On Jun 2, 2016 1:41 PM, "Mike Stein" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Yes, the option ROM presents some different challenges which I'll leave
you with. A pity that we can't get those funky flexible ROMBO adapters any
longer...
I think the 28C256 SOIC board is essentially the same as ROMBO/MOMBO. Adam
("FigTroniX") made it from me showing him pictures of the ROMBO/MOMBO.
Ideally I'd like to get a removable eeprom option working, and get onto a
package that will be more readily available longer than soic, but until
then the soic board works and you can still buy new soic 28c256 from Mouser
at least today.
> ====
> As for the option to load an option rom on the same chip as the main rom
and bury it inside the case, and render the option rom socket unusable;
That option is interesting and cool in the abstract, but nothing I would
want to do.
>
> I want to be able to snap in actual old roms, and play with loading
different ones from images, and eventually maybe even hack on them.
> ----
> As I said, here's where we have different goals and perspectives; No
problem, just don't use the option and only use it to fix Y2K etc., and
plug whatever you like into the Option socket.
I love that that option exists, even if I'm not using it atm. It's great!
> For tinkering with the ROM images I'd rather use a REX or finish the
M100ROM design with RAM (that's how option ROMs were usually created and
debugged); IIRC both solutions also give you extra system RAM and also (at
least in the case of REX) let you tinker with the *system* ROM image in RAM
. No fiddling with removing and inserting different option ROM
adapters/chips at all!
I agree about rex. I'd love one. However:
* I can neither buy nor make my own rex today. (or can I?)
* Nor can I safely predict that anyone else could a few years from now.
Unless that changes, I don't care to spend time and energy figuring out
cool stuff that depends on it.
* rex is incompatible with every 2nd thing I want to play with, so even if
I had a rex, I would still have to remove it half the time, and so there
remains a need for a self programmable rom that works like the original rom
and isn't incompatible with anything.
> Anyway, good luck and have fun, but I'd appreciate if you could clarify
for me the difference between soldering your adapter to the system board
with a socket for the EPROM vs. doing the same thing with the M100ROM?
There is no functional difference on that one aspect by itself.
Ideally I want to keep working on this to get to where you don't have to
desolder the original socket. It's just like that now because I had to
choose one or the other.
Mostly, it's not a contest, and it doesn't matter how cool one thing is,
other people still get to make other things.
--
bkw
