When I get a chance, going to try following the tutorial and make some if I can. Or perhaps save me buying a programmer, order the chips and send them to whom ever has a programmer. Then I can just deal with putting them together.
Will be great to see if we can knock a few PCBs out for the club. Btw in regard to the website, maybe we should put a couple of us down as a point of contact? That way the pressure isn't on just one person. I'm not a M100 savvy programmer wizz kid, but I'm certainly a user and happy to help when / where I can. James On 20 Sep 2017 6:34 p.m., "Jerry Stoner" <[email protected]> wrote: > Hey all, first time posting here... > > OSH Park does support castellation: > > http://docs.oshpark.com/tips+tricks/castellation/ > > Jerry > > On 20 September 2017 at 07:22, Brian Brindle <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I just got three boards from OSH Park and have all the parts. The WiKi >> was awesome taking care of the hardest bit of sourcing all the parts. Other >> than that it doesn't look like too awful of a job. I'd be happy to take >> some photos during the construction to add to the cause. >> >> I have a few ideas on some programming jigs and reflowing the boards but >> I hadn't really considered making more than a few. If it goes well maybe >> I'll make a couple of runs. I've had a really bad experience in the past >> making RS232 Boards for the C64 that started out fun and turned into a >> nightmare quickly though so not really that ambitious about being a >> "supplier". I have the utmost respect for all the guys in this group who >> have built these projects and distributed them. But maybe the documentation >> will help make them more prolific. >> >> Brian - KW4KB >> >> >> >> >> On Sep 20, 2017 5:55 AM, "Brian White" <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Thank you for spotting that. I have found it and uploaded a copy to the >>> linked google drive folder. >>> >>> Just for the record, it was still there in the form of the reference >>> links to the original files from Steven's upload folder on club100 and the >>> rex page on bitchin100. >>> So, the "sources and support files" link on the bottom under >>> "references" had it. >>> >>> Yes, that is exactly my aim was to take the raw data from Steven and >>> digest it some more. Like looking at the eaglecad files to deduce some >>> things that aren't otherwise documented or explained explicitly. Figure out >>> what is the minimum software required and the minimum hardware required to >>> program the cpld. If you just google normally, you might think you need a >>> $250 programmer, when you only need a $25 one. >>> I'm trying to make a recipe that can be followed, so that "build your >>> own" does NOT translate as "figure it out". >>> >>> It IS still a pretty ambitious build even with full hand-holding. I had >>> done a few FigTronix boards before trying the rex, and maybe that was the >>> perfect ramp-up/practice project. Simpler easier soldering, simpler easier >>> programming. >>> >>> There is a lot of more improving to do still. >>> >>> I could use some more pictures to go with some of the directions. >>> >>> I could also separate out the few files that are actually used, and >>> retain everything else separately off to the side as reference. I could >>> expand the directions for bootstrapping dlplus & teeny, and add >>> Windows-based directions since everything I have now is just linux based. >>> >>> I need to write something clearer about the roms too. There are a few >>> different places to get copies of various roms, but for rex, I think you >>> want to use specifically the ones in the roms.zip that Steven put on the >>> rex documentation on bitchin100. But there are a few others. For one thing, >>> roms.zip includes mforth, but now there is a newer version of mforth than >>> the one in roms.zip, and I've dumped a couple roms myself that I haven't >>> seen anywhere else. (Disk+2.0 and OWL) >>> >>> I think there must also be some work-alike flash memory chips available >>> from DigiKey that could be added to the digikey cart so you can get >>> everything at once instead of having to do that annoying special order from >>> Verical. >>> >>> But, as you say, it was a lot to get it this far, so I figured get what >>> I had up there in any fashion, and then improve it over time. And being >>> that it's a wiki, it would be easy enough to improve a little here & there >>> over time, or someone else could. >>> >>> -- >>> bkw >>> >>> On Wed, Sep 20, 2017 at 4:04 AM, Jim Anderson <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> > -----Original Message----- >>>> > >>>> > Steven has published the files and info needed to make them yourself. >>>> I >>>> > have proven that nothing was missing by doing it and making a few, and >>>> > writing up the steps, parts, and tools, and filling in some details >>>> into >>>> > a more explicit recipe that more people should be able to follow, and >>>> > put that on a wiki so that anyone else can improve the recipe even >>>> > further. >>>> > >>>> > If you want to buy a rex, instead of build one for yourself, first you >>>> > have to find someone who wants to build them for you. They need to be >>>> > able to follow this: >>>> > >>>> > http://tandy.wiki/REX >>>> >>>> When I saw this I have to admit I initially had the same letdown >>>> reaction I've had in the past when I've asked about REX and been told 'go >>>> build your own'. It seemed like a project that was totally out of reach >>>> for me - a bit like your average home PC user would feel after being told >>>> 'tired of windows? Go install Linux!' >>>> >>>> In all the reading I have done on REX, I have never run across this >>>> wiki before. I immediately went and read through your whole writeup a >>>> couple of times. This is fantastic. In the space of time it took to read >>>> and digest this, I went from feeling like this is an out-of-reach project >>>> to feeling like this might actually be doable, and in fact might be >>>> something the kids and I could do together. (I'll have to see how I handle >>>> SMD soldering before trying to teach them, of course, heh.) >>>> >>>> A couple of questions, if you don't mind: >>>> >>>> - Your instructions reference a .jed file, which seems to be the code >>>> to be programmed into the Xilinx chip, but I don't see a .jed file in any >>>> of the resources linked off the wiki page... did I miss something? >>>> >>>> - Is the REX board different for the T200 vs the M100 or is the >>>> difference only in the files you load on the machine to set up the flash >>>> memory after the Xilinx chip is programmed? I'm asking because I'd want to >>>> build several for M100 and at least one for T200. >>>> >>>> > and not enough people responded, and now time is short. So I did order >>>> > the parts to make 3 rex's and maybe I'll build those or see if anyone >>>> > else wants to build them at TA. I'm going away on vacation tomorrow >>>> and >>>> >>>> (raises hand, waves it wildly...) >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> jim >>>> >>> >>> > > > -- > > ----------------------------- > Jerry Stoner > [email protected] >
