NVRAM Cart... Continued

[kokovec]

I finally got around to populating the NVRAM PCB I created last summer. Talk about procrastination!
As a reminder this is a 32K NVRAM cart that give the Vectrex read/write access to the entire ROM space.
In other words it's actually RAM that takes a snapshot of it's content when powered down. It then loads it back up on power-up.
You need a special programmer to load up the ROMS. I built a prototype but need to work on a permanent solution.

As a quick demo on functionality I modified CoCo extended basic to run on the Vectrex. It was pretty cool.

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[kokovec]

More Pics...

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[jfmateos]

Nice work Kokovec... I did a similar cartridge last year using a dallas nvram (it can hold 16 32kb roms) and my usb burner can already burn roms on it...if you are interested i can send you a burner to test

[kokovec]

Thanks jfmateos! That's very generous of you . However, I went ahead and decided to build my own programmer that has a serial port and can be programmed from a PC (or MAC).

I suppose this is the same concept as your Dallas NVRAM cart except it doesn't use a battery but it does require a couple of external components.

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[kokovec]

I finally got around to designing the programmer and having some PCBs manufactured.
The design uses a Schmartboard PSOC dev board.
The idea being that it can be an expandable platform beyond the original use of programming the NVRAM cart.
For instance I have a prototype Sony PS2 controller to Vectrex adapter that plugs into the unit. You simply upload the required firmware via the USB port. I'm designing the plug-in board for that now.
Other accessories could include mouse/keyboard. A serial port for the Vectrex. Network connectivity, etc.

[cNp]

Well I don'tunderstand a lot of what you are talking about but this looks and sounds great!

Great work!

cNp

[binarystar]

Awesome, looking forward to seeing what comes of this!