kb case.

Phew. Yeah, option are good, but sometimes it's a right ol' headache to unttangle them, especially in the area as poorly documented as the FPGA boards.

[Alone Coder]

Is it compatible with ATM-Turbo 2 software, that is over 500 titles?

Seems a significant update from last September

Are there plans to include ATM-Turbo support? There are around 100 demos and around 50 games for it

I'm constantly updating the list. Now it's online: http://alonecoder.nedopc.com/zx/atmsoft.txt
A lot of software has been found (including CP/M demos and COVOX releases), and new software has been made (see further in that thread).

Seriously though, it's like Peter said, I usually think about original Spectrums first and foremost. And I don't think ATM is available on any FPGA?

ZX Evo and Pentagon 2.666LE both emulate ATM-Turbo 2+ with ATM3 memory extension. ZX Evo core is open source in Verilog, Pentagon 2.666LE core is written in VHDL, but closed source, but I can send you the lines concerning ATM support.

[akeley]

So ATM is available on ZX Evo core, but ZX Evo is also TS Conf?

I have TS Conf in MiSTer...need to have a look...

[Pegaz]

So ATM is available on ZX Evo core, but ZX Evo is also TS Conf?

I have TS Conf in MiSTer...need to have a look...

Yes, this came to my mind too.
Since Mister has a ts-conf core, then it should also run ATM 2 exclusive titles... or not ?

[azesmbog]

Everything is much worse than you think.
TS-conf and Base-conf (ATM) - heaven and earth.
What works in TS-conf does not work in Base Conf and, accordingly, vice versa.
We need to write a new core for base-conf, only Sorgelig can do it, but he flatly refuses, he says that those 5 programs with ATM are not worth his efforts )
Well, maybe someday I'll persuade him.
I would like to have a base-conf core, but I have no one to help, and LVD will certainly refuse to help))
That's all you need to know about the Clone Wars
p.s. And yes, my personal opinion is that TS-conf is much better than the notorious Next.
And in games, and in demos, and in sound.
И.М.Х.О.

[Alone Coder]

TS-Conf is a separate FPGA only platform with even less software than for Spec256, V6Z80P, ULAX, and ZX Next. However, VBI (TS-conf author's close friend) has ported several ATM-Turbo's games to it and advertized the platform everywhere.
ATM-Turbo 2+ is just an over-engineered Pentagon, and its support adds only about 200 VHDL lines to Pentagon 1024 support (so it was in KOE's code).
These are two quite distinct topics, only partially crossing, because of being emulated in the same ZX Evo board.
ZX Evo authors (I know them personally) only support baseconf (Pentagon 1024 + ATM2+(3) + 48K timings + 128K timings + ULAplus).

[akeley]

Hah...it's never easy, eh?

Well, there were a few instances already when Sorgelig first said something along the lines of "will never happen, what's the point" and then some time later poof!....the thing appears. Like exoDOS, for example. There are other cores which don't even have 5 programs, so, hopefully one day...

Do you guys have a link to some ATM games/collection I could try on my TS-Conf?